A few years ago something wonderful happened. 

A young music student from Japan named Kazutaka Nomura landed on the shores of The Emerald City.  He enrolled at Cornish College of the Arts and continued his study of classical guitar and music composition. 

It wasn't long before he veered from his classical music training and started an experimental noise-pop band called Na. 

Then, in October of 2006, Kaz decided to begin performing as a solo singer/songwriter under the name PWRFL Power. 

I asked him about his name, incidentally, and he told me that he took the vowels out of "powerful" so that people would have an easier time Googling him.  He's right, it works.

He hunkered down in a tiny apartment and wrote a bunch of songs about cats, keys, tomatoes, chopsticks, love and loss. 

Then, he walked out of obscurity on to the stage of the Capitol Hill Block Party and won the Block Star music contest. That's when things really took off  – he will be featured in an Esurance commercial (actually, they are creating a cartoon character based on him – how many people can lay claim to that??), and he was featured on Audioasis, KEXP's local music showcase. 

He started to play all over town to a rapidly growing audience of PWRFL Power fans.  His music is quirky, honest, hilarious and worth listening to (over and over again).  Portland's Slender Means Society will release PWRFL Power's first full length CD in March 2008. 

Until then, he is playing all over the Seattle area as well as an upcoming tour of the East Coast.  If you have yet to experience the world of PWRFL Power you are in for a treat.  Enjoy.