Eclectic pop maestro and violin virtuoso K Ishibashi aka Kishi Bashi will be making his way to Boise this month for a showcase performance at The Olympic on Tuesday, November 14. He is touring in support of his critically acclaimed new album, Sonderlust. Joining Kishi Bashi will be Tall Tall Trees. Tickets for the event are only $16 and may be purchased here or at The Record Exchange.
As a bonus, there will be a complimentary special screening of an early cut of K Ishibashi’s documentary film, Project 9066, 30 minutes after doors. Project 9066 follows K Ishibashi on a dynamic musical quest to process his identity and the lessons learned from the Japanese Internment.
Kishi Bashi is the pseudonym for violin virtuoso K Ishibashi. Having recorded, toured, and collaborated with diverse artists such as Regina Spektor, Sondre Lerche, and of Montreal, Kishi Bashi released his first full-length album 151a via Joyful Noise in 2012, which received high praise and the title of NPR’s “Best New Artist Of The Year”. K’s follow-up album Lighght expanded his palette to include more diverse and nuanced instrumentation, flirting with Eastern-tinged arrangements, Philip Glass inspired improvisations, and 70s prog.
Kishi Bashi’s third studio album, Sonderlust, is an album forged through heartbreak. After his two previous albums, Kishi Bashi was at a musical impasse. “As I sat down to write songs last summer, I went to all my usual conduits of creation: violin loops, guitar, piano, and I came up with the musical equivalent of fumes”, says K Ishibashi. “I tried to create orchestral pop recordings that I assumed were my forte, and in turn I found myself standing in front of a creative wall of frightening heights.”
At this very same moment of musical uncertainty, K’s personal life was falling apart… He and his wife of 13 years had briefly separated and were struggling to keep their marriage together. In his own words, “Touring and its accompanying lifestyle took a heavy toll on my soul and my family”. As an outlet, K submerged himself in a new musical direction. “Sonderlust” emerged as a direct result of this personal struggle taking place at an artistic crossroads.
With the help of producer Chris Taylor (Grizzly Bear), engineer Pat Dillet (Angelique Kidjo, David Byrne) and drummer Matt Chamberlain (Morrissey, Fiona Apple, of Montreal), Kishi Bashi has created his most personal and artistically adventurous work to date. “This album is straight from my soul. I questioned everything about what it means to love and desire. The difference between loving someone and being in love.”
Joining Kishi Bashi is musical counterpart Mike Savino who tours under the moniker Tall Tall Trees, and is currently supporting his new album, Freedays. The banjo-wielding bard has reshaped the landscape of what is possible with the instrument. On stage and in studio, Savino breaks down the banjo into its most basic iteration, reminding audiences that the banjo is, at root, a drum. Coupled with his mastery of electronic effects, loops, toy ray guns, and heaps of spontaneous creativity, Tall Tall Trees has been encapsulating audience members worldwide with his mystifying solo shows, as well as playing alongside fellow innovator Kishi Bashi.
