Folk duo Nature Airliner to land in Seoul
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Folk duo Nature Airliner composed of Laurier Tiernan, left, and Eiko Hosaka will perform for the Zandari Festa 2015 at West Bridge Rooftop on Oct. 4. / Courtesy of Nature Airliner
By Kwon Mee-yoo
Nature Airliner is neither an airline, nor an adventure company, but the name could easily be mistaken as a brand in either business sector. Moreover, the Tokyo-based bi-cultural folk duo never stays long in one place.
Their journey began in the autumn of 2007, when Canadian musician Laurier Tiernan met businesswoman and photographer Eiko Hosaka in Tokyo. Proposing to her two weeks later, they were married after four months and their pace has never let up.
"By 2010, I had a substantial amount of airplay for my (punk) solo career. However, I also had a stack of unreleased folk songs," Tiernan said. “One day, I asked Eiko to try singing one of them in our bedroom and her voice just blew me away. I then begged her to play just one gig with me, as a duo."
That first show led to a flood of offers, taking them to cafes, restaurants, hotels, bars and festivals around Japan. Tiernan plays the guitar and Hosaka provides vocal for Tiernan’s folk music.
Then, in December 2010, Nature Airliner was accepted to play two nights at the Hard Rock Cafe Guam. In 2012, they won the award of "Performer of the Year" at the Kansai Music Conference in Osaka and they performed at both the Narita World Music Fes in Chiba and the Sky High Festival in Nagano in 2014.
As they soared toward their goals, they never lost sight of their roots.
"In 2009, Ken Bailey of Westfield Radio based in Ironton, Ohio, told me that Music Connection magazine in Los Angeles was looking for journalists to review concerts of unsigned artists with potential," said Tiernan. "I immediately thought it could help the Tokyo indie music scene."
After submitting his writing samples and Hosaka’s photography portfolio, the pair was hired as a team and has since brought numerous Tokyo acts to the attention of the American music industry. When asked what his favorite subject has been so far, Laurier was torn, "It is either the interview I did with John Lydon, aka Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols, or the concert review we did for Taylor Swift.” Hosaka said, "For me it was definitely Taylor Swift; I like her music and I understand her."
Nature Airliner's latest accomplishment is being accepted to play at Zandari Festa 2015, a SXSW-syle showcase festival held in Seoul's Hongdae district, from Oct. 2 to 4. The pair says their individuality is the reason they are heading to the capital of Korea.
"Some industry insiders (in Tokyo) were saying that we should attend networking events overseas, and one of our contacts in Australia thought we'd go over well in Korea. We're not K-Pop, but all of our songs are either love songs or are songs intended to bring more love to the world as a whole. I've been told that Korean people would appreciate that,” said Tiernan.
Hosaka’s answer is more personal. "I love Korean food and Korean TV dramas, so when we were accepted (by Zandari Festa) I thought we should grab this chance!"
In addition to their Sunday performance for Zandari Festa 2015 at West Bridge Rooftop, Nature Airliner will also perform at Rocky Mountain Tavern in Itaewon on Oct. 2, and Thunderhorse Tavern in Noksapyeong on Oct. 3.
For more information, visit Zandari Festa’s website at www.zfesta.com or contact Nature Airliner directly at natureairliner@gmail.com.