Lisa - ProfilesArchive

About Me

The very sweet Dylan Smith already has put up a myspace music fan site. For serious booking inquiries and correspondence please email me through my home web site.
home site is http://www.lisafurukawa.com
Dylan's fan site with more listening samples is http://myspace.com/lisafurukawaray
I am a performing songwriter, pianist-vocalist, composer, and teacher originally from Tokyo, Japan. My father is Japanese, and my mother is Scottish/American. I perform original songs as well as anime theme songs at anime conventions and cultural events.
I have three CDs on my indie label, "Yume Records". The first CD, "This Moment is the Show" is a solo project with vocals and piano.
The second CD, "Pearl Diver" was recorded with a trio (piano, vocals, cello, and percussion). It has a chamber pop feel-acoustic, warm, and intimate.My third CD, "Reaching the Dragon," was released in April 2006, and is currently being sold at conventions around the country and from the home website store. On it you will find electronic arrangements of self produced songs in Japanese and English. Reaching the Dragon showcases piano and vocal work as well as arrangements of strings and beats.
Future projects in the works:*The Chibi Nekochan children's CD and Book, *Altered States- a CD of state songs in Japanese, *A CD of various Anime theme songs rearranged.
Your Birthdate: January 25
You excel at anything difficult or high tech.
In other words, you're a total (brilliant) geek.
It's difficult for you to find people worth spending time with.
Which is probably why you'll take over the world with your evil robots!
Your strength: Your unfailing logic
Your weakness: Loving machines more than people
Your power color: Tan
Your power symbol: Pi
Your power month: July What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

My Interests

music, Yume Records, Anime, comics, video games, Japan, RAINN, Tori Amos Tribute Show, piano, songwriting, buddhism, singing, gardening, connecting to and appreciating the earth..beautiful places..beautiful spirits, travelling, cooking, running, the ocean, reiki, hiking, swimming, meditation, cats, performing, dancing..enjoying and appreciating life and positivity.

I'd like to meet:

People who embrace the things they love passionately and are enjoying and doing interesting and inspiring things, musicians-artists-creative minds who are in tune with their own spirit, otaku- anime/jpop fans.. old and new acquaintances, kind hearted people.

Music:

Lisa Furukawa
http://www.lisafurukawa.com,
http://www.lisa-ray.net.

Inspiration comes from a little of everything. I started piano lessons at the age of three and grew up performing and studying classical music. Playing the piano is one of the greatest joys of my life. My father was in a Hawaiian Blues band and is currently a country western steele guitar player. My mother exposed me at a young age to everything from Tchaikovsky to Scottish jigs and folk music. My grandmother was a classical pianist and my grandfather loved to play Stephen Foster on the piano. Being surrounded by a musical family was a huge influence.

I feel influenced by my roots and childhood in Japan where I listened to Japanese folk music. In addition to more traditional musical forms, I also love listening to songwriters who sing from the heart, composers who exist on a higher spiritual plane.. music for dreaming, music for dancing, shoegaze, goth, ambient techno/electronica, and anime soundtracks.
Current inspirations range from anything by Yoko Kanno to other artists like Bjork, Diedre Dubois from Ekova, Kate Bush, NIN, and PJ Harvey. Also love the Cocteau Twins, Slowdive, Jeff Buckley, Imogen Heap, Radiohead, Ani Difranco, Elbow, Fiona, Cibo Matto, the Cure, Delirium, Depeche Mode, Heather Nova, Sarah Mclachlan, Underworld, Emiliana Torrini, Dead Can Dance, Sheila Chandra, Origa, Faye Wong..

I also listen to music by songwriting friends-Michael Lovesky/Seems So bright (beautiful guitar based soulful pop), Effect Unit, Vienna Teng, Randy Fulk, and Pura Fe (native american blues songwriter).
Tori Amos is a huge muse. I was the director of the Tori Amos Tribute Show (www.toritribute.com) which is a benefit for RAINN for 5 years. I feel very indebted to Tori's music for bringing me out of my shell.

Movies:

some favorites:
Aeon Flux, Amelie, Appleseed, the Crow, anything by Cameron Crowe, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and just about any martial arts related movie with beautiful art direction, Dancer in the Dark, Kurosawa's Dreams, Ghost in the Shell, anything by Hayao Miyazaki, anything by Hal Hartley, Harold and Maud, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Lost in Translation, Office Space, the piano, Tomb Raider, Star Wars, Tampopo, Whale Rider..

Television:

I cancelled my cable because I don't watch it anymore. I get my news from NPR sometimes.. I like Japanese dorama, cartoons, comedy, british comedy, Red Dwarf, Iron Chef, all kinds of anime-GITS, Arjuna, Hikaru no Go, Cowboy Bebop, Fruits Basket, Chobits, Trinity Blood, Bleach, Naruto, Lain, Super Gals, R.O.D., old school doraemon and astroboy..

Books:

I am a comic geek and a huge fan of David Mack's Kabuki comic series. I also love vertigo comics like The Sandman, and also have a lot of admiration for James O'Barr's Crow series. I like pretty books that tell smart stories.
Some favorite authors:
Anything by Kundera, Rilke, Tolkien, Watts, Banana Yoshimoto, Philip K Dick, Joy Kogawa, A.A. Attanasio, Coehlo, Gaiman..
I also like dreamy children's books like Golden Compass and Harry Potter..various books on Japanese/Asian/Asian-American culture, folk, mythology, philosophy, history, and fiction, books on art, Japanese manga, music, biographies about composers, and gardening..once in a while I get mesmerized by the Japanese-English dictionary.
I enjoy books that assist in expanding awareness of the world, health, and spirituality.

Heroes:

Martin Luther King Jr., Daisaku Ikeda, Erin Gray, Liza Dalby, Pura Fe, Awadagin Pratt, Alex Grey, Rachel Carson, Beethoven, Meredith Monk, too many artists and musicians to name, family-friends, teachers..