[FROM LA.COM, Pasadena, CA]
He goes by a single name and describes his music as bluesy rock with touches of Bob Dylan and Tom Petty. "As an artist, I want to be the best that I can be right now," said Koah.
The Pasadena, California resident performs his original songs both electrically and acoustically, and usually goes solo.
He began playing guitar as a tween and didn't have the ambition to be a vocalist.
"Like a lot of singer/songwriters, you find that there's just too many guitarists out there, you start singing and that's what happened to me," Koah said. "I started out as a guitar player and branched out into singing and writing my own stuff."
He majored in international studies at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA, but didn't want to work a regular day job, as his heart was in his music. Koah devotes much of his time to honing and selling his craft, whether it's booking gigs and pushing his albums or creating new tunes.
I usually will start with a riff or chord progression that I like and I'll have a melody in mind," he said. "Then I'll just start plugging in words."
Koah said most of his songs have a positive message and talk about finding a new direction in life. While not intentional, it aptly reflects his state of mind.
“The lyrics always tell you something about the songwriter,” he said. “I’ve reached a point recently where I looked at the songs that I wrote when I was much younger and I feel that that’s a portrait of a certain young man right there. The songs I’m writing now are at a more peaceful place.”
His next release, tentatively titled, “Words and Music,” was recorded in California and Montana. He hopes to finish it by [February, 2008]. Various friends have helped Koah on this journey, offering their musical and production talents.
“I’m a solo artist, but I’m playing with a band,” Koah said. “I feel like it’s this community of players that are helping me finish it.”
“I think that it’s reminiscent of ‘70s rock, and if you like that sort of thing, you’ll like it,” he said. “If you like guitar playing, you’ll like it. And if you like music that has good lyrics, good melody and good vibrations, you’ll like it.”