Singer Songwriter, Guitarist, Radio Personality, Educator
Recently featured on the Japanese TV shows "Music Station," "Kanjamu Kanzen Nes-Show," "You Wa Nani Shini Nippon E？" and NHK's "Motto Shikoku Ongakusai 2018," Dr. Capital is a composer, recording artist, performing guitarist/vocalist and music educator. In addition to his original music, Capital specializes in Japanese music and is known for his YouTube channel performing cover versions of J-Pop hit songs with musical analysis in fluent Kansai-dialect Japanese.
Capital holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts (DMA) from USC's Thornton School of Music and a Master's degree in Ethnomusicology from UC Berkeley. He recently moved to Denton, TX to accept a full-time position as Assistant Professor of Popular and Commercial Music at the University of North Texas. From 2014-2018 he taught at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music. Additionally, he is an acclaimed guest lecturer on Brazilian music topics at colleges and international conferences.
Prior to moving to Texas, he co-lead the Los Angeles-based original Brazilian jazz group Bossa Zuzu, produced by multi-GRAMMY winning jazz legend Peter Erskine. Dr. Capital has been featured on over 25 recordings from Rock to Hip-Hop to World Music alongside artists such as Airto Moreira, American Idol's Crystal Bowersox, Paulo Calasans, Otmaro Ruiz, Hussain Jiffry, Marco Bosco, Aaron Serfaty, Swing Out Sister, Ken Okulolo, Kenneth Nash, Del The Funky Homosapien, Ken Ishii, DJ Nozawa, Shing02 and more. A former Oregon state high school champion of Classical Guitar, he is known as both an electric and acoustic guitarist, with a wide palette of professional experience that also includes Electronica, Gypsy Jazz, Afro-Beat and Latin American Folkloric music styles.
He has toured extensively performing festivals and concert halls, live on TV and radio in the U.S., Canada, Japan and Brazil, from the Fuji Rock Festival to Good Day L.A. In addition to performances on air as a guest artist, Dr. Capital has worked as an FM radio personality, hosting his own weekly radio show from 2006-2011 called Ii Za Eigo on JOLU 76.1 FM Fukui. Often working from his home studio, Capital has created jingles and TV music for clients such as MTV, Del Taco, Minute Maid, San Francisco Bay Meadows and Kao Cosmetics.
Capital is a lifetime student of music who has been lucky to study under many great musicians and composers, including Guinga, Bruce Forman, Adam del Monte, Bob Mintzer, Carl Verheyen, Richard Smith, Pat Kelley, Frank Potenza, Jonathan Harvey, Michael Finnissey and so many more. He has also taken classical guitar master classes with Benjamin Verdery and Manuel Lopez-Ramos.
Capital holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts (DMA) from USC's Thornton School of Music and a Master's degree in Ethnomusicology from UC Berkeley. He recently moved to Denton, TX to accept a full-time position as Assistant Professor of Popular and Commercial Music at the University of North Texas. From 2014-2018 he taught at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music. Additionally, he is an acclaimed guest lecturer on Brazilian music topics at colleges and international conferences.
Prior to moving to Texas, he co-lead the Los Angeles-based original Brazilian jazz group Bossa Zuzu, produced by multi-GRAMMY winning jazz legend Peter Erskine. Dr. Capital has been featured on over 25 recordings from Rock to Hip-Hop to World Music alongside artists such as Airto Moreira, American Idol's Crystal Bowersox, Paulo Calasans, Otmaro Ruiz, Hussain Jiffry, Marco Bosco, Aaron Serfaty, Swing Out Sister, Ken Okulolo, Kenneth Nash, Del The Funky Homosapien, Ken Ishii, DJ Nozawa, Shing02 and more. A former Oregon state high school champion of Classical Guitar, he is known as both an electric and acoustic guitarist, with a wide palette of professional experience that also includes Electronica, Gypsy Jazz, Afro-Beat and Latin American Folkloric music styles.
He has toured extensively performing festivals and concert halls, live on TV and radio in the U.S., Canada, Japan and Brazil, from the Fuji Rock Festival to Good Day L.A. In addition to performances on air as a guest artist, Dr. Capital has worked as an FM radio personality, hosting his own weekly radio show from 2006-2011 called Ii Za Eigo on JOLU 76.1 FM Fukui. Often working from his home studio, Capital has created jingles and TV music for clients such as MTV, Del Taco, Minute Maid, San Francisco Bay Meadows and Kao Cosmetics.
Capital is a lifetime student of music who has been lucky to study under many great musicians and composers, including Guinga, Bruce Forman, Adam del Monte, Bob Mintzer, Carl Verheyen, Richard Smith, Pat Kelley, Frank Potenza, Jonathan Harvey, Michael Finnissey and so many more. He has also taken classical guitar master classes with Benjamin Verdery and Manuel Lopez-Ramos.