After having been out of contact with Daniel Pak since graduating high school, I was really looking forward to catching up and hearing about his music group, Kore Ionz, based out of Seattle, WA. Some time ago, I had remembered hearing through a buddy, Darin Nakagawa, that Daniel was in a Nuclear Engineering program at the University of Washington and was going to be returning to Hawaii after he graduated. I was pretty surprised and curious when I heard a few years later that rather than return home and settle into a job working on submarines at Pearl Harbor, Daniel became the lead vocalist and rhythm guitar player for a group called Kore Ionz.
I hadn't heard their music yet, but after taking a look at the group's website, it looked like they've gained a solid following in Seattle and the surrounding areas, even garnering media attention from local newpapers and radio stations.
Kore Ionz combines "roots reggae with dynamic rock and world rhythms", producing high-energy grooves with a conscious message of hope and positivity.
Their contribution to the community goes beyond music as they donate half of their proceeds to The Service Board, a nonprofit offering life-changing programs for marginalized youth in Seattle. No doubt, Kore Ionz is making a powerful and lasting impression in their communities.
So makes a nuclear engineering major switch courses to pursue reggae in Seattle? I got to chat with Daniel and find out:
(Perfect Life Daily) Mike Yang: What's going on Daniel! Great to be chatting with you after all this time! The last time I heard your name, you were studying Nuclear Engineering to get into Pearl Harbor. When did you decide to start the group?
(Kore Ionz) Daniel Pak: Kore Ionz was formed from the remaining members of Mystic Rising, which began in 2001 at the University of Washington. Today I am the only remaining original member, and the band is completely different, both in personnel, sound, and collective consciousness.
MY: That's awesome! A lot of folks want to pursue their passions and listen to that voice inside telling them to go for it, but a lot of times it never happens. What made you take a take that first step and start the group?
DP: I originally wanted to start a group during college, when I realized that music was my calling. No other explanation other than a gut feeling. Today, I realize the social responsibility and global potential of the group, which is the current motivation for maintaining our work. To me, music has become a vessel for which community building and social change can occur.
MY: When you say social responsibility, what do you mean?
DP: Well, for example, yesterday I was trying to recruit kids at a high school for the arts center I teach at. I was just standing in the hallway playing guitar, saying hello to people. Kids were walking by, but they didn't even want to look me in the eye. Thing about high school, there's a lot of fear involved, fear of failure and fear what people will say. People are trying to hide.
The world is so huge when we're so young! But it becomes smaller when we put ourselves out there.
MY: So you would say it's important to put yourself out there and take some risks.
DP: A big part of our lives are lived in comfort, privilege, boredom, luxury, but taking risks is what life is all about! We're very strong beings but we're also very delicate. We could lose this life due to any number of factors. We shouldn't be afraid of failure, shouldn't be afraid of shining so bright. You've gotta fall and get back up again and be willing to learn.
MY: Excellent! I'm sure there were ups and downs when Kore Ionz was being put together. What kind of course did the formation and growth of the group take?
DP: Like any group of people getting together for a cause, there are both times of collective happiness and joy and times of controversy and ego clashing. I am happy to report that in the current Kore Ionz lineup, there is virtually no ego clashing and minimal controversy. The reason for which is that we pride ourselves on being a family first and foremost, supporting each other with any needs. The music comes and grows naturally because of this bond.
MY: What else besides the close bond within the group inspires your music?
DP: People. Places. Those who suffer. Those who aid the suffering. Channeling the negative vibes of an argument into a smile and a friendship. People singing to themselves on the streets. Children exploring the world on all fours. Watching a stranger help a single mother carry her groceries to her car. Not for the reward, but because it is our duty to help others.
MY: What are some of the greatest lessons you've learned about yourself, others, and the process itself along the way?
DP: I am the only person in this world that can prevent myself from achieving my dreams. I am my biggest critic and sometimes the hardest thing to deal with is my own ego, which takes cues and reacts from my own fears. I am absolutely nothing in this world, and at the same time I am everything. I cannot change my surroundings and the ways and thoughts of those around me – I can only change what is within myself, in hopes that the light I radiate can help others see and feel more clearly. I am very sensitive and soft, and I need to be, for if I was hard and rough I would be very rigid and brittle and would break very easily. And I will never blame others for my problems, because I am the only one that can change. I work for humanity.
MY: Sounds like there was a lot of growth and Self-discovery in the process! In your own words, how do you feel that what you do adds value to you, your family & friends, community, and humanity?
DP: I do what I do not because I want to, but because I have to.
MY: I definitely agree that we're all responsible to and for each other. That being said, what did you have to give up or sacrifice to reach this point now? Or was it more of something where you never felt like you had to give anything up at all?
DP: My ego and its temptations. Instant gratification. I will always need attention, because we are all children until the day we leave this world, but I feel secure enough that I don’t need another’s approval to validate my choices.
MY: To the kids that you mentor and work with, how do you teach them to take risks and that failure is part of the process of achieving success?
DP: We teach different instruments at the arts center one of which is the drums. When the kids first come in, we give them the drumsticks and ask them to imagine that they're 2 years old. We tell them to bang on the drums, play whatever they want to play, for half an hour and then we come in and start teaching.
When we're two years old, we don't pay attention to what people think about what we're doing. We try and get the kids to put themselves in the mentality where no one cares. This way, they're willing to try, to take risks and make mistakes, and just keep going, keep trying. If kids are empowered at an earlier age or early on in the process of learning, their progression will be much faster.
MY: What made it clear for you that you wanted your work to be about empowering people and infusing positivity into the lives of others?
DP: We went to Southeast Asia, and saw a different way of life. There lifestyle was Southeast Asian but there was still definitely a Western Influence. There, I saw the world going in one of two directions; for those with more privilege to give more, or to go to WWIII. Only when everyone realizes that we all struggle as a Universal Global Whole, it'll be a chance for us to change public opinion take positive action on the sources of negativity in this world.
MY: What is the most important message that you'd like to send out to folks listening to Kore Ionz and reading this blog?
DP: If you know deep in your heart that something or someone is wrongfully affecting others, it becomes everyone’s responsibility to make it right. Too often we understand exactly what is wrong and step away from the problem instead of becoming part of the solution. And this isn’t any new profound philosophy – it is the simple consciousness of human beings, and part of our daily duty is to be able to converse with our own consciousness, to awaken ourselves.
MY: Where would you like to be and WHO you would like to be as a person for yourself and others in 5 years?
DP: Who I'd like to be is a good father.
In 5 years, I'll be back in Hawaii raising my family because I truly believe that the whole family, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, needs to participate in raising a child.
I'd also like to be producing music, and developing youth. All it takes is the backing of the community. All it takes is to meet the people. Heart, love and compassion is a Universal language. Hawaii is all about tourism, it's sad to see people just serving tourists, instead of serving the local people, we've gotta serve the people. A lot of that is education. I'd love to do my part to help progress the educational system and create viable social change.
MY: Awesome man! Thanks so much for taking the time today and best wishes to Kore Ionz and your family! Any last thoughts to all the folks out there?
DP: What are you waiting for? You know what you want, go get it and make it happen. Stop complaining about being bored, lazy, or I'm not good enough. Stop cutting yourself down and saying the word "retarded". Stop judging others and comparing yourself to others. Focus on your dream and how to get there. If you want it that bad, put the work in, make it happen. You're the one that's holding you back. And think about your Grandma too!
Sometimes, when people ask Daniel what he does, he replies,"I'm a farmer, I plant seeds among the youth and hopefully they'll grow." The world's in for a great harvest if they keep doing what they're doing!
To see more of Daniel and hear Kore Ionz, check out:
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