((Kishi Bashi)) Band Profile and Upcoming Chicago Concerts - Oh My Rockness

Kishi Bashi (Kaorou Ishibashi, to his friends) is a classically trained violinist who, somewhere along the way, mega rebelled and went all perfectly pleasant well-crafted sunshine pop on all those long dead orchestral masters. Roll over, Beethoven! I’m sure he’d be shocked at these fine shower-singable songs.

Bashi uses his string skills and easy tenor to makes lush, sunny songs of great uplift. Live, it’s just him up there. All alone. But fear not. The Kishi Bashi experience is more than just watching some dude playing his violin. He also makes use of loops, hits beat making machines, smashes levers, smacks some buttons, and even beat boxes (though Biz Markie or Rahzel need not worry). And he does all this while often hopping up and down with a smile on his face and strumming his violin like a ukelele. Nope. Definitely not boring. Just a little joyful, is all.

Kishi Bashi gets compared to Andrew Bird and Owen Pallett, for obvious reasons. And being a big fan of using obvious comparisons, I shall compare him to those two too. I’m not going to do what you think I’m going to do and pretend I’m above the comparison by distancing myself from it yet still stating it and thus perpetuating the comparison. Nah, man. That recycled black hole to the abyss ends RIGHT NOW. Kishi Bashi is recommended for fans of Andrew Bird and Owen Pallett.

I should also mention that Kishi Bashi is the touring violinist for Of Montreal. Because that might be something you’d want to know. Also, his song is that one song used in that Widows 8 commercial. If you don’t know the song of which I speak, don’t worry. I’ll embed it for you below. Stream it and then you’ll be like, “ohhh, THAT song.” Unless you don’t own a TV....in which case, good for you! Maybe you should go out and buy a really cool tee that just says, “I don’t own a TV.” Such a noble stand is worth a shirt like that, don’t you think?

So give Kishi Bashi a whirl. Because that’ll be one fun spin. It won’t be the kind of spin that starts fun but ultimately makes you throw up. That’s the Gravitron, I believe. You know, that spinning thing where the floor drops out? Yeah. That’s the one.

Kishi Bashi - recommend for fans of Owen Pallett and Andrew Bird and not recommended for fans of the Gravitron. You heard it here first.

Published July 17, 2013
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