The acclaimed violinist performs a sold-out show at The Pyramid Scheme on Friday. Kishi Bashi talked with Local Spins about his work, his heritage and his new record.
Kishi Bashi: Touring behind what he calls a party album, ‘Kantos.’ (Publicity Photo/Rob Williamson)
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As a renowned violinist and songwriter, Kishi Bashi has inspired many with his beautifully cinematic songs.
His work has been recognized by NPR and Rolling Stone, including a performance for NPR’s prestigious Tiny Desk concert series. His music, both soaring and orchestral, has been licensed by Microsoft and Sony, and featured on film and TV.
The Georgia-based multi-instrumentalist is also a filmmaker, co-founder of the indie-rock/electronic band Jupiter One and a former member of the band Of Montreal.
At Calvin College in 2017: Kishi Bashi (Photo/Kendra Petersen-Kamp)
Ahead of a national club tour supporting his new record, “Kantos,” Kishi Bashi spoke with Local Spins writer Enrique Olmos about his new record, his Japanese heritage and upcoming shows.
Kishi Bashi performs a sold-out show at The Pyramid Scheme on Friday (May 16), with pop’s Oshima Brothers opening the concert. Doors open at 7 p.m. Details here.
Local Spins: I saw you’re playing some orchestra shows. I’m curious how those are different from the club shows?
Kishi Bashi: They’re completely different, you know, the orchestra’s not amplified, so I basically have to be as quiet as possible, but as loud as I want, but sure. But it’s like, it’s stressful, but it’s honestly very beautiful. It’s a beautiful sound.
Local Spins: And then what about the club shows, the band shows?
Kishi Bashi: Yeah, the club shows are a little less stressful. I’ve got Mike Savino, who’s from Tall Tall Trees, he’s a banjo player. And Emily Hill, who’s a cellist, and also a singer that I play with. It’s this great trio combination of like electro-acoustic instruments. So it’s totally different, but it’s very intimate and a lot of fun.
Local Spins: What role does your Japanese heritage play in your life and your art?
Kishi Bashi: A lot of biracial people have a kind of split personality, you know, you’re trying to fit into the mainstream American society, but then you have this, very vivid and, like, rich cultural history that you only kind of bring up when you’re with your family, or when people are interested about it, you know. I think it’s becoming easier to be able to show that it’s a strength, and it’s beautiful, and I felt pretty excited about sharing it. Obviously, we’ve taken a pretty huge step backwards in that directive from the government right now.
When I started Kishi Bashi, I mean, it’s a Japanese-sounding name, but it wasn’t until I started really diving into identity, on my last album, “Omoiyari,” that I really started to feel like, oh, maybe this is something I feel comfortable with, or in fact, that I’m quite proud of my heritage. I mean, I’ve always been proud of my Japanese heritage, but I think the fact that people in mainstream society were more open to accepting it, allowed me to be like, oh, this is something I can explore as a creative, artistic thing.
VIDEO: Kishi Bashi, “Make Believe” (from “Kantos”)
Local Spins: What can you tell me about the new record, “Kantos”?
Kishi Bashi: It’s a party album. It definitely has a little bit of Japanese city pop influence, which is this Japanese ’80s, like, funk genre that’s quite popular amongst music hipsters. But I think because my last album was so social justice driven, and cultural, and intellectual, I wanted to make an album that was completely different. As an artist, you just have to keep evolving, so I just wanted to do something different.
Local Spins: What can people expect when they come out to the show?
Kishi Bashi: So I’m gonna take a retrospective approach, where I’m gonna go through all my albums and have little mini conversations about it, some side shows. Different interpretations of the history of my catalog. Sort of like my eras tour. There you go. Kind of a fun way to approach all my songs. I don’t usually do this, so I feel like I have enough albums that I can make it happen with my close friends.
Local Spins: In a previous interview, you talked about concerns regarding AI and its infiltration into the world of art. In a digital world, why is the live show experience still valuable?
Kishi Bashi: AI is extremely impressive, and I think that’s why everybody’s scared. But a live show, I don’t think people would be particularly happy with AI-generated live show content, you know. I think people want to go to see somebody else do something, or see a real person do something that reminds them of their potential in their own, their own human potential. They don’t want to go see a god showing off what they can never do.
Local Spins: What’s been inspiring you lately?
Kishi Bashi: Well, actually, in preparation for these orchestral shows, I’m thinking about writing a violin concerto, and kind of diving into those roots.
VIDEO: Kishi Bashi, “Lillipution Chop” (from “Kantos”)
