BEREA, Ohio -- The sound of thunderous beats echoed from inside the Berea Library Thursday (Aug. 17) as the Yume Daiko Japanese Drum Group shared the “rhythms of wow” with a large, appreciative crowd.

Father and son drummers Matt and Kai Richards performed as part of the Summer Artist Demonstration Series, a partnership between the Berea Fine Arts Club and Cuyahoga County Public Library.

They exhibited great passion as they played several songs. Everything in the large conference room vibrated with each pounding beat.

“Yume means ‘dream,’ and Daiko means ‘drums,’” Matt explained, pausing to catch his breath after the intense opening song.

“We formed this group in 2009 … and both Kai and I learned to play the drums in Japan.”

They brought with them a collection of drums and bachi, which are Japanese drumsticks, to the performance.

Matt said he first began drumming in 1996 in Japan, where he lived for 15 years. Kai was born there in 1996 and has been yielding the sticks since he was very young.

Kai Richards performed a drum song that required lots of endurance and physical strength. (Beth Mlady/special to cleveland.com)

Both of them wore Tabi -- Japanese socks with a seam separating the big toe and second toe for the wearing of thonged footwear -- while performing. They wore theirs without shoes, but with rubber soles.

They have performed at concerts, festivals, weddings and other special events, but never directly expose their instruments to rain. Water is the enemy, because the drums risk being damaged if they get wet, Matt emphasized.

“Japanese drums have been around for a long, long time,” he said. “One of my drums came from Asano Taiko, which is probably the premier drum maker in Japan. That company just celebrated its 475th anniversary.”

Matt Richards shared a laugh with his son Kai during a demonstration of how to tighten and tune a Japanese drum. (Beth Mlady/special to cleveland.com)

Matt added that the drums have been used through the ages in Japan for artistic performances, as communication devices, in shrines, at festivals and during battles to intimidate the opposition.

“What I like to teach everybody in the group is that there’s a certain passion to playing this drum,” he said.

“My playing this drum is really cool. My son playing this drum is really cool. He and I playing drums together for you, or just enjoying it, that’s a whole ‘nother thing.

“There’s an energy going on.”

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