Shota Lodi

Shota, which should actually be written SHōTA, Japanese style, could be Los Angeles next pop sensation. He did a showcase on Saturday night at Molly Malone’s in front of a very enthusiastic crowd and if I thought I had figured out his style after the first song, I soon realized it wasn’t that simple. His songs were melodic and poppy, but I heard bluesy accents on a tune, and the rhythms were almost those of rap songs, whereas the choruses were very catchy.

SHōTA has an interesting voice, it’s bright and forceful although he doesn’t shout, and he went very strong with some R&B accents, while keeping a real sensuality all the time. He played a few songs accompanied by two musicians, an electric guitar, an acoustic guitar, and a simple drum box, but the sound was very confident and powerful, bringing a real energy and sometimes several-voice harmonies. It was as if he wanted to bring up genres together, mixing a sort of rootsy Southern rock with hints of R&B and a hip hop delivery, and if his music has been compared to Ed Sheeran’s or James Bay’s, he covered John Mayer’s ‘I Don’t Trust Myself’.

SHōTA was an accomplished classically trained musician on piano and clarinet at a very young age, but he finally picked a guitar to compose his own songs when he moved to Japan. He originally focused on hip hop before expanding his sound into more diverse territories, and, back in Los Angeles, he has just released a new EP, ‘Out of the Blur’. However he only played 2 songs off this new work on Saturday night, preferring to cover a few artists’ songs, like the playful Jason Mraz’s ‘I’m Yours’, and even Britney Spears’ Hit Me Baby’, may be to better expose his various influences and his agility through styles. He was also presenting the songs as if they were a continuous story: this song is about making mistakes, he said before ‘Press Rewind’, this song is about taking the girl home, he told us before the next one, this song is about the day after, trying to get the girl in bed, he added before another one… He made all these covers his, with often a rap-like delivery, a pop feel, lots of emotion, sophisticated chord arrangements, and a sort of bluesy vibe for some of them, he even triggered a few sing alongs. All the lyrics of the songs seemed to be about love, how to get the girl, but also unrequited love and longing for someone… but why else does music exist?

Confidence, intensity, energy and seduction seemed to characterize his set at Molly Malone’s, and if he didn’t play for very long, he made a big impression, and he looked like someone who has found his voice as he said in an interview: ‘I just want people to feel the way other artists make me feel, that powerful connection. When I was playing classical music, I was covering Bach and Mozart. Now that I write my own music, everyone can see who I am, and that is so much more rewarding.’ From Bach to Britney Spears, this is a very original journey, the very personal path of someone who follows the music which moves him.

SHōTA is currently on tour through out the West Coast and you can check the dates here.

Setlist
Fast or Slow
Press Rewind
I Don’t Trust Myself
Down
So Good
I’m Yours
Hit Me Baby
Love Me - Rock NYC Live

Los Angeles based pop/soul artist SHōTA will be performing tomorrow at Piper Down Pub in Salt Lake City as part of a tour of the western United States. An accomplished clarinetist and piano player, SHōTA initially got into music to do Hip-hop, but began incorporating more organic instrumentation as his he developed his style. This background in Hip-hop shines through in his lyrics, which are often spouted in rapid succession. His music is reminiscent of Mat Kearney’s Nothing Left to Lose era.

“I recently just heard that from someone else, though I’ve never heard his music before,” SHōTA told Reach Provo when he was compared to Kearney. “My musical influences vary from Sinatra days to Ed Sheeran. My father is a product of the 60’s, so growing up I listened to The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, and Peter, Paul & Mary. As I got older, I started listening to a bit more modern music and John Mayer was a huge influence in my life, but to me The Beatles will always be number one.”

SHōTA’s tour has already taken him to Portland, Eugene, Seattle, and Boise. After Salt Lake, he’ll hit up Albuquerque and Phoenix. Travel is not new to him. Born in Las Vegas, he moved to Japan when he was three years old, picking up Japanese as his first language. His family eventually moved back to the US and settled in LA. SHōTA is excited to stop and play a show in Salt Lake City.

“I actually love Salt Lake,” he says. “I’ve been to Utah a couple times with my family as a kid, so when I found out that we would be hitting Salt Lake on the tour, I was really excited. I love the scenery and the cold weather as well. I spent time camping through Aspen as a kid, but I haven’t been there since I was about 15, so I’m ready to explore the music scene.”

To SHōTA, exploring a scene means making a connection with people in the audience. “I try to connect with everyone,” he says. “All in all, I try to get the entire audience engaged by having a great time on stage. I mean, if I’m not having fun up there, no one will.”

The show is tomorrow, October 15th, at Piper Down Pub in Salt Lake City at 9PM. Admission is free. He’ll also be playing a set tonight at Funk ‘n Dive Bar in Ogden with Brooke Mackintosh, Josaleigh Pollett, and Mathew H. Lanier! Doors open at 8PM. Both shows are 21+. - Reach Provo