mokai

www.mokaiMusic.com
I’ve had a life long passion for the guitar, for folk blues fingerpicking, and for the art of songwriting: that magic of turning a few minutes into a journey with all the scenery and the twists in the road that make it interesting.
My debut CD “Unearthed” is an introduction to my music, an exploration of the different styles and rhythms that move me. I indulged my obsession for the guitar, digging up my own take on acoustic Blues, Jazz and Folk, and inviting the participation of some of the Bay Area’s most exciting musicians, including emerging talents Erika Luckett and Mark Growden, and master instrumentalists Todd Sickafoose, Matt Eakle and John Capobianco.
WAR, PEACE, and PASSION
The guitar is like a reservoir where I can always go for strength. There’s just something hopeful about a G chord. I got myself out of a major depression writing the last song on the debut CD, World Without War .
One of my stronger childhood memories of the anti-war movement was the music: the pulsing, strummed guitars, the passionate voices raised in harmony–the whole "Up With People" togetherness of it all.
YOU CAN’T FOOL ME
In ’05 I released 5 song EP entitled "You Can’t Fool Me" featuring home-studio and live recordings. The song "Criminal Behavior" became my signature song and has been heard by thousands at dozens of events. It’s a powerful indictment of war profiteers. The CD also includes the song "When Johnny Came Home From War", about a returning veteran, as well as my tribute song for the late activist, Judi Bari.
Please visit www.mokaiMusic.com for updates.

OFFICIAL BIO

Gifted with a wild imagination and a dry wit, Mokai can be serious or playful, as well as moving. He rouses an audience with his rapid-fire rhymes, acerbic commentary and modern fingerstyle rhythms. His distinctive, earthy sound, blending elements of roots blues, jazz and world music, is the perfect vehicle for deeply felt songs about life, about people and their struggles, deeply grooving, inspiring songs concerning these times.
With smokin’ guitar, rapid-fire rhymes, and an eclectic mix of styles, Mokai has fit in everywhere from North Beach Jazz Fest to Reggae on the River, from Earthdance World Music Fest and Sonoma’s Harmony Festival to the Humboldt Folklife Fest.
Performing with his trio, he has appeared before large festival and nightclub audiences – but Mokai’s solo acoustic set featuring his signature fingerpicking is the real revelation. It is often described like hearing a duo: Mokai and his acoustic guitar–his innovative use of fingerstyle and his driving thumb making him sound like he’s got a bass player in his pocket, accompanying him. His intimate live shows are the key to his growing fan base, as noticed by local DJ Rosalie Howarth (KFOG FM) who commented “Great message in a vivid, deftly expressed package…incredible live!"
Mokai’s debut CD "Unearthed," released in May of 2003, features twelve of his original tunes and special multimedia Bonus Content for your computer. From authentic Folk Blues guitar chops, to raving poetics, "Unearthed" digs up a wide array of styles and perspectives. Recorded at the historic Hyde St. studios in San Francisco, the disc bursts at the seams with talent, including performances by award-winning vocalist Erika Luckett, instrumentalist Mark Growden, soloist Matt Eakle (Dave Grisman Quintet), Upright Bass phenom Todd Sickafoose (Ani DiFranco), Jazz trumpeter John Capobianco, and vocal performances by Heather Davison (Hanes Family, Loretta Lynch), and Bay Area diva, Jessie Turner.
After the release of “Unearthed,” Mokai made over two hundred appearances, at coffeehouses, nightclubs, festivals, house concerts and on radio stations. He was a special guest on the main stage at Reggae on the River and at the Earthdance festival, received a best song award and a best performance award from the Westcoast Songwriters Association, and was featured on the syndicated cable series “Spotlight on Performing Songwriter.” Mokai appeared at the North Beach Jazz Festival in 2003 and 2004; he had a monthly residency at the Elbo Room in San Francisco, California, for over a year and half in ’05-’06, and ended this run with performances at the Cafe Du Nord.
Mokai is part of a vibrant, supportive community of indie musicians in San Francisco, many of whom perform regularly at the local Bazaar Café. Their compilation CD, Bazaar Café Musical Stew features one of Mokai’s signature songs "It Ain’t What You Is, It’s What You Ain’t".
Mokai is also well known in the SF Bay Area progressive scene. His song "World Without War" was dubbed "the peace movement’s new anthem" by Medea Benjamin (Global Exchange) and was in regular rotation on Pacifica’s KPFA and other public radio stations, including national program Democracy Now!
Before moving to the Bay Area, he was drawn to the defense of the last wild places. Pioneering some of the first direct actions to save ancient forests in Oregon and California, he lent his body and his songs to the struggle. During one of the first ever ’tree-sitting’ actions on the Pacific Coast, he came to be known as Mokai (pronounced /MO’-kI/ with a long "o" and long "i"), performing his songs at rallies and gatherings in support of the environment, social justice, and against war.
Mokai’s 2005 release, called “You Can’t Fool Me,” received airplay on a number of public and independent radio stations. The EP was created to celebrate the growing movement in opposition to Endless War. It was released on the second anniversary of the Iraq invasion, at a rally in San Francisco’s Civic Center, where he was invited to perform.
KPFA and KALW in the SF Bay Area, KMUD in Garberville, KCRB in Santa Rosa, and KVMR in Grass Valley are among stations continuing to play tracks from the disc.