Advertisement

BlogsRSS FeedLike us on FacebookFollow us on Twitter

Hawaii: In Real Life ~ Beatboxing with Jason Tom

Meet the human beatbox Jason Tom, as he raps about his inspiration and how he got started as a performing artist


By Melissa Chang on March 29, 2011

Ever since the first time I saw Jason Tom perform at [re]think: Hawaii, I’ve been intrigued with his talent. He bills himself as “the human beatbox,” producing a variety of sounds — creating entire songs, sometimes while he dances — using only his mouth and voice.

How does he do it? I’ve long wondered how people learn to create so many non-human sounds with their lips and tongue and, even more amazing, string them together to make a whole performance. As it turns out, Jason was born with this talent, instinctively beatboxing since he was four years old and progressively teaching himself new techniques as he grew older.

Here’s part of my long-awaited interview with him, plus a quick lesson in beatboxing:

If you want to see more of Jason and more about what he’s about (boxers or briefs? where to eat after a performance?), check out our interview on HawaiiIRL.com.

You can also catch him live at some upcoming events: April 1 at SoHo Mixed Media Bar for Tyke’s Revenge; April 3 at a Japan fundraiser concert at the Pacific Beach Hotel; and April 15 at the Busekrus “This Is Real” CD release party at Hawaiian Brian’s.

Recent Posts:


Post comment as twitter logo facebook logo
Sort: Newest | Oldest
aposey 6 pts

Great job Jason! You kill it! Anyone that can make the noises you do in Hawaii deserves props. Our Vog usually makes us Hawaiian's get asthma, but you got good pipes. Keep bringing the fire only Hawaii can bring. You got that underground fire, the hawaiian magma shiz. When you surface its lava son, don't let the pessimistic winds from the outside on the outside cool you down and stop your flow. Always keep it hot and moving... be like lava my friend. - Tongwu's forever

JasonTomHNL 9 pts

aposey Be like lava, I like that! Mahalo tongwu! -Jason Tom

chant808 51 pts

Haha, Jason, you crack me up! Totally stole the spotlight from Melissa, lol. Kudos to one of my favorite performers, look forward to seeing you on stage!

JasonTomHNL 9 pts

chant808hahaha thx Tracy! Melissa did an awesome job and I think I am overdue for a hair cut. from Metromix to Nonstop Honolulu, and now Hawaii IRL, such an honor and was great seeing you at the Twestival.I will be at SoHo First Fridays, April 1st, 5-9pm ish. Aerialists, dancers, and of course the human beatbox. It should be fun. Then I am doing a Japan Benefit with Jake Shimabukuro´s younger brother Bruce Shimabukuro on Sunday, April 3rd. Oh and there is this great show on Friday, April 15th http://jasontom.com/files/images/busekrusthisisreal.jpg

Melissa808 204 pts

chant808 LOL I don't even like the spotlight!

nonstopmari 189 pts

i'm watching the irl version specifically to see if u get some beatboxing time in :)

Melissa808 204 pts

nonstopmari thank goodness, I did not!

JasonTomHNL 9 pts

nonstopmari Melissa picked up on the beatbox tutorial fast. she did great! lol next time I see her she will be on another level.

hawaii 63 pts

Fun interview! Melissa808 's lapel mic didn't stand a chance!

Melissa808 204 pts

hawaii Melissa herself didn't stand a chance! LOL

JasonTomHNL 9 pts

hawaii Melissa808 Fun interview indeed! We played off each other well and I think Melissa is a natural. We had so much fun and laughter that morning.

JMattHicks 1739 pts

Ha ha awesome stuff, Melissa808 ! I'm sure a number of people sitting near me in the livefyre office thought I was crazy when I was trying to reproduce some of those hi-hats and snares. lol

Melissa808 204 pts

JMattHicks livefyre LOL. Just don't spit on the computer screen!

JasonTomHNL 9 pts

Melissa808 JMattHicks livefyre haha he will have to get those window wipers. mahalo JMattHicks and Melissa808! fun interview!

JMattHicks 1739 pts

JasonTomHNL Melissa808 You rock man! Look forward to seeing/hearing more from you in the future! Best of luck! Maybe an on-stage beatbox duet with Melissa? YES. ;)

Melissa808 204 pts

JMattHicks JasonTomHNL ummmmm NO!

hahaha

JasonTomHNL 9 pts

JMattHicks , an on stage duet with Melissa808 would be EPIC!

SamanthaCamBryan 6 pts

most talented beatboxer ever!! can't wait to see you perform soon!

JasonTomHNL 9 pts

SamanthaCamBryan mahalo! see you on the 15th! http://jasontom.com/files/images/busekrusthisisreal.jpg

jlieu 40 pts

That is SUPER COOL!!!! WOW.. Hawaii is filled with such talent! :D Awesome! I wanna see him on April 15th!

JasonTomHNL 9 pts

jlieu mahalo jlieu, the flyer for the 15th http://jasontom.com/files/images/busekrusthisisreal.jpg

Trackbacks

  1. [...] Hawaii: In Real Life ~ Beatboxing with Jason Tom | Nonstop … /* Category: Newport Beach Houses  | Tags: estate, Finder's, Real Related Blog newport beach houses You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. [...]

About Melissa Chang

Melissa has more than 20 years’ experience in marketing and public relations. She is currently a freelance writer and independent marketing consultant, specializing in social media. 

Advertisement
Copyright © 2012 Nonstop Online, LLC. All Rights Reserved.