We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ike Kawaguchi a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Ike, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I wanted to shred the guitar.

I mean common, the guitar was the ultimate shredder machine. From Bill and Ted’s air guitar solos to Eddy Van Halen. Guitar shred >=(greater than equal to) awesome. I had to learn how to do it. I didn’t own an electric guitar or amp so I went to my local Guitar Center on Sunset Blvd. and practiced in the used amp section for 5 hours a day, all summer long. From Death’s Chuck Schuldiner to Black Sabbath’s Toni Iommi, I played their riffs and solos over and over again. That ultimately landed me on stage on the other side of the world, in front of tens of thousands of people, covered in fake blood, playing a custom made 8-string baritone guitar.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Hi, my names Ike Kawaguchi. I’m a multi-instrumental Artist based in Los Angeles. You can find my music anywhere you stream music @Ikekawaguchi. My musical journey started when I was 7. I started taking classical piano lessons. I was obsessed and even competed in competitions. From there, I taught myself how to play drums, guitar, and bass. Piano laid a strong foundation. It was the perfect combination of rhythm and melody.

I wanted to make beats but the technology was primitive back then. I think I got my hand on garage band and made some demos. It was clear, at that time, that I wanted to play in bands. Live instruments sounded better than the primitive beats I made on garage band.

Over the years, I played in a handful of bands: Wake, Viscera, Locgnar, and Voodoo Kung-fu. With Voodoo Kung-fu, I played a custom made 8 string baritone guitar in front of tens of thousands of people, toured the entire country of China, and won the best live performance there in 2015.

When I got back from tour I was looking for work. My friend Kurumi worked for a label called Mad Decent. She hooked me up with a job mixing songs. There I met this guy named Wes, who installed the suite version of Ableton Live on my laptop. Up to this point, I did everything in Protools. This changed what I knew was possible as far as producing on a laptop went.

I started to experiment with Synth Pop with bands Paper Chains and Lolahiko. I started incorporating my drums, synth, keys, bass, guitar, and vocals to my original music. I also started playing with the Sp404 and other samplers that further progressed my understanding of sampling, beats, and production.

I released a solo ep under my real name called “At the Gates” in 2019. I wanted to challenge myself and write a song a week for 6 weeks. I released these songs each week on soundcloud. It seemed like people vibed with it so I decided to put together an Ep and film music videos for the songs “Suede Kicks” (Directed by Reeves Junya) and “Angel at the Gates” (Directed by me).

With each piece of music I released from this point, I explored and practiced ferociously. I took vocal coaching from R.B. and learned how to use the voice as an instrument. I also realized that I wanted to give back and teach. I started a series called “How to Sample a Record and Make a Beat”.

I’m creating a business out of my art and learning so much in the process. The people that I’ve been able to share this journey with have been a dream. In live streaming shows in this post covid world, I’ve cultivated a fan base in Latin America, specifically, Brazil. The Kawaguchi Forever Crew and I are collaborating on projects to spread love through music and connection.

I am also collaborating with my friend G.L. on the Grown Kids Sync-Harmony foundation to provide up and coming musicians, artists, and anyone curious with space and resources to enrich their journeys. I’m very excited for what the future holds for the next generation of creatives and the world as a whole.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Buy locally! Buy direct! Artists are usually multi faceted creatives. They have cool stuff you can buy. Buy them!!! Every dollar contributes to their projects and journey!! Also, if they are your friend, don’t ask for a discount! Buy at full price or more 😎

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

When the world stopped for Covid, live music essentially disappeared from the face of the earth over night. My friend got me a job at a robotic delivery startup. In my role at this company, I’ve learned many important skills like but not limited to people and project management, owning a business, and communication. I strive to do the best and am blessed to do it with amazing people.

Contact Info:

• Website: Ikekawaguchi.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/ikekawaguchi
• Facebook: Facebook.com/ikekawaguchi
• Twitter: Twitter.com/ikekawaguchi
• Youtube: YouTube.com/ikekawaguchi

Image Credits
Kessia Ramos – The 200 color pen Kawaguchi Forever Fam Art “How to Sample a Record and Make a Beat” – a view into Ike’s process “You” music video – skateboarding Ike @chasingbirdsss – for the sketch of me and my guitar