By Mike Romero
Los Angeles based pop/soul artist SHōTA will be performing tomorrow at Piper Down Pub in Salt Lake City as part of a tour of the western United States. An accomplished clarinetist and piano player, SHōTA initially got into music to do Hip-hop, but began incorporating more organic instrumentation as his he developed his style. This background in Hip-hop shines through in his lyrics, which are often spouted in rapid succession. His music is reminiscent of Mat Kearney’s Nothing Left to Lose era.
“I recently just heard that from someone else, though I’ve never heard his music before,” SHōTA told Reach Provo when he was compared to Kearney. “My musical influences vary from Sinatra days to Ed Sheeran. My father is a product of the 60’s, so growing up I listened to The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, and Peter, Paul & Mary. As I got older, I started listening to a bit more modern music and John Mayer was a huge influence in my life, but to me The Beatles will always be number one.”
SHōTA’s tour has already taken him to Portland, Eugene, Seattle, and Boise. After Salt Lake, he’ll hit up Albuquerque and Phoenix. Travel is not new to him. Born in Las Vegas, he moved to Japan when he was three years old, picking up Japanese as his first language. His family eventually moved back to the US and settled in LA. SHōTA is excited to stop and play a show in Salt Lake City.
“I actually love Salt Lake,” he says. “I’ve been to Utah a couple times with my family as a kid, so when I found out that we would be hitting Salt Lake on the tour, I was really excited. I love the scenery and the cold weather as well. I spent time camping through Aspen as a kid, but I haven’t been there since I was about 15, so I’m ready to explore the music scene.”
To SHōTA, exploring a scene means making a connection with people in the audience. “I try to connect with everyone,” he says. “All in all, I try to get the entire audience engaged by having a great time on stage. I mean, if I’m not having fun up there, no one will.”
The show is tomorrow, October 15th, at Piper Down Pub in Salt Lake City at 9PM. Admission is free. He’ll also be playing a set tonight at Funk ‘n Dive Bar in Ogden with Brooke Mackintosh, Josaleigh Pollett, and Mathew H. Lanier! Doors open at 8PM. Both shows are 21+.
Make sure to like SHōTA on Facebook, and watch the music video for his song “Give Me More” below.
Provo Music Magazine 