Chris Koza

Lives: Minneapolis

Day job: Barista at Coffee News Cafe

From: Portland, Oregon, but came to Minnesota by way of St. Olaf, “and the natural thing was to move to Minneapolis.”

Making music: “I was in bands at St. Olaf, but I majored in studio art and philosophy, which left me one other choice for my professional career—to pursue music.”

On Patterns, his Minnesota Music Award–winning album: “I like the instrumental section at the end of ‘Goldmine.’ There are no words, just a build of textures.”

Under the influence: “Sometimes it’s just a single song, sometimes it’s artists and their whole catalog. [I cite] Paul Simon for a reason. And Nick Drake. I like fun classic rock and punk to shake things up. And indie rock heroes like The Shins.”

Inspiration: “I feel most inspired if I’m at a performance and there’s something compelling that the director or choreographer or singer has translated through themselves. That’s usually the biggest kicker of impulsive songwriting. It feels most natural and uninhibited when I’m keeping an eye on other people’s art.”

Where he hangs: “If I didn’t work at Coffee News, I’d spend time there. The 331 is a pretty good hang. If I’m feeling extra motivated, I’ll go jog around the lakes or to the Riverview to see a cheap movie.”

Moment of musician clarity: “I’ve played in bands with friends since my freshman year of high school when I didn’t make the ‘real’ basketball team and I was just playing ‘for fun’ basketball. We decided to get into drama and music.”

On interacting with MySpace friends: “Every two weeks, I get on there for six or ten hours and then go away for a couple of weeks. It’s one of those things where if the artist is persistent, it can be a pretty cool interactive thing. Usually the opportunity for interaction is there, and when it’s there, you don’t know what can happen. There’s a certain amount of unpredictable opportunity.”

Listening to: “Beck’s new album, The Information. The Beirut album. The Pitchfork sampler CD I just got. And PJ Harvey. She’s always good to go to when it starts to feel a little scary outside.”

On his musicianship: “I write most stuff on piano or acoustic guitar, but I’m always thinking about things in a broader variety of textures. Ultimately I think it’s pop music. Some songs are folky, some are less folky. But generally, I’d classify it as pop.”

Process: “Lately the songwriting process has been to come up with chords I like and hum a melody. I demo the material before introducing it to the band. It’s the best way to combine all the intentions that I want to come across in the song and the variations they will instinctively put on the writing. They’re all experts at their instruments. I would rather leave the nuance up to them, but I want to give them a solid idea of what I want to happen.”

Reaction to Patterns: “Some people really like the album and other people don’t like it as much as Exit Pesce. It’s totally fine with me. To me that means I made something I can feel all right about. I don’t need permission. I’m most affected by someone that takes the time to listen to the material and write about it. That’s the biggest honor, regardless of what is said, to have an opinion to tell others.”

Catch his act: Jan. 20. Nomad World Pub; 501 Cedar Ave., Mpls., 612-338-6424, chriskoza.com