Running a songwriting workshop, teaching voice and piano, and generally
impressing listeners with her stellar voice and high standards for
composition, singer-songwriter and pianist
Robin Yukiko quickly established herself in the San Francisco music community when she moved to California four years ago after stints on the East Coast and in Japan. As she prepared to release her new CD Love-War, she answered some questions about her musical background, recording her latest project
and her next move.
Q: You were raised in a musical family and have lived and performed all over the world — how and why San Francisco?
RY: Yes, my father is a jazz pianist and my mom has a killer ear for production. They were incredibly supportive while I was growing up (and still are) and encouraged me to follow my dreams, wherever they took me. I grew up in Orlando, a town that is just diverse and touristy enough to make you want to see the world. And spending time in Boston (where I have family and went to college) only fed my travel bug.
But the turning point for me was, after graduating Berklee College of Music, deciding to teach ESL in Japan. I thought it was a great way to kill time, make money, and see the world. I had no idea I would fall in love with teaching and meet my future husband, a fellow teacher. After about two years, we were both starting to feel the strain of living abroad, but also the call of our future careers (for me, music; for Greg, astrophysics). When he got into a Masters program in San Francisco, it was perfect. I've been loving getting to know the SF music community and being a part of it.
Q: You're working on a new recording. How did you go about choosing songs and who to work with?
RY: About eight years ago, I started recording what I thought would be my second album. But when the engineer transferred the files with a faulty cable, all the master tracks got corrupted. I was pretty heartbroken.
I didn't try to record again until I came back from Japan in 2009. I spent a couple months in L.A. where I reconnected with my old band mates who had moved, and met Cori "Master Fader" Jacobs (an awesome musician/producer/engineer). I started piecing the new songs together track by track, thinking it would get done that summer, but issues kept cropping up. When I lamented to the friend I was staying with, he introduced me to his neighbor Will Kennedy (former drummer for the Yellowjackets). I got down a handful of killer drum tracks before I had to head to San Francisco. I continued things here, recording at the Musicians Union studio with Patrick Simms, and met some new musicians who were into the project, like Colin Williams, Jason Craven, and Elyse Ader (upright bass, electric bass, and viola respectively). My good friend William Ryan Fritch (a multi-instrumentalist I played with in Florida) added his orchestral touch to a few songs.
We were still recording one track at a time, and all the while I was writing new songs that I wanted on the album. It felt like a picture I kept painting over as things were revised and my style evolved. I was running out of money too, and decided to do a Kickstarter which raised $2600. I was able to put out an EP version of Love War and give it to my Kickstarter supporters while they were waiting for the full album.
I managed to make it back down to L.A. (hooray, Megabus!) and worked directly with Cori. In just a few days we finished up the entire project and created something I'm finally proud of.
Q: How did your songwriters' workshops evolve? Do you find teaching influences your writing?
RY: Well, I've been accused of being impulsive (and there's some truth to that). When someone suggested I teach groups, I scheduled the first workshop for three weeks later, started hitting up open mics and telling everyone I met about them. I remembered a class at Berklee called Singer-Songwriter Workshop that was so good that I took it twice. I wanted there to be a group that could give honest and useful feedback (and be affordable to musicians). It started out with only a couple people, but word spread and now there is a small, but consistent group that provides invaluable insight to its members.
After doing these for a while, I started to develop a philosophy and began writing articles for MusicClout.com. You can also find them in my blog at
www.robinyukiko.com/news, but I encourage musicians to educate themselves as much as possible.
Q: Gazing into your crystal ball: What do the next 6 months look like for you?
RY: Well, I am thrilled to say that I will finally be releasing Love War on July 27 at the
Hotel Utah! I'm putting a set together of my favorite songs from the album and will
be rocking out live with the band. A week after the launch though, I'll be moving to Pennsylvania. I'll continue to perform online when I get there, but live gigs will be a challenge for a while as I'm also expecting a baby in November! But so far I'm doing my best not to let being pregnant affect my gazillion summer projects. I keep thinking of my favorite line from Almost Famous: "It's all happening!"
I'm pleased to announce that the KCDC "Your Own Reaction" Cd is now available worldwide, online via CDBaby, Amazon, iTunes, etc.! We're proud of these songs and had a great time playing them live in Berkeley on Sunday. If you weren't at the show, I hope you'll take a listen and order a copy ...or two or three!
Mario of course, was a guitar player long before he became a guitar maker, and he'll put aside his luthier orders Friday, September 5, to perform at the CD release for his band The Secret Identities at the Starry Plough. More good music — The Secret Identities are sharing the bill with Shelley Doty X-tet (Shelley's a great guitarist & gifted performer) — and another chance to see Desio guitars in action. 
Jeff Desira is eagerly anticipating his CD-release party at Amnesia on July 19th, 8pm, for "Weathervane." Produced by Scott Mickelson and mastered by Michael Romanowsk, expect some quality hook-laden tunes. (He'll be part of the Alameda Songwriter's Roundup on July 26). 
RY: Yes, my father is a jazz pianist and my mom has a killer ear for production. They were incredibly supportive while I was growing up (and still are) and encouraged me to follow my dreams, wherever they took me. I grew up in Orlando, a town that is just diverse and touristy enough to make you want to see the world. And spending time in Boston (where I have family and went to college) only fed my travel bug.
But the turning point for me was, after graduating Berklee College of Music, deciding to teach ESL in Japan. I thought it was a great way to kill time, make money, and see the world. I had no idea I would fall in love with teaching and meet my future husband, a fellow teacher. After about two years, we were both starting to feel the strain of living abroad, but also the call of our future careers (for me, music; for Greg, astrophysics). When he got into a Masters program in San Francisco, it was perfect. I've been loving getting to know the SF music community and being a part of it.
Energetic, funny
and passionate about making music, Oakland songwriter Pete Ahonen has been
captivating audiences throughout the San Francisco Bay Area with his own brand of outlaw
country/folk rock. Upon the completion his debut CD “In the Blood” (Lost Monkey Records), the East Bay native is poised to take his music to a wider audience. Ahonen recently answered a few questions about his influences, writing process and the
making of “In the Blood.”
I met jazz singer Roberta Donnay more than 10 years ago through West Coast Songwriters, discovering one of the Bay Area's most multi-talented singers, songwriters and producers in the process. Soon after meeting, I sought out the Washington, DC native's help producing an EP and received an education in musicianship, studio work and Buddhism as well as a finished project. Having written for film, TV and the UN, Roberta has an abundance of songwriting and vocal chops, working as a music supervisor for film and singing with Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks when she's not fronting her Prohibition Mob Band. However, Roberta's first musical love was jazz, and for the past five years she's been focusing her energies on the genre. On November 13, Motéma Music officially releases her latest CD, "A Little Sugar," a showcase of vintage jazz, blues and swing. Roberta discussed her latest project as she got ready for her CD release and tour with her Prohibition Mob Band.
San Francisco Bay Area songwriter friends who front different Americana/Roots projects round out the bill for Kwame Copeland's CD release party at The Starry Plough, Shattuck Avenue Berkeley, CA 94705-1822, Thursday, September 23, 2010. That's tomorrow.
" an original collection of rock and jazz-inflected songs co-produced by Copeland and Oakland producer Ben Bernstein (New Monsoon, Petting Zoo Studios). While Copeland has played on many recordings in the past and was featured on a Bazaar Cafe compilation CD, "Simple Things' is his debut release.
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