PWRFL Power vs. Parenthetical Girls

ILLUSTRATION by JOE MCGARRY

Kazutaka Nomura is the accomplished jazz guitarist with the naïve voice who leads Seattle’s PWRFL Power. Actually, naïve might be too broad a term—he sounds naïve, but his lyrics run to darker topics like child-beating (against), online dating (for) and drugs (position ambiguous). Which proves again that you’re only as evil as your vocal range permits. Nomura could confess to shooting your dog and he’d still be adorable in your eyes. The Hokkaido, Japan, native has a history of musical exposure dating back to in-womb listening parties put on by his dad through his mother’s stomach, growing up classically trained in guitar, and playing guitar, broken cymbal and harmonica in a now-defunct noise/improv trio called Na, but he’s also locally famous (in Seattle) for his self-interviews, which shine a whole new light into the intricacies of his personality. Because tour mates Parenthetical Girls—a warped Tyrannosaurus Rex take on Frogs philosophy—also include an experienced ex-journalist (Zac Pennington, from Portland’s own equivalent of The District Weekly), we decided to let them ask each other the questions they’ve never been allowed the chance to ask.

Kazutaka Nomura: I know you like Cherry Coke and I love cupcakes. Do you ever worry about diabetes?
Zac Pennington: I imagine that you must be referring to my rather embarrassing relationship with Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr Pepper. DCVDP poses no significant threat with regards to diabetes, as it is manufactured with the artificial sweetener aspartame. It has been suggested, however, that it may cause brain lesions and/or lymphoma. Fortunately, I have given up soda for the time being. While we’re on the subject, however, this cupcake thing of yours is really getting out of hand.

What is the most rewarding experience from playing music all over the states and Europe?
The most important aspects of traveling and playing music in a live setting for me are largely selfish and narcissistic, as well as rather mundane. Basically, it’s the process of bridging the gap between two of the three supposed necessities for happiness, namely: meaningful labor and something to look forward to. It’s also nice to pretend that the realization of adolescent fantasy can actually allow for transcendence of banal, adult mediocrity. But that only goes so far.

How do you feel about other two tour mates, PWRFL Power and AU? You can be honest.
I don’t think much of them, frankly. Musically, they’ve both certainly got their finer qualities. Both groups have had ridiculously heavy hard drive rotation in my home over the past several months. But personally? Insufferable. Textbook sociopaths, the lot of them. I really hope we all make it home in one piece.

If you have any secret about Parenthetical Girls that you want people to know secretly, you can tell me here. What is it?
The primary secret about Parenthetical Girls is that, in spite of the largely questionable subject matter of most of our songs, we are probably the most chaste band that I know. For all of our worldly travels, there is nary a single account of one of our numbers disappearing into the shadows with some beautiful stranger, nor sharing the warm bed of some come-hither coquette. We sleep alone, in the cold, on the floor, which is probably the opposite of the answer you were looking for. But there you have it.

If you could go back to 1989 and tell young Zac two things about how he should live his life, what would they be?
“The Puritan ethic is extremely overrated,” and “You need to cut your hair.”

I am hoping to open a bakery devoted to cupcakes when it’s time for us to move to Mars. Will you work a cashier position there?
If the cupcake fad holds out that long, I would consider it. I’m surprisingly adept at customer service.

Zac Pennington: Please state your name and occupation.
Kazutaka Nomura: My name is Kazutaka Nomura. People know me as “Kaz” or “PWRFL Power.” I was an international student for four-and-a-half years but now I am unemployed. I don’t wanna look for a job.

I hear that, following the dissolution of your more experimental group Na, you started the pop-centric PWRFL POWER as a joke. Should we take PWRFL POWER seriously? Why?
I was in NA with two other Japanese international students for about two years. Because their visas expired, one left, and then another; that was May of 2006. I didn’t have school until September, so I started drinking. I was 21. I didn’t drink at all before that. When September came, I had wasted so much money and time in going out. I decided it’s time to start a new project. That’s PWRFL Power. It was meant to be “alternative children’s music” at first. I don’t know if there’s a certain way you should take it. It WAS a joke for sure when it started. As I keep playing I started having feelings to it. It’s like dating your best friend from high school and getting married to him or her. It was fun to chat and play around at first but you wanted more and more from the other…

You recently licensed your music and image to an ad for a major insurance company before even releasing your first album. Do you fear a premature backlash? Have you experienced any negative reactions from fans?
The commercial (up on Youtube) is funny. And everyone around me thinks it’s great that they decided to use the song. It was a part of prizes I won through a contest organized by the Stranger—think Seattle’s District Weekly. I think all of my fans are happy that my music was played nationally on TV. My grandma isn’t quite happy though, she doesn’t want me to sing in “American.”

Do you ever find yourself taking advantage of America’s general ignorance toward the culture and people of Japan?
Being attracted to something foreign is a natural thing. Remember what Aristotle said? We are curious to know things. And I know I am capable of delivering daily and general stories from a new perspective or with different expressions from ones most people use because I was raised in a different environment. So I guess I am taking advantage of being a foreigner but I wouldn’t call anyone ignorant for finding it interesting. Does this make sense?

I hear that you are a very shrewd and decisive businessman. What sort of potential for growth do you see PWRFL Power offering would-be investors?
I wanna be a cupcake of the current music scene—something that’s so precious nobody wants to mess with. It has a gravity nobody can resist. And it’s always there at special events. I am feeling sympathy toward cupcakes—that’s why I have been eating three of them a day. I would appreciate people bringing cupcakes to my shows. Oh, wait—business stuff. Sorry, I get too excited once I start thinking about the little treat.

A little birdy told me that you have a very strategic and obsessive relationship with social networking sites like Myspace–would you care to tell us about it?
Indeed! I am obsessed with the internet! I wake up at 10 AM, have a half glass of water, check e-mails, Myspace, and then go get the sweet treat from a neighborhood cafe. Since my girlfriend has an office job in NYC, she likes to talk on AIM. I wanna be on top of the game with my booking agent, so I end up spending all day on the internet. Myspace is a good measurement to know how you are doing. If you played a good show, there will be more song plays next day. If I didn’t tour for 2-4 weeks, the page views will decrease. And I love talking to younger fans or Myspace crushes.

Beneath your seemingly twee-pop exterior, you’re quite the axeman. Which famous guitarists do you think you’re better than?
This jazz guy Lurt Rosenwinkel is great. I liked Ralph Towner’s music quite a bit while growing up. Roland Dyens is taking the classical guitar world to the next level. I am really nobody when you think of these great figures… music is not a competition. Everyone is different and everyone is good. So I can only say I am better than Eddie Van Halen.

I read somewhere that if your profile hadn’t expanded significantly in a year’s time, that you’d probably throw in the towel. Where are you at with that?
Things have gone extremely well. I have big festivals lined up for the summer and tours with epic bands. I set my goal on June 31st of this year for something wonderful to happen. Throughout my career, I let things go and let them happen. As long as I trust myself, live honest, and keep making right choices, God will save me from this snake mistake.

PARENTHETICAL GIRLS WITH PWRFL POWER AND AU UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA IRVINE | STUDENT CENTER | TERRACE STAGE | MON 7:30PM | $5 | ALL AGES | ACROBATICSEVERYDAY.COM

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