Meet Goh Kurosawa | Bicultural Music Samurai

We had the good fortune of connecting with Goh Kurosawa and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Goh, what’s the end goal, career-wise?
Answers to questions change over time, but this one does not have to… the end goal would be to fully enjoy the journey. We may never reach the first destination we had in mind, but we do arrive some where; we can decide how we arrive there.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
People call me the Bicultural Music Samurai, my website is ComposeLife.com, and this is from my website… Residing in Los Angeles and travelling the world from Japan, GOH (Goh Kurosawa) is a musician armed with Honey Beast (his guitar), Lucky8 (his amp), fresh original songs, electrifying soundscapes, and stunning arrangements of familiar global melodies. “Keep it simple, believe, and live every day.” All throughout his life, Goh has been sharing honest stories and life expressions though music, and his current tour is called Lovetap Tour (previously known as Broken Tour). “It’s easy, it’s not hard, it’s fun.” Having performed in a wide range of settings and festivals (for music, art, movement, schools, community centers, and public libraries), Goh performs in Japan annually, produces Brilliant Strings (live music & live watercolors) in Los Angeles, conducts workshops/seminars at universities and schools, frequents the Pacific Northwest (Seattle and Portland areas), and has performed featured concerts in Taiwan, Brazil, France, Canada, Myanmar, and Mexico. In addition, during the 2020 pandemic, he has launched an online event with music and conversations (English & Japanese) called Across Waters. He has been actively touring locally and internationally since 2005, and recently completed his first two performances in Cuba at the historical Teatro Martí as well as the new and modern Fabrica de Arte Cubano. With the help of the Japanese Embassy in Cuba, both events were recognized by the executive committee of 120th Anniversary of Japanese Migration to Cuba to be a part of the 120th year anniversary celebration, commemorating the first Japanese immigration on September 9th, 1898. Wedding celebrations, dive bars & wine bars, graduation ceremonies, senior retirement homes, schools, the street, and all spaces where music resonate continue to be a part of his itinerary.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Fusion Burger, Friends In Deed, Peanut Lake, My five hour walks, Super Pets, Super King, In & Out Burger, MorYork Gallery, Arts District Co-op, Blue Wale, Larchmont Village, Tujunga Village, Sierra Madre, Elysian Park, Mulholland Drive, Hermosa Beach, Highland Park, and South Pasadena.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Roger Mills (musician in Pacific NW), Pete Morris (watercolor artist), Marshall Fischer (musician/drummer), Goryo Kuwano (photographer), Adam Levy (musician/teacher), Robert Gebhardt (musician in Yreka California), Sue Morris (photographer), 5th Street Coffeehouse (venue in Osaka Japan), Naomi Hanafusa (musician/producer), Nyan Nyan (my cat), Honey Beast (my guitar), Lucky8 (my amp), Elite Acoustics (amp company in Los Angeles), Slow Burn (my guitar cables), Andre Harper (teacher), Sea Side Sound (pedals and cables made in Saga Japan), Mooer Audio (music gear made in China), Matt Thomas (musician in Virginia Beach), Clare Graham (artist), Bar Trinity (in Higashi-Osaka Japan), LeeZen (hair stylist in Higashi-Ikoma Japan), Sue Taylor (faculty at Washington University in St. Louis), Yoshiyuki Masuda (teacher), Daniel Machuca (high school student), Roland Dyens (musician/teacher), Masumi Kurosawa (andon stained glass artist), Miroslav Tadic (teacher/musician), Amy Mennecke (owner of Pyro Camp), Frank Handy (music supervisor), Scott Yanow (journalist), Andre LaFosse (turntablist guitar), Travis L Rogers Jr. (journalist), Yasuko Yanai (live music supporter), Kai Kurosawa (Kubo player), Jun Nagatsuka (teacher/musician), Noriaki “Kenmei” Okamoto (musician/producer), Masashi Toba (musician/producer), Isao Kato (producer/chef), Leo Parra Castillo (blues musician from Columbia), Narusawa Ice Cave (a lava tube located in the Aokigahara forest), Hitoshi Nagamiya (musician/florist), Kurt Stern (teacher), Jiro Endo (musician/producer), Pica Ishikawa (musician/producer), Miyu “Mew” Yamamoto (musician/dancer), Motohiro Kurosawa (BBQ man), Friends In Deed (food bank in Pasadena California), Handy Family (from Pacific Northwest), Josue Tacoronte (musician from Cuba), Juanito Zihua (musician from Mexico), Phiboon Phihakendr (musician from Thailand), Wayne Kimler (musician from St. Louis), Ben Looker (musician/professor), Ella Morris (photographer), Phyllis Grillo (teacher of “Take care of you!”), plus MFMF (my family my friends of our world… everyone and everything from the streets, the venues, the festivals, the mountains, the farmer’s markets, the schools, and anywhere anything anyone else that we can&can’t think of).

Website: http://www.composelife.com

Image Credits
Paul Guenette (blue photos), Sue Morris (gold photo)