THE SCRAPE - ISSUE 1

Hiroki - By Mía Keeler 

Salvatore Manalo is Hiroki's lead and only vocalist, provid- ing the silkiest vocals, entrancing his crowds to sway and groove to the three piece band's genre-blended sound. Matt Brewster, the groups' bassist and a hot commodity on the music scene - playing with local pop artists such as Alana Rich, RnB superstars like Rainezra as well as Amer- icana heartthrobs like Jacob Westfall states, "our goal, mainly, is to make silky smooth music people can vibe to." Sean Kenny is the group's drummer, who plays with local powerhouses such as pop stars Laryssa Birdseye, Hayley Lynn and, of course, Hiroki. Hiroki is proud to be an AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) duo, with both Matt Brew- 

ster and Salvatore Manalo acting as writers for the band. Their songs are often auto-biographical, frequently exploring love and intimacy. Hiroki's music is inspired by genres such as soul, RnB, pop & funk. 

Back in late 2019, Salvatore and Matt decided to form Hiroki. Then, the pandemic hit. As the public gained more knowledge. on the virus, Salvatore and Matt were able to be in one another's "pod," as they lived only a few minutes apart. Matt credits piña coladas, that sweet, brain-freeze nectar," for the creation of many of Hiroki's first songs. Writing, recording, producing, mixing and mastering all in-house thanks to Salvatore's at home studio, appropriately named And The Vibe is, the two were able to develop an album's worth of songs. This allowed Hiroki to release one song a month for a year. 

Led by the AAPI duo of Salvatore Manalo and Matt Brewster, Hiroki is a band from Portland, Oregon focused heavily on grooves, good vibes, and quality music. Although the two have different musical backgrounds, they work together seam- lessly to write, record, and produce every song. Each of them brings their own personal flavor to the sweet recipe of soul, and the result is something smooth, something tasty, and something undeniably enjoyable.