Ari's Approach:

"Do what has to be done, when it has to be done, as well as it has to be done, and do it that way every time." -- Philip Toshio Sudio, Zen Guitar

I always see myself as a "see a need, meet the need" guy. My big thing is to do what is needed, and no more.

Perhaps it is my Asian heritage, but sometimes less is more. A whisper in silence is more audible than a scream within a wall of noise. That said, I'm not a "minimalist" either. Sometimes, nothing but all the instruments playing fortessimo will do.

I do what is needed, and no more. This philosophy runs through everything I do, musically, as a producer, composer, and a guitarist. What does a song need? Or a scene? Or the artist, in order to perform at his/her absolute best when "the tape" is rolling? I approach every situation differently, because each task, every person has unique needs. I listen, figure out what is needed, and meet the needs -- and I do it as well as I can, every time.

Biography:

Born in Tokyo to Christian (a rarity in Japan) parents, Ari spent his early youth immersed in classical and church music and Japanese pop songs. Then his whole family moved to São Paulo, Brazil, and he spent the teenage years there, listening to beats of samba and wailing guitars of late 80's hard rock. In 1992 he enrolled in St. Olaf College, renowned for its classical music program. He studied classical composition while playing guitars in cover bands, and graduated with honors. In 1997 he relocated to Austin, Texas and has been involved in music making in many different ways, including producing, scoring films, playing guitars and keyboards, and writing songs.

2005 was a big year for Ari. For Sale by Owner, a feature-length movie he scored, has been distributed in many different countries including UK, Norway, and Netherlands. Furthermore, Celtic Folk Artist Marc Gunn's Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers has since become an indie hit, placing in top 10 all-time comedy CD list at CDBaby.com. In 2007 Ari's wrapping up a small folk project with Marc Gunn while working on his solo rock material.