Kelly Floyd

PWRFL Power “It’s Okay”

PWRFL Power is a 24 year old man from Hokkaido named Kazutaka Nomura who sings with an accent and plays acoustic guitar a lot better than his interviewer Kevin Ferguson. Content discussed include online dating, being who you are, partying and chopsticks.

What are ESL classes like?
Kazu Nomura (vocals/guitar): ESL classes are so embarrassing. I remember when I first started the class at Shoreline Community College outside Seattle, there were a few Korean kids that can talk well. I was very jealous despite of their heavy accents. They always called me ‘Kaju’ because in Korean there’s no Z sound, I heard. In the class I studied pretty hard because I didn’t like feeling lost. Outside the class was even more embarrassing. You know how there are so many dumb white kids from suburbs at community colleges? They always asked me how to say ‘Give me a blowjob’ or ‘You are a whore’ in Japanese. I don’t think none of them got laid.
Do you think PWRFL Power gets labeled as ‘cute’?
I guess so! My songs could be pretty creepy if they were sung by, say, hairy men? My accents and fun music composition are making the creepiness less obvious.
What was doing the Esurance ad like? What did you imagine the cartoon version of you would look like?
It was one of the awesomest and expensive experiences ever. They got me to fly over to San Francisco, had me stay at a fancy hotel for 2 nights, got me a big fat cut of Kobe Steak, and took me to this studio called Wild Brain. They make Disney channels and kids cartoons. I had no idea what I would look like—it would have been cool if my hair was pink, too. I think they did a great job. The commercial—which is up on Youtube—makes my friends laugh.
Are there any other products you’d like to see the PWRFL Power name attached to?
Oh man! I have been thinking about this for a while—maybe I should ask for help here on L.A. RECORD. I have been thinking about making a energy drink called PWRFL Power. Of course it’s going to be green-tea based with a lot of vitamins. My girlfriend dated Moby and he has a company Teany that’s kind of like Arizona teas. So I want to start PWRFL Power drink and kick his ass. A catch phrase will be ‘Party Smart! PWRFL Power!’ and I will sing the commercial song.
Have you renewed your visa?
Not yet! My current one will expire in February 2009. And I don’t wanna do anything illegal like overstaying, so I am hoping to move onto a bigger label that can support my status and career. Maybe American Apparel can start a label for immigrants? If Mr. Dov Charney isn’t into this idea, I will move to Europe and keep touring the world. I am always on tour anyway.
What makes your toothbrush so special?
My toothbrushes are only available through this dentist in my hometown and have tiny heads. So I can reach to where your big-headed brush won’t. I used toothpaste that is fluoride-free. However, I have been secretly using my roommate’s Aquafresh and liking it quite a bit. It makes my teeth whiter.
Your press kit starts out: ‘In spite of its populist facade, popular music still largely manages to maintain a number of strangely puritanical conventions.’ Any examples?
This is something my label wrote. It sounds kinda cool, so I am using it but I don’t even know what ‘puritanical’ means. I am guessing the line means popular music can be influenced by a lot of other things and still be ‘pop’? An example would be Yngwie Malmsteen. He sounds not only heavy but also baroque-ish. I used to like him a lot—I would feel honored if we are doing the same combing thing.
Have you tried online dating?
I am too scared to try, so I always go through profiles and have never had my own page. I thought Myspace is kind of like a dating site. People add me and say, ‘Hey, I saw you at a house party last week!’
As a rule, does American Japanese food come close to real Japanese food?
They could? I know a few good ones in Seattle, SF, and NY. I went to Soba Koh in East Village and Kazu from Blonde Redhead—another Kazu!—sat next to me one day. I think the fact those Japanese restraints exist in the states should be valued rather than how good they are compared to the ones in Japan?
What existing band would be the most appropriate backup for PWRFL Power and why?
On drums—Kevin from Videohippos. He is so original—his style speaks like nobody else. On keyboard—Matt Carlson from Parenthetical Girls. He used to drink six cans of Coke every day. I want a girl from Mika Miko and a singer from the Shackletons. They both sing through an old telephone, so it’s gonna be me singing and playing the guitar in the center sandwiched by two singers with old telephones while Kevin and Matt are jamming some psychedelic space techno.
What backing band would you like to be in?
I wanna be in Jay Reatard’s band because I wanna be covered in PBR and still act like it’s normal. And play super loud.

PWRFL POWER WITH PARENTHETICAL GIRLS, AU AND ABE VIGODA ON WED., MAY 28, AT THE SMELL, 247 S. MAIN ST., LOS ANGELES. 9 PM / $5 / ALL AGES. THESMELL.ORG. VISIT PWRFL POWER AT MYSPACE.COM/PWRFLPOWER.