The Bay Bridged spotlights Goh Nakamura, a San Francisco singer-songwriter whose many musical talents you might have heard via his solo work, his involvement in local indie pop band The Invisible Cities and through his performances on soundtracks for films like American Gangster. Nakamura’s love of music has long found him playing in various bands, but he credits an Elliott Smith performance with opening his eyes to the power of a solo acoustic performance. Inspired by Smith, Leonard Cohen and others, Nakamura’s first album was a collection of solo home recordings that established him as a strong songwriter capable of creating emotionally resonant moments out of a mix of folk, indie pop and acoustic rock components.
It was four years until Nakamura released his follow-up, Ulysses, which came out last August. Instead of making another purely solo release, the songwriter worked with a number of talented contributors, whose vocal harmonies and full band instrumentation provide the backbone for a diverse and engaging release. And in making a full band-oriented album, Nakamura has begun confronting the challenges of performing not just as a member of a group, but as its frontman. It’s a position he has more than earned.
We spoke with Goh last weekend The Bay Bridged studio, discussing the experience of moving from bedroom recordings to a full-band environment. Before the interview, Nakamura treated us to an exclusive acoustic mini-set, and we’ve included two songs from that session along with two from Ulysses in the episode.
Upcoming Shows:
Friday, January 30th
Cafe Du Nord
Goh Nakamura’s B-Day Extravaganza, with Big Phony and Special Guests
9:30pm, $10
