Local bluegrass and experimental fiddler Casey Driessen just released the official video for “Tanuki Attack,” the fifth track from his most recent solo album, The Singularity Record.
In the notes for the video, Driessen explains its title. During a 2012 trip to Japan, he was visiting a bonsai master’s garden when he encountered the statue of a “strange upright raccoon/bear/badger type animal with a sly grin.” He continues, “Known in folklore as the mythological tanuki, this shape shifter brings luck and mischief — two things I don’t want to live without.” (The tanuki is also part of contemporary mythology — read Tom Robbins’ 2003 novel Villa Incognito for more tanuki lore.)
The video for “Tanuki Attack” was shot at Noble Forge in Asheville. The song is constructed of Driessen’s signature fiddle style, aka “The Chop,” with digital loops and effects all layered in real time.
