akiko "kewpie" hiroshima (singer) was born in japan and moved to america for college. she has appeared on the stage and screen, and is happy to wear a pink wig for happyfunsmile.


kaori ibuki (singer) graduated with an advanced degree in theater history from the city university of new york. she studies nihon buyo with the fujima school and, as such, is the lead bon-odori dancer for happyfunsmile.


brian nishii (singer, master of ceremonies) is at least a quadruple threat as an actor, singer, dancer, and bilingual radio personality. he lives in the lower east side with his wife.


wynn yamami (founder, chindon) started with a large collections of enka records, a gifted purple haori, assorted taiko drums, and a whistle. with that, happyfunsmile was born.


bill boyer (sanxian, sanshin) likes to play any instrument with strings, but hates frets. "dang, i hate frets," says bill.



kossan (sanshin, singer) is a zen monk who roller blades around the city and performs okinawan songs at bars, restaurants, and subway stations. needless to say, he was featured on the new york times blog.


josh (saxophone) draws from a wide range of styles, but distills his musical essence into one recurrent theme. "pythagoras suwitchi," he sez.



rob perle (sax) is a businessman by day, saxophonist by night, and rugby referee by weekend.



glenn nataupsky (bass) has been on tour for quite some time, playing bass for every show you've ever seen. now he lives in new jersey with his wife and son.



ben gallina (bass) moved to nyc from his hometown of rochester, new york. he believes in the transformative power of meditation and insight to lessen the suffering of the planet and heal the conflicts of the world.


ryan dorin (keys) is best known as the twelve-fingered pianist in the sci-fi classic gattaca. he composes music, creates animated shorts, and enjoys johnny walker black on the rocks.


red wierenga (accordion) is a master of both the pianica and the tenor melodica, dazzling audiences with his lung capacity and finger dexterity. sometimes he also plays the more obscure piano and accordion.







happyfunsmile alums


miho tsuji (vocals). what can we say? she was the woman with the golden voice and natural presence who started it all!



ali sakkal (sax) is friends with wynn's brother. for some reason, that means he has to play with happyfunsmile. ali now lives in california.



rodrigo morimoto (singer) is a man of the world, growing up in brazil and moving with his family to nyc to work for the united nations. rodrigo started singing with happyfunsmile after a fateful night at a midtown karaoke bar. he now lives in beijing.

michael quintero (percussion) hits things. these days, he is hitting things in colombia and baltimore.