junflAW l
J— f f | p 39
1
Checkin' in with Chieko
What a breath of fresh air
is this talented Portland musician
by
K aty D avidson
i
n a time o f deep post-postmodern
self-consciousness, it seems an
anomaly to encounter someone
with wide eyes and boundless soul.
This in mind, it’s a real treat to meet
Leila Chieko, a truly earnest queer Port
lander. A songwriter who puts beautiful
ly sincere lyrics to hard-rocking music,
the 26-year-old drummer and guitarist
was bom in Hawaii and has lived in
Oregon for eight years.
She plays drums and sings with
Portland hand Vivian’s Keeper as well
as with her very own Leila C hieko
Triti, accompanied by Asher Fulero on
keyboards and V K ’s Joanna Agee on
harmony vocals. Both hands are per
forming at Portland Pride 2003.
1 0 0 3
Rea,tor s<i»c.
9 .
Basie Rig***
K D : Describe your songwriting process.
L C : Songwriting is almost always a cathar
tic experience. It is the arena in which I co n
front my emotions, bare my soul and com e to
find resolution. I usually begin with a rhythm
guitar part or riff. I start humming a melody
over it, and slowly they become words.... They
appear abstractly, or I compile old phrases
scribbled down on Post-It Notes that float
around in various noteHxrks.
After a little bit I’ll ask myself, “O K , what is
this song aH>ut.r’ From there I’ll solidify the
stanzas, adding the necessary phrases that make
S ie r r a
** o reg °n
Katy Davidson: How did you get
involved in music?
Leila C hieko: l was bom into it.
My dad is a musician, and one o f my
earliest memories is being caught by a
smiling dad as l sat behind his massive
drum kit, my tiny toes dangling 2 feet
above the flixir with gigantic drum
sticks in my 3-year-old hands,
enchanted by the fascinating racket I
was making.
Multitalented Leila C hieko performs with both her bands
T he instruments that seemed to
at Portland Pride 2 0 0 3
come naturally to him— and to me,
eventually— were the drums and guitar and also,
the song cohesive...they are always written
being Him and raised in Hawaii, the ukulele.
and shaped after the music has been created.
T he ukulele became my main focus for most of
my childhood. You could often find me alone in
K D : Name some of your favorite musicians.
my rixim, content for hours exploring rhythms
LC : Stevie Wonder is a huge inspiration to
and chord structures.
me— multi-instrumentalist as well. He’s an incred
ible drummer, you know. He is filled to the brim
I eventually graduated to the guitar around
the age of 12. However, l wasn’t satisfied with
with soul. His voice is like thick, warm, golden rays
learning only one instrument at a time, so this
of painful healing sunlight. He makes me weep.
age found me sonically traversing the full drum
Soundgarden is very influential. I identify so
kit as well— now that my feet could reach the
much with their music...tricky, clever riffs, amaz
kick pedals. I never tcxik lessons nor had any
ing drum parts. Matt Cameron’s my favorite
formal training. I learned hy ear, emulated other
dmmmer, and my fave singer is Chris Cornell.
musicians and immersed myself in listening with
Lots of pain in his voice, too, and what a rockin’
rapt attention to my parents’ album collection.
range! He’s rough hut sexy and smooth.
K D : W hat’s attractive about music to
you? Describe the feeling you get when you
really get into the groove.
LC : Music is the movement of blood through
my veins. Music pours out of me so fluidly that it
feels more natural than speaking. I absolutely love
performing. Getting into that “zone” is like medi
tating; it’s calming and centering yet so exhilarat
ing. I believe that performing live, making myself
visible and vulnerable, invites people to have an
intimate connection with my music. This is
essential. I need to move people with music and
have my emotional integrity reciprocated.
M *K eS
K D : How do you like the Portland music
scene?
L C : I like that there are tons of music venues
and lots and lots of bands. Musicians seem to be
really supportive o f each other. I am really only
familiar with the folk/pop scene, and I think it’s
great. I think the songwriter-in-the-round thing
should come back; I think folks got burned out
on it, hut it could be resurrected. I wish that all
venues would adopt the no-smoking law.
K D : How about being queer and living in
Portland?
L C : It is so easy to be queer in Portland.
W e’re everywhere! [Laughs! Portland is a very
comfortable place to be out.
K D : How do you identify? Lesbian?
Queer? Pansexual? Something else?
L C : I identify as queer and in love. J D
You’ll fall in love with LEILA CHIEKO when she
performs on the Triangle Stage as part o f Vivian’s
K eeper at 1:50 p.m . June 14 and solo at
4 :2 5 p.m . Ju n e I5 .
K a TY D avidson is a San Francisco free-lance water.
Club
C o««"“
p r o te S
c t tY
° ° 0° ^ 8 o nn S
llig n t s
r#Ceeper
When you buy or sell a home with me, you'll know your dollars
are helping support a greater cause. I contribute at least 10% of
my earnings to community and environmental organizations.
Millynn James
Broker, Graduate Realtor Institute
ABR: Accredited Buyer's Representative
1 f \ f ip |
’j H
»
'
5 0 3 .3 30.H O M E (4 6 6 3 )
-.iu'Vl-
U
1. 8 0 0 . 8 2 5 . 9 9 4 8
w w w . m 1 11 y n n . c o m
*
R^M/^X equity group
E m a il: m illy n n (a )< io l.co m
impress:
working with pride
for 23 years
Call us today, and let us impress you with what we can
do for you. 503 . 281 . 8688 .
full-service printing
2 37 Northeast Broadway / 5 0 3 .2 8 1 .8 6 8 8
www.impress-usa.com