hagihara
For years, following the success of the Lexington-based band Chico Fellini (she was the bassist), Emily Hagihara has been one of the most sought-after musicians in Lexington. Locally, she plays drums in the angular rock trio Ancient Warfare, as well as for the all-female cover group The Binders, which played to packed houses on New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s Day. While Chico Fellini is currently taking a break, Hagihara’s recent stint playing auxiliary percussion on the new album from My Morning Jacket front man Jim James, “Regions of Light & Sound,” has provided her musicianship an outlet to a significantly larger national audience. The opportunity arose following her role playing percussion on the 2010 album “Dear Companion” by Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore, which James produced; local producer Duane Lundy, with whom Hagihara has worked on several projects, helped bridge the connection.
“We had a small window of time to work with between our schedules – (James) obviously keeps very busy and I was touring with Cheyenne Marie Mize and catching up with Ancient Warfare at that time,” she said. “We landed on a day that would work, so I brought what would fit in my car, knowing that there would be additional instruments available at the studio. I played lots of hand-held percussion instruments – tambourines, shakers, hand drums, triangle, crotales.”
Stream a brand new, unreleased track by Hagihara.