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RIKA SHINOHARA
..........singer / songwriter
With an acoustic guitar,
RIKA SHINOHARA performs alternative acoustic folk/rocks. She sings with her expressive and warm voice and the reflective and intimate lyrics.
Rika writes songs through her daily life. She makes stories about the emotions that you feel in daily life : love, worry, delight, anger, sorrow, happiness and everything.
RIKA SHINOHARA is a real genuine singer/songwriter in Japan. She started performing in the United States in 1999.
In Japan,
Rika's first single CD 'Catch' appeared in 1991. By 1997, her 7 singles and 3 albums were released from TEICHIKU Records, and 2 singles from Pioneer LDC Records, both are major labels in Japan. These CDs broke into Japanese charts.
In 1998, she and her fellows established her own label and released 1 cassette tape, " 6 pieces cookie " which she sold at live shows.
In 2000 and 2001, Rika released 2 albums continuously, " The Songs of My Days " and " Daylight " from Redberry Records, her own label. You will be able to hear energetic and mellow songs in both albums.
Rika has been continuing a lot of gigs at a variety of clubs, venues and cd-stores especially in Tokyo and Osaka area, playing solo acoustic performances or with band, and this is building many followings. In 2001 she had over 80 acts!
In the United States,
RIKA started her musical action in October 1999, getting a chance to participate in NXNW in Portland. Since then, in order to carry out tours, she has flown to the United States 4 times. She has toured around the West Coast: Seattle, Tacoma, Portland, San Francisco and San Diego: and she also appeared on the festival, SXSW and NXNW. Especially in San Francisco and San Diego, she is getting a lot of fans after her performance. The audience was taken by her with not only her live performances but also her songs and voices. Rika's U.S.tours were big success everywhere.
RIKA made one cassette tape for the U.S. fans, including 5 songs that she sings in English.
It was named " 5 pieces cookie ". All tapes that were carried from Japan were sold out whenever she went on tour.
In 2001 autumn, Rika was selected as 10 finalists, category of world, by The U.S.A. Songwriting Competition. .......
Look here!
Now Rika is looking for record labels or deals in the U.S., and she is strongly wishing to gain a recording contract to let her music out in the United States. Here is her intention to perform in front of more audiences especially in the US region.
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*LIVE in USA*
after 1999
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1999
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October 1
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.....NXNW Music festival at Tugboat Brew Pub (Portland, OR)
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2000
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[RIKA's The first tour in USA 2000 Spring]
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March 11
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.....The Rain Dancer (Seattle,WA)
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13
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.....The Tractor Tavern (Seattle,WA)
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14
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.....Paradise Lounge (San Francisco,CA)
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16
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.....SXSW music fes in Austin TX at Pecan St. Ale House
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[RIKA's The 2nd tour in USA 2000 Autumn]
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September 15
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.....Claire de Lune (San Diego,CA)
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16
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.....Mirage Coffee (San Diego,CA)
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18
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.....Make Out Room (San Francisco,CA)
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19
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.....Paradise Lounge (San Francisco,CA)
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23
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.....NXNW music fes in Portland,CA at Tagboat Brew Pub)
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2001
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[RIKA's The 3rd tour in USA 2001 Spring]
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March 13
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.....Mirage Coffee (San Diego,CA)
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14
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.....Mirage Coffee (San Diego,CA)
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.....Claire de Lune (San Diego,CA)
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16
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.....SXSW music fes in Austin, TX at the Loft
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19
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.....UC Berkeley (San Francisco,CA)
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.....Paradise Lounge 2nd floor (San Francisco,CA)
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20
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.....Paradise Lounge Main floor (San Francisco,CA)
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22
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.....Tagboat Brew Pub (Portland, OR)
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23
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.....Sunset Tavern (Seattle, WA)
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24
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.....Shakabrah Java (Tacoma, WA)
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*Reviews on internet*
none better than the wonderful pop song "Headphone" from Rika Shinohara, while some electronica from Slytraibs on "Style" sits well in this company. Loads to check out here & a real eye opener if you haven't been fortunate to come across anything from Japan before.
-hEARd - http://www.ozemail.com.au/~hmag or http://heard.com.au
Rika Shinohara has fine-tuned the Lilith Fair sound and turned it Japanese. Bits of Sheryl Crow, Suzanne Vega, and of course, Joni Mitchell run through her songs. She sings both in Japanese and English. She sounds more confident in Japanese. She still has a nice sound and plenty of charisma.
-www.ink19.com/
It's almost easy to dismiss Shinohara Rika as another woman indie singer-songwriter, but two things prevent that from happening.
First, Shinohara is a musical rarity. All the Japanese women I've run into have either been idols or members of punk outfits. Idol pop singers, by their nature, aren't exactly towering figures of feminism
and all-girl bands such as Shonen Knife, Lolita No. 18 or Mummy the Peepshow are group-oriented.
By aligning herself with Sheryl Crow, Suzanne Vega and Lisa Loeb, Shinohara asserts her individuality -- something quite outside of the Japanese norm, especially in terms of idols and punk girl groups.
Second, Shinohara writes some really good songs. Don't let the subdued arrangements give a wrong first impression. Repeated listenings and Shinohara's full alto reveal the simple beauty of her melodies.
-musicwhore.org/
Discovered this Japanese folk-rock artist on mp3.com awhile ago; great stuff, and she sings in both English and 'Nihongo' (great for budding Japan-o-philes like myself). You owe it to yourself to check her out.
-LUXURIA MUSIC.COM
She comes to us from clear across the Pacific Ocean. And what a blessing her visit is. Rika Shinohara's music sounds like much of the contemporary folk we're used to hearing on the radio. But it's not. Being spawned halfway around the globe from our American pop scene means an inherent exoticism (to us, at least). It's so subtle that many people won't catch it, or will mistake it for being simply unique. Yet Rika is simultaneously compiling both her music and herself into a striking hybrid that straddles both East and West.
-- Dylan Roberts -digitalcity.com
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