Two months ago I went to a house party up in Pac Heights. And at this house party–which was a Hot Pants Party– I saw this guy, Goh Nakamura, play. I was totally blown away by him. Now, I usually can’t stand singer/songwriters. if I enter a cafe and see one playing, I run away like as if they were a bear. Though you’re not supposed to run away from bears, are you? Maybe the next time I walk into Cafe International on Friday night and see some singer/songwriter playing I’ll lift my jacket over my head and make loud threatening noises. Or maybe I’ll give him a sharp thump on the nose. Remember: the singer/songwriters are just as afraid of you, as you are of them.

In any case, Goh Nakamura was awesome. He sang pretty songs with smart lyrics. He did a Cure cover and a Beach Boys cover. He had a recording rig wired into his guitar so that he could knock on it and record it and loop it into a drumbeat, and then sing into it and loop it into his own backup vocals. The technical mastery on display was stunning. He also would play a rhythm part, record it, and loop it into being his rhythm. It was ridiculously impressive.

Goh is a professional musician and plays with the SF band The Invisible Cities. If you have a chance to see him or The Invisible Cities, jump on it. Also, on his page above you can listen to his music and download some of it.