STRINGS ATTACHED
Kishi Bashi’s reworks electro sounds
Kishi Bashi is taking full advantage of a little down time in the nation’s capital, enjoying the sights and sounds of Chamberfest before his own highly anticipated festival performance Friday at La Nouvelle Scene.
He’s already scouted the venue, where the acclaimed “one-man music machine,” whose swirling blend of classical-inspired, electro-infused indie rock has been captivating crowds and critics since his 2012 debut, will perform arrangements prepared for the Rolston String Quartet, winners of the Banff International String Quartet competition.
“There’s so much great music, it’s really inspiring,” said the 41-year-old Seattle-born Kishi Bashi (born Kaoru Ishibashi). “I normally wouldn’t spend this much time listening to classical music, but this is all the worldclass levels of playing, all lined up conveniently.”
Kishi Bashi spoke with the Citizen about his upcoming show, his latest album Sonderlust, and the company he’s had the good fortune to keep.
Q What can fans expect from this show with the string quartet?
A The Rolston String Quartet are fantastic, award-winning musicians. They’ll be playing arrangements of my songs that have been reimagined for the string quartet. I’ve done that for my last two albums, and some electronic-based songs. So instead of having a drumbeat, the pulse of the rhythm is predominantly in the string quartet, so it’s predominantly about trying to dig into that sound.
It’s fun for me because it gives it a new life. If the melody is strong enough, then the arrangement is fairly easy. But if the song is dependent on the sound or the beat, then I have to get a little bit creative harmonically, otherwise it would get a bit boring if it was only one chord. And it’s refreshing for the audience as well.
Q You’ve always kept some good company, from cutting your teeth on tour with Regina Spektor to performing with Of Montreal.
A I went straight from a Regina Spektor world tour (2009-10) to playing with Of Montreal (201112). They’re all great people and passionate about music, and they love their fans, so it’s all about putting on a great show. And Regina really understands the intimacy you can get with the audience, even with just piano and voice. She’s a master of that, and to see that for a year and a half all over the world was definitely educational.
With Of Montreal, that’s a complete psychedelic experience with theatrics, which I had never really seen. It was like the ’70s with David Bowie wearing costumes, or Genesis — it was all about having a show. So I got two sides of it and that was a pretty good education. And when I started solo, I felt like I had graduated. Like I had learned all the tricks.
Q Sonderlust is produced by Chris Taylor (of Grizzly Bear) and is a bit of a departure, both lyrically and sonically from your previous work.
A Musically, on my previous albums I had really tapped into the looped violin sounds in creating the sounds that became most of the songs on those albums (2012 debut 151a and 2014’s Lighght). But I wasn’t really inspired by it this time around, so I actually got frustrated with it. Then I started messing around with this DJ and dance music software, just messing around with the samples, and I found that to be really inspiring.
So at some point I just decided, I’m a solo artist, I’m just going to do what I want.
If people don’t like it, I’ll just move on and make another album. But when you’re in a band, there’s like four people whose lives are at stake for the next two years.
And then lyrically, I was having marital problems, and I use songwriting as an outlet, so I went really honest. And I think it opened me up to being more honest with myself, more exposed.
Q Artists like Andrew Bird and Owen Pallett have really expanded the sonic possibilities of the violin, and challenged old notions about the role strings play in rock music. Where do you see yourself in that movement?
A I got to meet Owen Pallett in Toronto and I love his music. I’ve been a fan of Andrew Bird for a long time, so I knew the possibility that people might actually like this kind of music.
I see young musicians trying to discover your voice. And you have to be a little unique, you have to stand out. So I think people get bored of the guitar-based singersongwriter vibe — at least I do with myself when I write songs. Everyone is always looking for new music, so if you push yourself, and you’re passionate about it, it will show in your music.
Violins, and strings in general, there’s something about the instrument people will always like. It’s organic, it’s close to the human voice, and no matter the genre, just hearing the violin is a soothing, beautiful thing. It’s very emotional. I think as long as people have a beating heart, strings will be around.