No more results on this page
KISHI BASHI IN CONCERT:
Singer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Kaoru Ishibashi has become a familiar face on stages around the world as a touring violinist for acts Of Montreal and Regina Spektor, but lately it's his solo indie rock project Kishi Bashi that has fans jamming out. His kaleidoscopic tunes mix lush violin, exotic Far East elements, swirling vocal harmonies, and electronic touches to create a brilliant and unique sonic world full of soaring melodies and head-spinning rhythms. At his live shows he brings buoyant tunes like "Bright Whites" and "Atticus in the Desert" to life with the help of a looping pedal and a full band including drums, banjo, and guitar, treating fans to dynamic performances that always get them moving and smiling.
BACKGROUND SNAPSHOT:
Seattle-born, Virginia-raised Kaoru Ishibashi began playing the violin at age 7 and continued studying the instrument after high school at Boston's prestigious Berklee College of Music. In 2002 he moved to Brooklyn and formed the synthpop outfit Jupiter One with guitarist Zac Colwell. The band self-released several limited edition records in the mid-'00s, and in 2008 they dropped a self-titled debut album that landed them on tour with Regina Spektor. While on the road Ishibashi met Of Montreal founder Kevin Barnes, and joined him as a member of Of Montreal's touring band in 2010. The following year he returned to his parent's home in Virginia to begin recording his solo debut as Kishi Bashi. The result was 2012's 151a, a critical success that earned praise from NPR and received placement in commercials for Windows, Sony, and car company Smart. After a 2013 tour of the US and Europe in support of the release, Ishibashi issued his second album as Kishi Bashi, 2014's Lighght. The album peaked at No. 52 on the Billboard 200, a huge feat for a niche indie artist and cause for celebration among his loyal fanbase.
I love Kishi Bashi and this was my first time seeing him live. He and all of the musicians wee amazing and fantastic to see live. And the intimate space made it all the better. Can't wait to see him perform again.
He played at a theater that I'd never been to before. An historic downtown palace. We arrived and the opening act was playing. They were fine but nothing terribly memorable. Especially not after watching Mr. Ishibashi perform, what an amazing event. He's excited, entertaining, talented, and the songs were great. The sound was good, mixed decently well. The room felt good, was easy to stay comfortable in the space.
I don't want to give it up but it was really surprising, super fun, emotional at times. Genius
Such a fun show. High quality music, and kishi bashi has a wonderful stage presence. His shows are much more fun and upbeat than you might expect, and he performs a good blend of old and new music. He goes from a heartfelt, sad song in which he loops the violin into something fun and dancy like Mr Steak (complete with someone dancing in a steak costume!) to strumming on his violin. He's a very talented musician (the looping of the violin and his voice is amazing!) and makes it a point to showcase his supporting band at every show. He's a must see!
Unbelievable live performance by Kishi Bashi! Incredible musicians.
Kishi Bashi remixes all of his songs. I think he is reaching out to a wider audience now. He made everything more loud. Lots of electric guitar, lots of drum, lots of folk and blues elements. The soft solos are no longer an element. I miss the old 2010 kishibashi. I leftthe show early
Great show - Mr. Steak and crowdsurfing with the violin was fun - but he started so late that anyone depending on the Red Line to get home (toward Shady Grove) had to leave early, about 11:30, right after Mr. Steak. He should have known that, and if the Fillmore didn't tell him, that's even worse. We don't pay your crazy service fees to pay surge-pricing Uber after a late show.
My girlfriend and I were so impressed by Kishi Bashi and the energy, passion, and creativity he brought to the show. Everyone started the show sitting, by a few tracks in everyone was on their feet, and by the encore he and his string quartet were in the middle of the audience playing Bright Whites unplugged in the middle of the audience, standing on benches. Unreal.
It was really cool to see a Kishi Bashi show with a strong quartet instead of his usual band. This venue was perfect for the acoustics. Can't wait for him to have a backup symphony!
Wonderful venue. Great performers. Great chemistry between performers and the audience. I attended Kishi Bashi's performance in Baltimore in 2014. Awesome, as well. This guy needs to be on SNL to get the broad recognition he so richly deserves.
Kishi Bashi's show on February 17th was the second time I had gone to see the indie baroque pop songsmith perform his latest pieces, as well as some old favorites. Once again, the show took place at the Royale, where I finally realized how wonderful the acoustics in that place were. This worked well to his advantage, as his band for this performance consisted of himself, a string quartet, and right-hand banjo player Mike Savino (Tall Tall Trees). The concert began with "Manchester" off of his debut album, a personal favorite of this reviewer. The addition of a string quartet gave the song more of a neo-classical air than the original as well as presented more opportunities in fleshing out additions to the arrangement that wouldn't have otherwise had the same effect if Kishi Bashi had performed it in his trademark "loop pedal orchestra" style. Several songs in, I was beginning to feel as though this was going to be a pseudo-formal event, given the soothing nature of the music and the fact that we were all sitting down, a practice I wasn't used to in that kind of setting. Despite that fun, lively nature of Kishi's shows being absent for part of the set, that soon changed when the band performed "Bittersweet Genesis for Him AND Her" off of his latest offering "Lighght". Just as with many of the songs during that set, the simple narrative of the song soon grew into an epic, almost cinematic experience. The quartet swooped in with their strings at full force, with Kishi Bashi stepping in as a fifth violinist and singing with an unwavering purity and sincerity in his voice. It was an instance where these songs weren't just heard, but felt in rare and priceless moments of emotional connectivity. The party really began, though, when Mike Savino brought his unorthodox banjo chops to a number of Kishi Bashi's songs, including a highly-rhythmic rendition of "Atticus, In the Desert" and "In Fantasia", where the banjo acted as a makeshift ondes martenot that fit the song's narrative of vampiric immortality. The addition of Savino later on in the set reaffirmed my realization in the venue's helpful acoustics. Although there was a lack of a bass player and drummer on stage, the band completely compensated for that through craftwork that demonstrated how well these musicians know their instruments. The show's main set closed with a dance party that was an explosion of color, light, and sound. If this portion of the set were any more exciting, there would be fireworks going off inside of the venue. If there was one pattern I observed closely over the course of the evening, it would be that Kishi Bashi's humble nature in talking to the audience (though cracking a few jokes here and there) was directly parallel to the energy he put in each one of his songs. There was more audience participation during this portion of the set, with the audience clapping along, dancing, and even providing a looped choral vocal for "Philosophize In It! Chemicalize In It!". It seemed as though the rest of the set was designed to warm everyone up for this exercise in controlled musical chaos. At that moment, the performers and audience were more connected than ever, with that portion of the set only being topped by the hushed unplugged sing-along of "Bright Whites" at the end of the evening. If you hold any cynicism towards the idea that there's no good new music being made in this day and age, you owe it to yourself to go to one of Kishi Bashi's show. At around $25/ticket, I felt completely spoiled in experiencing a concert of this caliber at such a low price. Clever musicianship, excellent songwriting, and an atmosphere warm enough to melt the mountains of snow outside were all on display at the Royale. My love and appreciation for what Kishi Bashi does as a musician were once again reaffirmed that night, proving that he is most certainly one of the best musical artists of this decade. I've seen him twice since late 2013, and I would definitely go see him perform a third time.
Saw him at Royale Boston. What a fantastic show. When I first heard of kishi Bashi and his loops technique I immediately thought of one of my favorite artists Andrew Bird who uses a similar technique with looping. Kishi Bashi takes it to such a joyful energetic level! His interaction with the crowd was so cool and collected. His vocal range was so great and he didnt seem to ever run out of steam. He closed his set with an unplugged version of Bright Whites at a corner of the stage and asked everyone to gather close and sing a long. One of the best shows I have been to. Period. Also the opening act Busmans Holiday was also very impressive and sound great live WOULD RECOMMEND
Cannot say enough good things about Kishi Bashi. The music is haunting and creative, stage presence is spectacular, and the string quartet back-up was wonderful.
great show as always, but what was special was the classical feel it had what a great show with talented people. Perfect theater for his music.
this concert was like no other show i've ever been to. the string quartet was such a twist, compared to what you'd usually see. and it was so intimate, which made it unforgettable. can't wait to see him again!
Kishi Bashi is incredible and the band that he had around him made the concert even more enjoyable. We had an awesome banjo guy from the tall tall trees, Elizabeth from Elizabeth and the Catapults, along with a quartet of string players to accompany Kishi Bashi.
Kishi Bashi is a one-of-a-kind artist. Capable of producing beautiful ethereal sounds with his voice and violin alone. The backup string quartet was wonderful, but the real standout (besides Kishi's vocals and virtuoso violin) was Tall Tall Trees and banjotron combination banjo/drum/electric looper monstrosity (and epic beard). Overall, this was the best live show I've had the opportunity to go to. It almost makes me want to drop everything and follow Kishi Bashi on the road :)
Kishi Bashi, Tall Tall Trees, an incredible string quartet, and Elizabeth & The Catapult combine to form some kind of magical super group! Wow. We were seriously blown away. The Palace of Fine Arts is not a favorite venue of mine. Whoever runs the house music must be deaf, because it's ALWAYS too loud to chat between sets. Kishi Bashi did a great job of integrating what he called "Exercise Songs" where he asked the crowd to stand and dance. It was a wonderful break from sitting and probably ensured fewer crowd members fell asleep. (: It's so dark and cozy in there!
Awesome show - Great opening act, followed by amazing performance lead by a musical genius. Beautiful venue too!
This ranks in my top 3 of best shows I've seen. He's so dynamic and with the quartet, the banjo player, and his energy, it was just a fun, memorable experience.
