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"A Community of Musicians"Sushi & Tofu Magazine December 2004 On Friday, December 10th at Zen in Silverlake, YellowHouse: An Asian American Music Showcase, will take place, featuring pop, rock and folk artists. Sushi & Tofu sat down with organizers/musicians, Scott Tang and Kiyoshi Graves, and Creative Director of Chopblock.com, Max Medina to discuss the night. Sushi & Tofu: Why do you think it's important to have a night featuring Asian American artists? Scott: Well, this kind of event is important because it gives us a chance to find out about each other, to work together building friendships and a sense of community. It sounds cliché, but it's really true. Max: Even with established events like the LA Tofu Festival, community is the key word. Kiyoshi: And with Scott and I, that's what we're trying to do with YellowHouse, we are trying to build a community of Asian American artists. Scott: The trick is to get them interested and passionate enough to work together when they don't share the same ethnicity. Some Asian Americans don't really see themselves as having a lot in common with other Asian Americans, just because they're Asian American. The trick is to try and find some common ground. Sushi & Tofu: What do you think about artists that avoid building an Asian American audience? Max: I really don't mind it, but when they get to the point where they start denying their heritage, I have a problem with that. I don't think it's overly necessary to keep projecting that image, but when they start shunning Asian media, in a way, that's denying their Asian heritage. That's a little disappointing. Scott: My personal opinion about it is, especially when you are in a popular medium, it can be bad if you are seen as targeting just Asians as your audience, so I don't think people should be held responsible to represent Asians, but on the other hand, there is a built in responsibility, just by being Asian. You don't throw a pebble into a pond and not get some ripples. I don't pass any judgment on people who don't feel like it's their responsibility to represent Asians but like it or not, there's an influence. There's a balance to be struck between being proud of being an Asian American and yet saying, look you don't have to be Asian American to listen to my music. Kiyoshi: It's very clear to me that people are hungry to see themselves represented. We want to see Asians on TV, in drama and sports and music. We want to connect with ourselves in the media and the popular culture and that seems like a totally rational thing to me, that people connect with others that they look like or share a common cultural heritage with. Scott: Right, there's just a disconnect, and it's very pervasive in our culture, in the minds of people. We are underrepresented in the media, and it has an effect on the way people think. Kiyoshi and I are doing something that to us is very natural, music, and speaking for all the artists who'll be at YellowHouse, it's something that's almost in our blood. It just happens to be that we are minorities so when we do it, it's like, wow, they're busting all these stereotypes. So for better or worse, we are busting stereotypes. Sushi & Tofu: How do you see YellowHouse as addressing these issues? Kiyoshi: I see YellowHouse as a nurturing ground. For those people that are breaking stereotypes, we're trying to foster an interconnected community to support them. I think sometimes we forget the fact that for Asian Americans, there are hurdles we must overcome, that it is harder for us. Max: For myself, working with Chopblock.com for the past few years, as time went on, the more I felt like it was a personal mission, I really needed to help these artists get in the spotlight and get noticed. Scott: One thing about YellowHouse, the name actually refers to Van Gogh's artist commune, where he collaborated with Paul Gaugin, and that has some very nice parallels to what we are doing, in the sense that Gaugin and Van Gogh may not have interacted had they not decided to go off to the south of France and work together. It's the same thing with us. Priscilla may never have performed with Putnam Hall, but for the fact that we have brought them together on the 10th. We are also working with two Asian American media groups, Chopblock.com and Aarise Media, and jd8 Records, so it's all these talented Asian Americans coming together for one common goal. YellowHouse at Zen, Friday, December 10th, 2609 Hyperion Ave., (323) 665-2929. Featuring: Mango Pirates, Putnam Hall, Priscilla, Kiyoshi Graves, Scott Tang, Meiko. Hosted by Comedian Kelly Eun. Cover: $8/$6 with flyer. Doors open at 7:30 pm. Presented by Chopblock.com and Aarise Media in association with jd8 Records. © KIYOSHI GRAVES |
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