Bio

Nao Nakashima is a Japan-born, Los Angeles-based Rock guitarist and songwriter. Nao started playing guitar at the age of sixteen, and soon began playing at clubs in his birthplace of Nagoya. Nao moved to Los Angeles in 2015 to chase his dream of playing real Rock & Roll, and since then, he has played with many notable bands and musicians, such as Snakefist (named "LA's filthiest Rock & Roll band" by LA Weekly), Leather Duchess ("Best Hair Metal Revival" according to LA Weekly), and Dante HH (award-winning Rock & Roll band from Columbia), to name a few.

He started working as a professional guitarist in 2018 and has played shows with Lady Blackbird (BMG), Tommy C (ex-Chubby Checker saxophonist), Evol Walks (LA Hard Rock band), and other notable acts including his own Blues Rock trio, The Indigo Rebels.

In 2019, Nao joined one of his idols from adolescence, the Hard Rock band, Circus Of Power (ex-RCA, Columbia Records), and worked on the EP "The Process Of Illumination''(2020, Noize In The Attic Records) which features his co-written song, "I Liked You Better When You Got Stoned''. His guitar work can also be found in the upcoming Doom Metal act by The Stoning in their self-named Ep("The Stoning" 2020) which is being produced by ex-Nine Inch Nails guitarist, Danny Lohner.

Nao started playing with the drummer Tommy Clufetos (Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath) in 2020, and put out a full album, "Beat Up By Rock 'N Roll"(2021, Frontiers Records) with the band Tommy's Rocktrip, along with ex-Slash's Snakepit singer, Eric Dover. He also works as a professional songwriter and co-wrote three singles with Brie Burns through 2021-2022.

To keep the flame of Rock & Roll alive, he's here playing ass-kicking riffs like nobody else today.