There I was - Friday November 4th in Greenville, South Carolina. It was the first night of a 21 city tour. On stage, rehearsing and doing a sound check, my cell phone rang. I picked it up quickly and said, "I can't talk - I'm in the middle of rehearsal..." but a feminine voice cut me off - it had a soft, yet urgent quality. "No, listen to me...this is important...I'm at Club Exit to see DMBQ tonight and I just saw Todd P. DMBQ's been in a car accident...Mana's dead."
It couldn't be...I just saw her a day
earlier. I had bought the band a care-package of Ramen...I had hand
delivered a note to Mana from her best friend in Japan...I had taken a photo with
her that she wanted me to email to her best friend to let her know she was
fine...
Right away I called Todd P. Then I called Jeff S. who worked with
Michelle Cable and traded off driving duties. Little by little, the worst
was confirmed, Mana was indeed deceased. The rest of the band survived with minor injuries and Michelle Cable was hospitalized with severe
injuries but expected to survive.
I was numb. Here I was, 750 or so miles from home on my first night of the
tour,
receiving news that a dear friend was tragically killed. I've managed to
return home and the news still hasn't sunk in and I don't expect it to anytime
soon. Mana was a special person and a beautiful soul who filled everything
she touched with light. She had a bright smile, a giving personality and a
wicked sense of humor. And for those of us who had the chance to see her
perform, we were witness to a true artist as well as a virtuoso. Mana
could play deep in the pocket, but when she was allowed to be herself, then she
really shined. Seeing Mana perform was a magical experience and as a musician, it
never failed to inspire me. And for those of us who had the privilege of
being her friend, the best we could hope for was to catch some of the light she
radiated.
Mana died doing exactly what she loved, on her own terms. We all should be
so lucky. As her best friend, Mamiko Nakagawa said to me as we tried to
make sense of all this, "Mana loved and enjoyed playing drums.
She never had any regrets. She hated regrets."
At the moment the only rationalization that can give me any kind of solace is
the knowledge that if someone as giving and talented as Mana was taken so young
and suddenly, it must be because someone that special is desperately needed
somewhere else. But the reality is that Mana is gone. There is no
more light.
Mana's Funeral was scheduled in Japan for Thursday, November 17th at
1:00pm. What that meant for us East-coasters was Wednesday night, November
16th at 11:00pm. It was a great get together with some other friends of
Mana and we raised a toast at that time to a dear friend
and celebrated the life of one of the brightest stars that we'd ever had the
pleasure of knowing. You can't ask for more. Thanks for
everything, Mana.
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 All the Photos on this site are mine except this one - and it's the only one I wish I had taken! Special thanks goes to Jimmy Turri of the band An Albatross for giving me permission to use this shot. It's just that I've never seen a better picture that illustrates Mana's gutsy, innovative and wild personality and drum playing. |
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