Mochi Magazine » musician

Musician Kaz Nomura Opens Up About Life on the Road

Vivian Luu — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 15:14:26 +0000

Courtesy Anna Ryon

You may have met him at an indie coffee shop when he lived in Brooklyn, NY, or gone to one of his shows in Washington, D.C. If you’re in Seattle, don’t be surprised to find him at some of his local haunts, including Bauhaus and Caffé Vita. And if you were lucky enough to catch the last Clap Your Hands Say Yeah tour, say hello to their opener, Kazutaka “Kaz” Nomura. He also goes by PWRFL Power and Half Yogurt.

Just to set things straight, Nomura started PWRFL Power exclusively as a singer-songwriter. Half Yogurt is him, reinvented as a guitar shredder, as well as music label and tour organizer.

Carrying blues and folk tones, Nomura’s upbeat, poppy lyrics—such as “Let me teach you how to hold chopsticks. You’re so pretty and holding them. You’re so pretty, but holding them wrong”—send listeners on a laughing spree. Long intervals of acoustic guitar shredding—soothing, yet engaging—leave them entranced and audibly content.

Whoever said “experience is the best teacher” was spot on. Nomura has toured around the U.S. twice and then in Japan. Half Yogurt has produced for indie artists such as Olympia’s Geniferus, Ed Askew and Dennis Driscoll, among others. Along with all this, Nomura is still making music and performing. He even got married to fellow artist Tennessee “Cap Lori” Rose.

On one of the rare sunny days in Seattle, Mochi got a chance to sit and sip with Nomura. Here’s a little on the life of the artist.

Mochi: So you’re from Asahikawa City in Japan. How’d you make your way to Seattle?

Kaz Nomura: In Japan, I had an English teacher who graduated from the University of Washington. She was also Mormon. I originally wanted to study jazz music composition, and she said I should go to Salt Lake or Seattle. I thought, “Well there’s nothing in Salt Lake,” so I went to Seattle.

I took English as second language classes at Shoreline Community College and then went to Cornish College of the Arts for classical music composition. It was really nice because I got to tour while I was still in school. [Cornish] was really laid back. I would say, “Oh, I’m going to do a show in Portland,” and my teachers were OK with it. I’d go for a couple weeks, come back, and go to school.

Mochi: Then you moved to Brooklyn…

KN: I was dating a girl who was the director of a commercial agency over there. I moved for her, but it was also time to leave Seattle because I was playing at the same places over and over again.

I was touring every other month, and I played along the East Coast. My favorite city was Washington, D.C., because I made many friends there and played a lot of shows. I also liked Providence, R.I.

But it gets old if you keep doing it. Up to the fifth time you get to play somewhere, it’s fun, but it’s kind of like going from work to your place. You get used to it. You know which cafe you’re performing at and where to go.

Mochi: How’d you meet your wife, Tennessee?

KN: I was performing at the Capitol Hill Block Party and she was in the audience. After the show, she came to talk to me at the merchandising booth. I got married in August. Tennessee and I went to do a lot of sightseeing. I think we stayed there for 10 months. We also toured around Japan. I think we performed, like, 50 shows together. We toured everywhere and went to most of the major cities.

Mochi: What was performing like in Japan?

KN: Most people didn’t understand what I was singing, but they still liked it. I think they’re intrigued, and they feel some pride in seeing a Japanese American singer. People also told me they like the music, even if they don’t know the lyrics. They seem to appreciate what I’m doing. I wanted to hang out with people from the Japanese music scene. I ended up opening for Clap Your Hands Say Yeah in their last tour, and that was really cool. All the shows sold out.

Mochi: What is touring and traveling like?

KN: I stay with friends a lot. Usually, I don’t have a solid place to live. I couch surf. It’s fun to spend some time in one neighborhood and then in another one. I don’t really have a lot of stuff. I usually bring two suitcases full of stuff. Half would be CDs and half merchandise. The rest are clothes. You don’t need much. You can eat out, so you don’t need cookware. I live like a homeless person. I have my stuff and my guitar.

Mochi: And the wife?

KN: She wants to come on tour. It would be more efficient if I did it alone, but it’s still fun and nice to have company all the time. She’d open for me.

Mochi: How about the parents?

KN: They’re very supportive. They come to my shows when they’re in town. I think they’re happy for me. I save up enough money and do well enough to keep going.

While Nomura enjoys the couch surfing and traveling, he plans to stay in Seattle for a while and settle into married life—for now. “I like going back and forth, but I don’t want to just be the guy who’s here or some guy touring all the time,” he said. “I like where I am.”

Read more about Kaz Nomura, his music and his label at www.halfyogurt.com.

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Meet Justin Nozuka

Gaby Yo — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:23:54 +0000

Just two years ago, Justin Nozuka was recording an album, performing in Europe, and…being a teenager? Born in New York City and raised in Toronto, the 20- year-old singer/songwriter has already accomplished what many simply dream. His debut album, “Holly,” was released in the U.S. this past April, and his first single, “After Tonight” has quickly sold over 125,000 downloads. What’s more, his music video for the single was the most played video for nine weeks straight on VH1, where he has also been named a You Oughta Know: Artist On The Rise. He has been nominated for a Best New Artist JUNO award (similar to a Grammy, but Canadian) and won the Emerging Artist Award this past summer from the Canadian Organization of Campus Activities: Campus Entertainment Awards. Justin has even shared the stage with John Cale, Crowded House, and Ziggy Marley. Without a doubt, he is one busy and buzzworthy guy. VH1 got it right when they said he was an artist you oughta know.

It’s a sunny day in California as I wait in the Glass House — a live music venue in Pomona. Justin saunters into the room wearing a baseball cap, a green t-shirt, and shorts. He carries such an easygoing, down-to-earth presence that one could almost mistake him for any other guy at the venue. But his delicate half-Japanese, half-American features, charming, coy grin, and piercing, hazel eyes give him away.

We move into the lounge area of the venue, where we jump right into talking about his first album, Holly. “Well, I recorded it two years ago with the producer, Bill Bell, and basically, the idea behind the album was just to let it happen organically. A lot of the tracks were done without click (a metronome) and in one take,” he explains. “It’s an independent album so I did it independently without label support. And really [I've] just sort of been building my career thus far around that album, using it to sort of establish something.”

When asked how he would define his music, it’s difficult for Justin to clearly label it. “I don’t really know,” he muses. “I mean, for me, I just try to put as much passion into my music and as much soul as I can. I try to keep it as honest as possible.”

He goes on to explain one song off his album called “Golden Train,” mostly because I talk him into it. “Golden train,” he repeats reflectively. “The train is just like a metaphor – almost – for something bigger and greater. Something more shiny,” he says with a mischievous smile.

“It’s like saying I’m with someone and then something comes by that’s—,” he stops to think of the right word. “—fabulous. And, let’s just say it’s a guy – and it’s a strong guy – and he’s handsome as hell,” he says with a grin, “and he’s got a lot of money and he can sing better than me and write songs better than me. So it’s just saying, would you stay or would you go?”

We get into other elements of his album as well. Apart from relationship songs, Justin also writes songs with a narrative. “I try to write from a different point of view and put myself in situations that I may not have ever been in. I try to tell a story that hasn’t been told before, write a song that hasn’t been done before. So, story songs are important to me.”

He looks over to his worn, silver water bottle. “You know, you can write about this water bottle, even. I mean, if you really just look at it—and study it,” he says, holding up the bottle, “and you can build a story around it. For me, I try to practice that in song writing and really just try to look at things from a different angle.”

And has it been difficult for this half-Japanese, half-American artist to break into a predominantly white music industry?

“I think it helps,” he says of his Japanese heritage. “It’s cool, and I think a lot more artists are coming out that are Asian, half-Asian, and multi-cultured because I think society accepts that.”

He speaks of what it was like being brought up both Japanese and American. “I was raised in more of a ‘white’ surrounding. I went to Japanese school when I was really young, but my parents divorced when I was really young, too. So, I lived with my mom who is not Japanese. Sometimes, I’ll look in the mirror and I’ll be like—,” he gives a confused frown and chuckles.

His mother, after whom the album is named, raised Justin along with six other children as a single parent, and moved the family to Toronto when Justin was only 8 years old. And while Justin did not grow up with his Japanese father for most of his life, he still remains very much interested in that part of his heritage.

“Of course, man,” he says, keenly, “Japanese culture is something that I really want to get into. And it’s really hard now because I’m so busy, but I was trying to learn Japanese again. I definitely want to learn [the language] and reach back to my roots, because that to me is like my core. I think I would gain a lot [from] that.”

As far as what he hopes to accomplish with his career as a musician, Justin almost doesn’t know where to begin. “I want to,” he hesitates and gives a shy laugh. “I want to do it, you know? I want to break internationally and I really want to be on top. But I want to do it under my terms and do it organically and right. I don’t want to force things down anybody’s throat. And I want to make good music,” he stresses. “I just want to make music that is different and new and pushes the boundaries and [with] lyrics as well. I just want to be a good songwriter and bring that to people.”

There is something very genuine and earnest about Justin’s confession. For that moment, there appears to be a different side of him. The smile from his shy laugh disappears, as he leans forward and carefully thinks through his words. It is a question that he takes to heart and answers sincerely. Afterwards, he slips back into his casual stance, occasionally fiddling with his fingers or taking sips from his water bottle. But it becomes clear that underneath the relaxed exterior is someone with big plans and a willful determination. That, along with his knack for songwriting and soothing voice (the kind that can prompt goose bumps), makes Justin a force to be reckoned with.

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Lijie Yang Chases Her Dreams

Sharon Choi — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 23:20:12 +0000

Not only can this chick sing, strum a guitar, and play the piano, she also knows how to live her life to the fullest. Lijie Yang, 29, musician and songwriter, rebelled against the image of the stereotypical Asian American in order to follow her dream, even though it meant going against her parents’ wishes.

Born in Baoding, China, Yang moved to the United States at the age of five. At a young age, she was the stereotypical Asian American, striving for good grades under pressure, playing the piano, and setting her sights on going to a good school.

“Grow up and go to Stanford. Grow up, go to Princeton. You know, my parents would encourage watching People’s Court; that wasn’t my favorite cartoon,” Yang said, recalling her childhood.

Raised in an area with a small handful of Asian Pacific Americans, Yang remembers struggling, wanting to be something and someone else but herself.

“I wanted to be white, but now I can’t even imagine that,” she said. “It’s hard enough being yourself sometimes, you know? To be somebody else, no, I don’t have time for that anymore.”

Yang came to a breaking point in college when she realized that she didn’t want to follow her parents’ wishes of her becoming a doctor or lawyer any longer.

“When I was in college, I got caught cheating on a test. That’s when I realized it. I realized that it was not who I was and it wasn’t who I wanted to be,” Yang said.

Yang decided to move to Los Angeles after graduating. Although her parents were “unhappily shocked” about the idea of their daughter moving to another city and waiting tables, nothing could stop Yang.

In Los Angeles, Yang was able to write her music for her first album “Roam,” with the help of producer Erik Colvin, who was also a demo-producer for Puddle of Mudd. Songs from the album have placed Yang as a finalist several times in the 2006 UK Songwriting Contest, including “Roam,” “Lately,” “So High,” and “Bar Song.”

Her unique sound and quality of music have gained her accolades from a variety of critics. Creative Line Magazine in Los Angeles said, “Like the best chocolate … Lijie’s smooth vocals will take you on a journey of hurt and healing.” The MusicShopper also admired her musical ability, “Lijie’s music is a sublime blend of delicate pianos and guitars paired with her intoxicating voice.”

As for her goals as an artist, Yang said, “What I don’t want to do is have that [goal] be the reason why I lose focus on what’s most important, which is just to make really great music that people want to listen to.” Yang added that she has “this crazy dream of becoming a performing artist, the kind that sells albums upon albums upon albums, recording beautiful music that people will sing to in their car, dance to at their wedding, cry to when their hearts are broken, and make love by candlelight.”

Yang goes on to say, “Do I want to sell 10 million albums and tour the world? Hell yeah! But ultimately, when you’re in the studio or even when you’re writing a song, you want to write something that grabs people and that ultimately makes people feel.”

Despite industry stereotypes, Yang does not let her skin color get in the way of her career. Although she has yet to face any major problems with being Asian American in the music industry, Yang realizes it is an issue people go through.

“It’s really about the individual, you know what I mean? Life is really about overcoming external obstacles and overcoming your own. I think that the biggest obstacle that I’ve had to overcome is myself and I really do believe that good music will be heard. And that’s true for Asian artists with great music, like Vienna Teng.”

Presently, Yang is working on her second album and attending Berklee College of Music in Boston. As for her future, she has decided to go with the flow.

“You know there’s a joke, ‘How do you make God laugh? Make a plan!’” She said. “I wish I could say this is what’s going to happen, but I’m just going to take it one day at a time and see where the wind blows. I don’t want to make God laugh too hard.”

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