Just a week ago, PropertyOfZack had the chance to have a wonderful conversation with Koji. Koji and I discussed 2010, Run For Cover Records, activism, his major 2011 touring plans, and a possible 2011 full-length release. It was an incredible interview, so read up and enjoy!

2010 has been anything but a slow year for you. Within the last three months you’ve put out three releases, and a total of four for the entire year. Would you call 2010 a success?
Totally. It was certainly a busy year. It was productive in the sense that I put out and recorded a lot of music, played a lot of shows, and was also able to advocate on a lot of really cool causes through the whole process. It was definitely awesome. It was my busiest year to date. 

Would you say that you’ve opened up to a bunch of new fans this year?
This year was a really interesting year because it was my first time doing releases through Run For Cover and No Sleep. I think the biggest difference is really being able to tap into those audiences. I think over the past few years of doing Koji as a part time project, I was able to cultivate a really nice loyal, grassroots following. And now I’m starting to get international attention and have more people coming out to the shows because of the attention that people are giving those two labels right now.
           
Most recently you released Some Small Way and the split with Into It. Over It. I’ve seen some pretty great feedback for both of them, but how has the response been in your eyes?
The response has been really, really overwhelmingly kind. I guess, for the longest time, and I still am to a great degree, pretty anti-industry. I’m not really interested in I guess recognition in that sense. For me, music is much more about the individual element and the community element. And those are things that I feel are a little bit absent in the digital age of independent music and so I think the feedback that has been most meaningful to me is just the inspirational stories and just having people really relate to the music. Somehow I guess relating to it and finding strength in it. Those are the really touching things. But as far as reviews and stuff like that, that’s been all awesome as well. I’m grateful or al of it. It’s really a special moment in my career as we’re stepping onto the national stage.
 
AlternativePress actually just did a review of Some Small Way. Is it cool to finally be breaking through to a lot of the bigger media outlets in this music scene?
Yeah, definitely. That review was very, very kind to that record. I’m excited that people are hearing it, and I guess understanding it. When I set out to make work, I hope that someone will understand it on some fundamental level and feel something.
 
The split with Evan in particular is probably the best sounding release, in terms of production, that you’ve ever done. Did you enjoy your time recording it?
It was a collaborative effort between Evan and myself and we had a lot of friends come in and lend their able hands to our tracks. I think what we got was a really cool documentation of friends being creative. There’s an energy in those recordings that’s going to be unique to that moment in time for both Into It. Over It. and I. I think it’s a really special record.
 
Considering you did put out three releases in such a close time period, was a lot of the material written together, or were songs written specifically for each project?
“Eating Lemons,” “Waking Up,” and “Stay” were all recorded in the same session. “Eating Lemons” and “Stay” I had recorded previously for other releases. Those three tracks were recorded in New York over the course of 2009 and then we had them mixed in Boston by T. W. Walsh of Pedro The Lion. He mixed those tracks and then “Windows” is a live recording that I did for Spring Song Vol. 1. The last track is just a single that I did when I was on tour this past spring. It’s a collection of those songs. Once I had begun the process of getting that record put together is when the split with Evan kind of came together. Those were songs that were written this summer for that split. We were both coming off of several months of touring and had a few weeks to write, so I went right into the studio and we were finishing songs right there on the spot. They’re definitely two different points in my life, if people are kind of tracking my work, I guess biographically. Those releases are definitely two very different points in time for me.
 
You’re one of the artists on Run For Cover that, at eyes glance, doesn’t necessarily fit the roster. I spoke to Jeff not too long ago and he mentioned that all of that stops mattering as soon as anyone just hears your music. How is your relationship with Run For Cover and regardless of the sound differences on the label, is it definitely the place to be right now?
What I can say about Jeff is that if you take a look at that roster, you can see the consistency of quality. Jeff has a real eye for talent, but I want to say heart as well. I’m really fortunate to know most of the bands on that label and they’re all really sincere artists that are making pretty important work. To be counted among them is a real honor for me, and the same goes to No Sleep. Jeff is a really passionate guy and loves music more than most people who live in the record industry. I think you can see that in his roster. And we’re all kind of coming from the same place. All the bands there listened to punk rock coming up; we came up on the same records. They’re kind of expressing it in experimental ways like Hostage Calm or through pop-punk, as are a lot of the bands that are doing it on the label, and then for me I’m kind of approaching my music now from a sort of post-punk side. I listen to a lot of politically informed stuff, from like The Clash to Strike Anywhere, or any number of acts like Refused. That’s kind of what I came up on so I think my music is speaking a little bit more politically and sonically has more of a sound like Elvis Costello or like Ted Leo and Fugazi. It’s real groovy and textual, but there’s still that pop element there. I think as we see Run For Cover expand they’ll branch out. I don’t want to speak for Jeff and the label, but you can definitely see that with signings like GDP and Castevet. They’re kind of diversifying and I think that with signing me, that was a step in that direction as well.
 
You have a few shows left in 2010 with Stay Ahead Of The Weather and The Felix Culpa. Then in early 2011 you’ll be heading out on a great UK tour with Such Gold and Starters. How stoked are you for all those shows and to get out of the country?
It’s going to be awesome. I went over to the UK once before on a whim and did an independent tour there, but it’s going to be nice to come back with real releases and really good friends. Such Gold are one of my favorite bands that are out right now. That Pedestals EP is incredible. I can’t even stress to you, that’s one of the best EPs that came out this year. They’re even better dudes than anybody can imagine. I just hit the road with them and Into It. Over It. and that was one of my favorite tours just because of the people. Evan’s one of my best friends, Such Gold are like brothers to me. It’s really exciting to have that as the first tour of the New Year.
 
Between the last few shows of this month and the UK tour might we see any dates pop up?
I’m going to be doing a few weekend shows in February right before I leave. That’s going to include a couple house shows. I think two upstate New York shows and one college show in Pennsylvania and that’s going to be a killer weekend. Then when I come back from the UK, pretty much a week later, I’ll be starting a 10-week full US tour called the Resolve Tour. That’s going to be with a non-profit called Resolve. They’re a Washington DC based non-profit. They advocate on the behalf of child soldiers and victims of the conflict going on in central east Africa. Basically I’m going this huge tour. I think it’s all total 74 dates or something like that. We’re going out all across America to start a conversation and get people talking about these really important issues. For me, my job, as like an advocate for Resolve, is to kind of highlight this connection between art and activism and to show that when they come together they can be this great vehicle for change. That’s a big part of what I’m doing next year.
POZ: When will that tour be ending?
Koji: That tour is going to take me up and down the east coast, through the Midwest, and we’re going to hit the west coast for the very first time. It’ll be all of March and April through mid-May.
 
After that will you continue touring or are there plans to release some more EPs or maybe even a full-length next year?
You said the full-length word. Well, I’m writing. Right now I’m spending the holidays with family because I haven’t seen them in like a year, so I’m taking this time off to enjoy friends and family and to write. Next summer I think the songs that I’m writing now will turn into recordings. If that equals a full-length or a couple EPs, we will see.
 
After that large tour, do you see yourself being more heavily involved throughout 2011 with activism?
Yeah, I’m always busy doing that sort of thing. Are you familiar with the Humility Now collaboration I did?
POZ: I am not.
Koji: Well Humility Now is a non-profit from Miami. What I try to do is work with organizations and kind of split it down the middle where I’m doing international social causes and then I’m going domestic stuff as well. Humility Now is a homelessness advocacy association out of Miami, Florida. Their story is really cool. They started because the city of Miami tried to make it illegal to feed homeless people, which is a really horrifying sounding thing, but it was a total reality. They were trying to rid the city of homeless people by making it illegal to feed them, which is ridiculous. It should not be illegal to feed a human being. These aren’t creatures in the zoo, these are real people. They rounded up their whole community and started Humility Now and they got the law thrown out. What they’re doing now is raising money and awareness about homelessness issues and they’re going national from Miami. This summer we’re planning on doing a tour together that’s a continuation of our collaboration that started in September of this year, where we did a t-shirt. When I have t-shirts on tour, all of them are benefiting Humility Now and Resolve, which is really cool to do. I hope it’s something that starts to catch on, because that’s something I miss about punk rock, is seeing people be politically and communally engaged. I’m not seeing the kind of action that I did in my local scene when I was growing up in terms of people getting involved with stuff like Food Not Bombs and kind of doing that you’re doing by running your own website and doing interviews and things like that. We need more people like you and Humility Now and Resolve, who are out there making real things happen and pushing us forward. It’s not just the music, it’s the people that really build it up. Doing stuff like this definitely speaks to my upbringing as a musician and as a person.