biography
"Music and singing have always been a part of my life but never more than musical theatre and in the shower. In 2009 I was introduced to Improvised A Capella. A strong desire to sing in a multi-voice setting soon became a loop pedal."
Doug Koyama sings about life, peace, love and truth but you would never know it from the lyrics in his songs. Actual words are replaced by invented language and sounds that, at times, sound more like Spanish, French, Russian or Klingon than English.
Doug is on a vocal voyage of discovery into the heart of improvisation with a loop pedal. His voice is recorded and looped, bits of melody, harmony and vocal percussion are layered to create rich bed tracks over which soaring harmonies and verse and chorus are performed. Each song is completely improvised from beginning to end.
"After listening to, and following other people's truth for so long I have experienced a personal shift and find myself listening more to my heart. I love music! I feel music is the natural expression of our happiness and joy as well as our sorrow and despair. It connects us, it teaches us, it inspires and chronicles change and it reminds us of the beauty that is within us all. Music is life and life is good."
Performances
Robson Valley Music Festival 2010, Expressions at Gold Pan City Dance, Friday Nights at Café Voltairé concert series, Live at Nancy O's, Quesnel Child Development Centre – Annual Variety Show Fund Raiser (performer and MC), Coldsnap 2011 – Open Minds with Open Mic workshop performance, Wunderbar, Devaney's, The Vat Pub, The Rusty Gull, Trees Organic Coffee, The Apollo Bar, HoJoe Coffee.
Summer 2011 shows: Smithers Midsummer Festival, Diversity Festival 8 (+ workshop), ArtsWells Festival of All Things Art (+ workshop), Edge of the World Festival (+ workshop), Robson Valley Music Festival (+ workshop), Music on the Mountain Music Festival, Cafe Deux Soleils - Open Mic Night.
Doug was also the first place winner of the Prince George Mardi Gras, Snow Daze Talent Night: http://snowdaze.ca/Default.aspx?tabId=111
Press
"Koyama's music can be many things. Waves of the ocean lapping on shore or seagulls flying in the air above. The sound of wind on a mountain top. It has a soaring sensation and you wonder what heights it will reach before it ends. You hope it never does."
– Teresa Mallam, Prince George Free Press"Doug has a fabulous soulful voice with an amazing range (and I'm using the word "amazing" in an appropriately meaningful context). His show involves the layering of vocal loops creating a rich texture of rhythm and harmony with solid grooves. It's the coolest thing I've heard in a while."
-- Eric Tompkins, Composer, Producer, multi-instrumentalist Co-founder of Navaz
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© 2011 Doug Koyama. All Rights Reserved.