Timothy Harada

Born as Timothy Gianakos in the mountains of Big Bear, California to hippy parents, who were escaping the civilized world, Timothy Harada grew up surrounded by music. His mother's love for classic rock and especially David Bowie, gave him the dream at a very young age to be a singer/song writer and musician. His mother joined Soka Gakkai International (SGI-an international, lay Buddhist organization, which focuses its activities on promoting peace, culture and education) before he turned 1 year old (against his father's wishes, which eventually led to their divorce 2 years later).

His mother joined Soka Gakkai International (SGI-an international, lay Buddhist organization, which focuses its activities on promoting peace, culture and education) before he turned 1 year old (against his father's wishes, which eventually led to their divorce 2 years later).

Timothy's courageous, Buddhist mother raised Timothy and his older brother for 7 years as a single parent. It was from her that they both developed their strong practice of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism.

Timothy had his debut musical performance with the SGI Junior Pioneers (an SGI kid's organization) where at age 6 he was scheduled to perform on the recorder at the Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles (However, he lost the recorder at a practice before the show and had to go on stage playing air recorder. Luckily he survived the stage fright to continue his music career).

Growing up too poor to get private music lessons, Timothy first learned to play music in the SGI Brass Band, where at age 10 he began playing the trumpet and performed his first parade in Washington DC at age 11.

It was at this young age, when Timothy first read an essay by Daisaku Ikeda, written for the SGI brass band that he realized his dream to be a musician for world peace and to, as Daisaku Ikeda wrote in the essay, ?spread [his] music to all corners of the world [for the sake of peace].?

Despite his upbringing in the Soka Gakkai, like many youth, Timothy went through his very rebellious days in elementary school and junior high school, where he didn't do well in school and where he smoked marijuana on a regular basis. Despite this short hiatus from his dreams to change the world, during this rebellious time, Timothy was able to gain a lot of experience in what the youth of America have to live through. That delinquent time in his life became the subject of his novel, Myth Shattering, where a young punk rock kid changes his life through his discovery of Buddhism.

Despite this rebellious time, Timothy's love of music caused him to join the symphonic band in Junior High School, where he learned to read music and play the saxophone at age 13.

Also on his own, he later picked up the guitar, piano (no, he didn't literally ?pick it up,? it was too heavy), and French horn all at about age 16.

In the SGI Brass Band, he performed in many world peace cultural festivals: in Hawaii at age 14, in San Diego at age 15, in Seattle, Washington at age 17. (He was scheduled to perform at Madison Square Garden's in New York, with the SGI brass band at age 16, but he wasn't able to get the money together, even though he practiced the music and routine with the brass band up until a week before they left to New York).

In high school and college, Timothy sang and played in many musical groups (jazz bands, rock bands, a gospel chorus, a salsa band, chamber singers, symphonic bands, marching bands, and more) and he began writing his own music about 12 years ago.

He has thus far, written over 35 original songs. His song lyrics reflect his Buddhist belief in the unlimited potential of each human being to transform their life and the world in a positive way.

Outside of school, he was a sax player in a hippy-trippy, funk music band, called Zumbuladelic, where he did many shows in Hollywood and throughout Southern California.

One of the songs on his first demo tape, ?Song of Triumph? was featured on Orange County, California's KSBR Radio's ?Local Artist Spot Light.?

The highlight of his Orange County, California music life was for 3 years he played throughout Southern California, Big Bear and on Catalina Island in a 3 piece original and classic rock/acoustic band called ?Stranger's Milk,? where he gained the confidence to eventually start playing solo original gigs, singing and playing piano and guitar.

Throughout his many years in College, Timothy supplemented his school study by reading almost every book of Daisaku Ikeda's he could get a hold of (or that were translated into English at the time), which led to his dream to along with being a singer/songwriter and musician, to also be a writer of many books.

He finished writing his first novel before getting accepted into the first class of Soka University of America in Orange County California in 2001, and he has since also published most of his writings from Soka University of America (which are now been published in 3 volumes, amounting to well over 1,000 pages).

After doing a study-abroad program in Japan, where he played his first concerts in Japan and where he met his wife, and after graduating with honors in the 1st class of Soka University of America in 2005, Timothy packed up his bags and moved to Sendai, Japan to give the Japanese audience a taste of his music and eventually a taste of his writings (once he finds a Japanese translator).

In Japan, he changed his legal name (which was Timothy Van Campen at the time) to his Japanese's wife's last name, Harada.

After only 2 years in Japan, Timothy has already played many duet concerts with his regular act ?daDoodz,? featuring guitar virtuoso, from New Zealand, Richie Gill, which at times becomes a trio, with the addition of either Takke, an incredible drummer from Tokyo, or Moppy (Satoshi) on his dog box (Cajone). They have played at the 16th and 17th Annual Jozenji Street Music Festivals, LLL (Love, Listen, Laugh), The Izumi Park-town Golf Resort Restaurant, Antre Lounge, The Green Shamrock Irish Pub, Club Shaft, the Satin Doll, Charly's Lemon Country among other places.

Timothy has also performed solo at many other places in Sendai and other areas of Japan, including the Save Java From Sendai Concert in Kotodai Koen (Park), the Tagajo Community Culture Center and many SGI community centers in Sendai, Niigata and Itoh, Japan.

Along with playing with Richie Gill, Timothy also played in a couple of full bands in Sendai. The first one, ?Southern California Sunshine? (with lead guitar player, Tokita Yasushi, previously with Ozaki Yutaka's band, bass player from Saitama, Takumi ?Bill? Wada, and drummer from Miyagi, Mitsunobu ?Mi? Sato and Timothy on vocal, piano, keyboard, acoustic guitar and saxophone) featured his original music and the second, ?Drive-thru Exciting? (with Rino Honda on vocals, Mikkie on bass, Takke Matsumo on drums, and Timothy on vocals, piano, and guitar) was a cover band that performed weekly at LLL (Listen, Love, Laugh). Timothy is also playing regularly with the Miyagi SGI Brass Band.

Timothy has had many of his songs played on radio stations in Sendai, Japan. His original song ?With You; With Me,? the second song on his CD, ?Love; The Only Proven Way to Fight Terrorism? had its first playing on the largest FM radio station in Sendai, Japan, Date FM, 71.1 on Honma Chan and Chicka Chan's Friday Air Jams show, February, 2006. One of his newest recordings, ?Will You Be My Wife?? was played on NHK FM, Sendai, Sept. 2006. After that, his live solo recording of his original ?Come Alive? (live from Soka University of America) was played by Maynard, the singer of Monkey Majik on his weekly show, ?Monkey House Music? on Date FM, Sendai, Japan, November 16th, 2006. Most recently, in October of 2007, NHK FM-Sendai played his previous original band's live recording from the 16th Annual Jozenji Street Music Festival of his original song, ?Princess.? On the internet, SwakRadio also podcasted a few of Timothy's original songs.

Along with having many of his songs on radio stations, Timothy's performance with Richie Gill at the 17th Annual Jozenji Street Music Festival was featured quite prominently throughout Japan on NHK TV's special on the Jozenji Street Music Festival in October of 2007.

Timothy Harada is not doing as many shows lately as he's taking a break to record a new CD and also to promote the new release of his novel, Myth Shattering and his ?Collected Writings From Soka University of America,? Volumes I - III. (See them at www.lulu.com.)

He is also currently putting together a new band, which will hopefully debut at the 18th Jozenji Street Music Festival in 2008.

Timothy's newest CD, ?Acts of Sedition; Classified CIA Files? (Listen to it at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/harada2) is a compilation of the best songs on his 3 previous CDs, and includes all the songs from his most recent CD ?Love: The Only Proven Way to Fight Terrorism? (listen to it at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/harada)

The Love CD was a great departure from Timothy's two previous CDs of sad and introverted songs. (Listen to those previous CDs at http://store.mixonic.com/timothy)

With his marriage to Junko Harada, he has finally put his sad song days behind him.

Stay tuned for his next CD, which will go way beyond love to address world issues and issues of human happiness and self empowerment.

Timothy Harada's novel, Myth Shattering, a semi-autobiographical/cultural criticism/political protest novel of a young punk rock kid's journey to Buddhism is now out on paperback at www.lulu.com. Timothy just released the first 2 volume of his "Collected Writings from Soka University of America,? and the last volume should be out at the beginning of 2008 (all out at www.lulu.com.)

Along with writing books, Timothy also contributes a regular blog about life in Japan and other things to the Sendai Voice online magazine, which can be read at www.sendaivoice.com.

Timothy is also working with 11 other SGI singer/song writers from around the world to put together a collaborative CD, entitled "Mammoth Musical Movement," which will raise money for the Soka University of America's Student Scholarship Fund.

Timothy is all set up to kick off his all Japan ?living room tour,? starting at the end of June, 2008. Stay tuned as Timothy Harada's music spreads throughout Japan and the world, and eventually makes its way back to his home town of Southern California.