Strawberry Hill Studio’s Austin David Coffee Talks With Anime Herald

• Interview Date: 3/20/2025

• Interview Format: Zoom

• Author: Angie Mills

• Editor: Samantha Ferreira

Ahead of the Legends of Anime & Gaming Music San Francisco concert starring Persona’s Lotus Juice and Cowboy Bebop’s Raj Ramaaya, we sat down with Strawberry Hill Studios’ Austin David Coffee to discuss what it’s like working with these anime and gaming music legends, the upcoming concert and the studio’s future plans. 

Anime Herald: Hello, my name is Angie Mills, and I’m representing the Anime Herald. I’m a long time anime and gaming fan, so I’m really excited for the opportunity to chat today!

Austin David Coffee: You know, we really appreciate all the help we can get to spread the word for this upcoming concert. I mean, we’re really excited! Raj and Lotus [Juice] are coming together and getting to share the music from all the amazing projects that they’ve worked on in the past. And there’s even some exciting collaborations, some of which the world might not know about. 

So, you know Lotus? Well, Lotus and I have been collaborating over the last week or so on some of the tracks that we will be releasing, actually, they should be releasing now! They haven’t quite hit Spotify yet, but they’re on, like YouTube music premiering. So those are some of the tracks that they are releasing. It’s a collaboration between Lotus Juice and Raj and that I worked on to help produce so that is to say, I’ve been working with Lotus Juice in preparation for the show. And so I’m familiar with the, the ins and outs of that, and some of the IP that the show is centered around, you know, like Cowboy Bebop, Persona 3, Tower of God. I’ve been involved in the marketing for that, and we’ve been working as well with Anime Trending (who) have been a big help in helping us produce the creatives and sort of conceptualize our approach for putting the show together. That’s a little bit about my involvement. 

Anime Herald: Thank you so much for talking about your involvement in the process so far. Can you tell me a little bit more about what we can expect at the show?

Austin David Coffee: So let me just say that it’s definitely a show for anime fans and for game fans. For those of our audience who might not know who Raj Ramayya is. I work at his studio, Strawberry Hill Studio. He lived in Japan for twenty years. He got his start doing the music for the Cowboy Bebop Movie. Think it was 2001 and he did the intro song, and he worked with Yoko Kano on the song, and the song is called Ask DNA. I’m sure that everyone going to the show will know about it. They might not know necessarily who the singer is, so it’ll be a really good chance for them to sort of dive into, dive into that, that piece of history, right? I mean, Cowboy Bebop has become such a phenomenon in the last, you know, twenty-three or four years since the movie was released, not to mention the animated series.

So, it’ll be a really cool opportunity for people to get to know Raj and not to mention Lotus Juice with Persona 3 and Persona 5 being such sensations–that they are really putting those two together with Tower of God. I mean, this music, it’s all kind of coming together in a way that is going to be a really unique experience. And now that they’re collaborating on two tracks that is their own original material, not tied specifically to anime or games, you get some of their perspective as songwriters, first and foremost.

So you get to kind of hear their approach, how they write for specific projects, and also how they write for themselves and how they express themselves, their concept for the original songs. And one of them is called In the Shadow and that’s the name of the EP. It’s two songs, and then the other one is called Tonight Alive The concept is this sort of cultural exchange between between the west coast and Tokyo, but specifically, just this kind of love and nostalgia and reverence for the city of Tokyo and in Japanese culture by extension, think there’s a really big mutual appreciation between, Japan and and the Bay Area, which is where Raj is coming from. Of course, he lived in Japan for twenty years, so he really understands that, and he’s just a really good collaborator! They’re really well suited to collaborate with each other, and so it’s going to be really interesting to see how that chemistry translates on stage.

Anime Herald: I love to hear that, and I’m so excited about the show. Speaking of you, talked a little bit about that connection between Japan and then the Bay Area, where Raj is from (*living) We’re fortunate that the Bay Area is kind of like a geeky place. You know, we have a lot of anime and gaming events here, but I still think that there’s room for a lot of growth when we’re talking about anime, gaming and music events. Are you hoping to kind of tap into that for this concert? Or why San Francisco for this particular show?

Austin David Coffee: It’s a great question and let me just back up and say that yes, Raj has been living in the Bay Area (and) working at Strawberry Hill Studio,. His studio in Marin County, for the last few years. He’s originally from Canada, Saskatchewan area,moved to Japan, and now in the San Francisco Bay Area. And to answer your question, well not officially, but sort of in spirit, is sort of a continuation of another project that Raj is involved in currently–“Cowboy Bebop Live.”It’s not an official collaboration, but in terms of the same spirit and the same sort of target audience, the same same ethos, “Cowboy Bebop Live” if you don’t know, is this big tour across the the the US. It’s this big band, and they’re recreating the music from the movie with Wendy Lee, and Raj for select shows. 

And so, Raj is obviously performing Ask DNA, and so they’re keeping this music alive. They’re sharing it with the community, and we really wanted a chance to tap into that spirit and that ethos in our own way, with our unique blend of different anime and games, and different titles. And to answer your question about one show, actually, we’re thinking and we’re really hoping to develop this into a series of concerts, called “Legends of Anime and Games Music Live.” We’re brainstorming, and talking with artists in Japan.

That’s a big part of it– increasing the cultural exchange right between the Bay Area and Japan and the anime scene over there. So we’re talking with artists, and we’re we’re dreaming, and we’re brainstorming about how we’re going to bring them over and all of them, you know, artists working on anime and video games, and keep the spirit of that, that that geekiness, like you’re saying, alive and well. So it’s a little early to confirm details about the next show, for instance, but we’re, it’s always on our mind when we’re actively planning out a whole series for this, “Legends of Anime and Games Music Live”

Anime Herald: Can you tell me a little bit more about what it’s been like to work with Raj, an anime legend, as a producer yourself, working on anime and video games. 

Austin David Coffee: Really, really engaging and stimulating! Raj has this worldwide sort of mindset. And if you spend a few minutes talking to him, and when you listen to his music, it comes across like this. Man is well traveled. You know, he’s been to the Himalayas. He’s lived in different countries. He speaks many languages, and that really comes across in his creative process and the people he chooses to associate himself with. For projects, I’m always blown away with the diversity, and it really keeps me on my feet. We were working on a project last year for television called Our Big Punjabi Family And so, I was immersing myself in Bhangra music and learning about how to create authentic scores in a new musical medium. And I was learning from Raj the whole time. So he’s a real mentor, he’s a real friend, and he just has this way of getting you to think beyond what you know and keep an open mind.

Anime Herald: You touched a little bit on the Cowboy Bebop live concert tour that Raj has been working on? Is this kind of the first project where all of these musicians are coming together for this concert? Or has everyone worked together before?

Austin David Coffee: That is a great question. There may have been some form of collaborations online, with different, smaller projects, but in terms of  coming together, putting on these live shows, and getting this kind of, these kinds of audiences to the venues, seeing the music live, I think it really is unprecedented. And what’s amazing to me is that Cowboy Bebop was…  it started over twenty years ago, and it didn’t just fall off. The impact has actually rippled out and become even larger. And because of that, when, when you have this coming together. It really feels like, you know, we’re getting the band back together again, like it’s the Muppets or something. And so when that happens, it gets people really excited. They’re like, “Wow,” like Wendee Lee and Roger Maya, and, you know, these people are all coming back together. So it really is exciting, and that I can be a part of that, and that Lotus Juice can be a part of that, and it just feels very, very like an unprecedented thing.

Anime Herald: Can you tell me a little bit more about Strawberry Hill Studio?

Austin David Coffee: Yeah, so we do a lot of different things at Strawberry Hill Studio. We are a production facility located in Novato, California. We’re talking about the Bay Area, so just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. And like I said, we’re involved in projects all over the world, Japan, Canada, uh. Rajesh Brotherhood Studio in Canada. And we have a sister studio in Canada, as well. And we work on television projects and video game projects, and we’re getting some movie projects in the pipeline here. We also have this other initiative as well online, called Samurais Of Sound that is really focused on voiceover education and career development services for anime and games fans. We work with some of the biggest names in games and anime. 

We’re putting on workshops online and so you can access them from anywhere in the world. And we have this packet of resources, and this community that meets regularly. It’s a really thriving community (where) we meet, and we keep each other accountable with training, and also do role playing, like, Dungeons & Dragons kind of style role playing. And we have these workshops, like when Wendee Lee’s putting on a workshop actually in April, and in just over a month, at the end of April, she’s actually putting on a workshop with us. 

And it’s sort of a coincidence that actually… it’s funny, I was reaching out to Wendee to schedule the workshop. This was back in like, January or something, and she saw that Raj was CC’ed on the email chain, and she was like, “Oh, by the way, Raj, we’re putting on these Cowboy Bebop shows. Would you want to go to one? Like, would you want to join in?” 

And he’s like,“Yes, count me in!” And we had already been planning this show with Lotus Juice, but it was just sort of this serendipitous sort of thing. And that’s something that Raj actually talks about quite a bit, this idea of serendipity. And when you really put your energy towards something, it sort of just comes together if you’re really determined about it, and you connect yourself with the right people. So I think that these shows that are coming together in this Legends of Games and Anime Music live series, is really an example of that, and the power of that, that collaboration,

Coffee was composer for 2018 film Pigeon.

Anime Herald: So we’ve talked a lot about kind of like the hopes and inspiration of like the project and the concert, and also the San Francisco Bay Area climate a bit in terms of anime and gaming music, curious what kind of challenges have you faced, if any, when It comes to putting on an anime and gaming event like this?

Austin David Coffee: Challenges? Gosh, this show in particular was very ambitious in terms of the timeline. Like I said, this was all coming together like around January, so we haven’t had that much time to sort of prepare it all, but I have just been blown away with the amount of people reaching out to us, interested in spreading the word, interested in and spreading the message through their platforms. 

Like I said, we’ve been working with, well, you guys at Anime Herald, of course, and also Anime Trending has been really great, helping us spread the word. Last week, Lotus was involved in this Reddit AMA, and it was on the r/Persona subreddit, and it really took off! There was one post–it was like a meme that was circulating on Twitter/X, and it has, like, two million views now! It’s Lotus, just responding candidly through the Strawberry Hill Studio Reddit account, just candidly to this really offbeat comment, and people just loved it. It just certainly just blew up online. And we were just so amazed by the amount of, like… the  positive reception has been really interesting to see. 

And people are asking, you know, different outlets are coming to us, like, asking for, like, press passes and stuff. And that’s been really humbling. I think people have been waiting. It feels like people have been waiting for something like this, is sort of my impression. They’re like, “Oh my gosh.” This fits perfectly in with, like you said, the Bay Area climate, this geekiness. So you’re talking about challenges. The challenge was the time frame, but, and we were nervous at first, we’re like, we’re not sure. Like, is anyone going to show up? But now we’re seeing the ticket sales and everything, and we’re just so, we’re so humbled. Yeah, I think that’s another challenge. 

Challenges associated with the timeline was, you know, we want this to be like this is, yes, it’s the titles, right? Persona, Cowboy Bebop, Tower of God that is bringing people in. People have these emotional responses to the IP, right? And this history with that. And the show is about Lotus and Raj, right? It’s about them. And so, I think that part of our thought process behind making In The Shadow and Alive Tonight is the other song, which I did the… there’s like an instrumental interlude with a solo, electric piano solo, and some sampled Raj’s voice. I did that part. The ideas behind that were, you know, yes, we have done these cool projects, and look who we are. We have this. We have our own voices that we can share as well, and that can all be part of the narrative. And you’ll have old favorites that you’re that you’re coming to hear, and you’ll have new favorites that you’ll walk away with, like, wow, that was really amazing, how they came together.

Anime Herald: So we can expect a myriad of Anime and Gaming Music that Lotus and both Raj are known for, but an introduction to some of their newer stuff and personal projects as well? 

Austin David Coffee: Yes, that’s exactly right! 

Anime Herald: I’m so excited for the show! You talked a little bit about Anime Trending, working together with them on this. Could you dive a little bit more into that relationship and how you’re working together to bring this to life? 

Austin David Coffee: Absolutely! My thoughts go immediately to Nico at Anime Trending. He’s been such a standout. He’s just going above and beyond to reach out to these. Let’s see, whereas Nico has been such a great help, Monterosso, he really has a finger on the pulse of this geeky anime culture. He’s the one who coordinated the Reddit AMA, and he’s been a huge source of guidance for me, as well. 

In terms of things like… I’ve managed the studio’s advertising, and so we were exchanging notes on how to best engage the fans of this very specific niche of Lotus’ people. He was like, “Well, Lotus Juice is great, he’s a big name!  He’s a great, he’s a great draw. And some people might just know the Persona music. They might hear His voice, and they’re like, ‘Oh yeah. Like, we know the song.’ Like, duh. But they might not even know that it’s Lotus Juice, right?” 

I was like, “Oh yeah.” Like, we need to be mindful of that. The draw of this show is the music in its association with the IP, right? The titles. So just things like that where he has this, he has, they’ve had this really great perspective that has helped us spread the word most effectively.

Anime Herald: So we can expect some songs from Persona 3 Reload?

Austin David Coffee: Absolutely Persona 3 Reload has been at the forefront of our thought process when we came to put together the set list for this show. We were so excited about that project, and we know that Lotus is as well. So yeah, you can definitely expect to hear the music from and going back to Nico’s help, and Anime Trending, they were, that was the specific guidance that Nico gave me. He was like, yeah, that, that song from, from the Persona 3 Reload soundtrack. That’s like, “Baby, baby, baby, baby,” right? Like, really going viral right now. So you should kind of tap into that, you know, and think about that and sort of ride that wave, right? So, again, it’s about, it’s about surrounding yourself with the people who are in tune with, you know, you. You want, and what’s going on in the climate, as you say, and that’s all been coming together really beautifully.

Anime Herald: Any last words or a message that you’d like to share with our audience about the concert that’s coming up?

Austin David Coffee: Oh, it’s going to be, once in a lifetime, this combination, this time and place.  It really is two legends of games and anime music, and they’re coming together. You know, Lotus is flying in from Japan for this event. It’s a really big deal, and I’m just super thrilled to be a part of it. I’m super thrilled that Raj is a part of it, and that it’s a chance for more exposure for Strawberry Hill Studio. And I’m just genuinely excited for people to come to the show. They’re going to have a great time. So I’m just happy to have been a part of that!

Since the interview, Lotus Juice & Raj Ramaaya have released their new collaboration EP “In the Shadow” which can be found on streaming platforms Spotify and YouTube Music.

Thanks to Austin David Coffee for his time and sharing more about Strawberry Hill Studio and the upcoming concert. For more details on the event: Anime and Gaming Legends comes to San Francisco on Saturday, March 30th at Club DNA.