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DSP Shows presents Kishi Bashi live in Asbury Hall w/ special guest Oshima Brothers7pm Doors, 8pm Show
Tickets: General Admission Standing: $28 advance / $32 day of show, available at TixR.com or in person at the Babeville Box Office (M-F 11a-5p- in person fee free cash sales, 3% credit/debit card fee).
The latest full-length from Kishi Bashi, Kantos is a work of exquisite duality: a party album about the possible end of humanity as we know it, at turns deeply unsettling and sublimely joyful. In a sonic departure from the symphonic folk of his critically lauded 2019 LP Omoiyari—a career-defining body of work born from his intensive meditation on the mass incarceration of Japanese-Americans during World War II—the Seattle-born singer/songwriter/producer’s fifth studio album encompasses everything from Brazilian jazz and ’70s funk to orchestral rock and city pop (a Japanese genre that peaked in the mid-’80s). Informed by an equally kaleidoscopic mix of inspirations—the cult-classic sci-fi novel series Hyperion Cantos, the writings of 18th century enlightenment philosopher Immanuel Kant, a revelatory trip to ancient ruins on the island of Crete—Kantos ultimately serves as an unbridled exaltation of the human spirit and all its wild complexities.
During the earliest stages of creating songs for the album, Ishibashi’s main intent was to return to his highly eclectic musical roots, in part by tapping into his jazz background and by delving into the dance-rock-leaning sensibilities he previously embraced as co-founder of Brooklyn-bred indie band Jupiter One. But not too long into the songwriting process, he stumbled upon an AI-equipped website capable of composing catchy song hooks based on a prompt—a turn of events that quickly catalyzed the existential inquiry at the heart of Kantos.
Although his ruminations on AI, transhumanism, and humanity’s troubled fate indelibly guided the making of Kantos, Ishibashi nonetheless views the album as “less of a warning about this kind of hubris but more a celebration of the very characteristics that make us human: desire, passion, empathy, and love.” “If there’s anything I want people to come away with when they hear this record, it’s a feeling of excitement about the possibilities of human-created art,” he says. “Even as we’re learning more about all the amazing things AI can do, I think humans will always be one step ahead in terms of our creativity and innovation. There’s still no limit to what we have to offer.”
“Kishi Bashi is bridging the divide between classical and mainstream music…and making it wonderfully accessible.”
-NPR
“Through loops, eight-bits and inventive arrangements, he’s made a critical addition to his work that
may inspire awe even in the most ambivalent.”
-The New York Times
“Kaoru Ishibashi, best known as Kishi Bashi, has fashioned a successful career playing jubilant
chamber pop with an infusion of electronic music. A multi-instrumentalist whose primary vehicles are
voice and violin, his music blooms with technical proficiency and infectious exuberance. Feeling
down? Listen to any of his five full-length albums…and soon the blues flee.”
-The Wall Street Journal
Oshima Brothers open the show!
Oshima Brothers, a Japanese-Italian alt-pop sibling duo from the coast of Maine, make open hearted music with smooth blood harmonies and groovy guitar lines. On stage, Sean and Jamie offer keys, bass, drums, looping, dance moves, and magic. Offstage, the brothers enjoy sipping espresso, tinkering with guitar pedals, hosting dinner parties, and writing together in their spare bedroom studio. Embracing a DIY approach, they produce every inch of their songs and videos from scratch, including a 45-minute album film. Maine Public Radio says their “harmonies can’t be beat. They are uplifting and, let’s face it, we need uplifting these days.”
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Asbury Hall, 341 Delaware ave,Buffalo, New York, United States
Tickets
