On The Records: Kishi Bashi

Hi Mr. Ishibashi, how are you? How’s your day so far?
Fine, thank you. I just ate great Korean food two days in a row and I’m feeling very content.

You have been touring recently, how was the experience?
I’ve been touring non-stop for the last three months. It’s very exciting, kind of akin to having a birthday party every day for 30 days straight.

Was it kind of nervous when you about to perform as solo artist on the stage for the first time?
The first time was extremely nervous. I’m never fearful of performing, but I do have anxiety when I’m unprepared. A couple of drinks usually takes that part away.  

Can you tell me a little bit about what you were like when you were kids? What did you like to spend your time doing and thinking about?
I was a quiet kid. I was also very inquisitive about everything.  Music never really dominated my psyche until I was in high school, when I got into chamber music. I remember being very excited about playing certain violin and orchestral pieces.  
 
How do you think your childhood has shaped your music? Do you think it would be different if you were grown up in Japan?
My parents were very supportive of me playing violin. It’s the only thing I really stuck to consistently, and it’s paid off (I think). It helped me to really involve myself with classical music from the inside out, which I think has a lot of bearing on my melodic sensibilities. I try to imagine what I would be like if I had grown up in Japan, and I every time I think that, I’m extremely glad that I hadn’t. There’s a negative premium attached to being individualistic and also to “show” your emotions. As a musician and performer, those are the characteristics that are absolutely necessary on stage and in the studio. I don’t think I would have been able to flourish as much as I have in the US.
 
When exactly you know you’re good at music and decide to pursue it?
I knew I loved music all my life, but I never thought I would pursue it as a career until I was faced with a very grave academic situation in college. I was rapidly flunking out of engineering school (Cornell), and I decided then and there that I would go to Berklee College of Music and study jazz violin and musical composition and make a career out of it. It was terrifying to dive into the unknown and unproven world of music, but it was the best decision I had ever made in my life.
 
How you describe your music to someone who hadn’t heard it?
Isn’t that your job? Just kidding 🙂  I always like to describe it as orchestral and somewhat experimental pop. There’s a lot of analog synths because I just love the sound of that.  
 
Which musicians and albums are you most inspired by?
I listen to a lot of music old and new, but I do remember being very excited by Beirut and Sufjan Stevens. My work with of Montreal has been a huge influence on my writing, especially concerning dense textures and vocal complexity. 
 

Tell me about your debut LP, how long it takes for you to finish the album?
I brought over two songs, “Manchester” and “Bright Whites” from a previously existing EP, but the bulk of it was composed in a couple of months, mixing was done in two weeks. 
 
How’s the creative process behind the songs? What’s the main theme?
I tried to keep the album positive and uplifting in general. I decided to not use any electric guitars or full drum sets. Instead I relied on percussion and the violin. Also acoustic guitars and analog synths were a theme.  
 
You’re known as multi-instrumentalist, why you decide to pick violin as your main weapon for 151a? What the first instrument you learn to play?
Violin has always been my first and most comfortable instrument. It is also my “professional” instrument, but for some odd reason, I never really wanted to use it for my own work.  I would really just want to play guitar or piano or sing, etc.  It wasn’t until I realized that I had something unique that I decided that I would do what I do for other people on myself. My debut album is the result of this experimentation. I basically hired myself to produce my album. 
 
Talking about the title of your album, 151a, I heard it’s like Japanese phrase, ichi go ichi e, would you mind to elaborate the meaning of that phrase?
Ichi go ichi e means “one time, one meeting” and is a very popular Japanese idea that expresses the ideal of sado, or the “way of the tea”.  It means to cherish this one time meeting (and can be extended to include performance) and its beauty, because it will never happen again in that same way. It came to me at a very good time, and it helps me to understand that my musical experimentations on stage and off stage in the studio, are unique to that one moment only, and to embrace it for all it’s worth. 
 
Do you have any other favorite Japanese phrase? Mine would be mono no aware, and I think your music is kinda describing the phrase, its jubilant and charming but also has certain kind of bittersweet on it, do you agree?
I would have to agree. The bittersweet comes from a darker side of me that I’ve suppressed for the most part in the creation of this album for consistency’s sake. I’m always aware of the idea of impermanence with art and music and life in general.
 

 
As a songwriter and musician, are you kind of hold back some of your ideas/fantasies for the song or just let it burst?
“Bursting” is my theme really for this entire album. When I was working on it, I oversaturated the productions with as many wild ideas I could, and then subtracted from that. Also, in writing songs, I would set 30 minute sessions where I would improvise something and create a loop, and then quickly do all I could to be inspired by it. I would quickly record it, and then move on to a new idea. I’d revisit them later to see if anything good actually came out of it.
 

On the side note, I once take a hallucinogenic trip and listen to your music while watching the artwork, the tiger and the girl is kinda moving around and the clouds or swirling pattern on it kinda move on their own. Who made that great artwork? 
You took mushrooms and stared at my cover? haha 🙂
My friend JLP had created the actual design of the girl (my daughter), and the tiger (my wife who was born in the year of the tiger). I like it alot, but it didn’t feel like the album to me. David Woodruff, another great designer who works for the label, traced it and turned it into a piece of art, which I’m very happy with.
 
How do you see life in general?
I am very positive, and I love the fact that the world is filled with such shiny toys. 
 
Do you feel any differences in life/music after you got married and have a daughter? Is your daughter listening to your music? What she say about it?
My daughter loves my music, and she’s my biggest fan. She’s sad when I have to go on tour, but she understands. Having a child can really take over your life, so it’s very difficult to create. I need a lot of idle time and a distractionless workspace in order to flourish. I can find this at night, so most of creation happens at night or during the day when she goes to school.
 
What are you doing beside music?
Hanging out with my family. it’s basically back and forth between those two. 

What do you hope for right now?
I hope that my album will continue to do well and I hope i’ll be able to come to southeast Asia sometime soon! 
 
Next project?
Another album, but I haven’t even thought about it. My album is doing well and the rest of my year is booked solid with shows. 
 
Is there any chance you come to Indonesia?
I hope so! My friend Sondre Lerche says he has big shows there, so I’m hoping that Indonesians will like me enough to invite me. 
 
Thank you so much for this interview, I’m sorry if some of the questions kinda boring and tedious. Thanks for your music as well, it’s a heaven on earth.
Thanks!

http://www.kishibashi.com/

Down to the Rabbit Hole, An Interview With Stars and Rabbit

Mendengarkan lagu Stars and Rabbit seperti membaca buku cerita yang tak ingin kamu letakkan sebelum selesai.

Saat tengah bersiap menyiapkan Radar 10 Local Music Heroes untuk Music Issue NYLON Indonesia tahun ini (April 2012), tentu saja kami sudah mempunyai bayangan siapa saja yang akan termasuk di dalamnya dan jujur saja salah satu yang paling pertama saya ingat adalah duo musisi Yogyakarta bernama Stars and Rabbit. Walaupun saya sudah mendengarkan beberapa lagu mereka sejak akhir tahun lalu dan ingin segera menulis tentang mereka, saya sengaja menyimpannya untuk edisi spesial musik ini, so, here it is.

Dijumpai di sebuah studio musik di bilangan Senopati, Stars and Rabbit yang terdiri dari gitaris dan arranger Adi Widodo dan Elda Suryani sebagai singer-songwriter baru saja menyelesaikan interview shoot untuk sebuah acara televisi, sebuah kegiatan yang tampaknya semakin lumrah bagi mereka belakangan ini. Memadukan vokal Elda yang unik dan kemampuannya menulis lirik imajinatif dengan musik gubahan Adi yang catchy, mereka tak hanya menjadi omongan di media musik dalam negeri, tapi juga sampai ke berbagai publikasi di Inggris, Italia hingga Islandia, walaupun mereka belum merilis album satu pun sampai saat ini.

Saat bertemu, mereka sedang membicarakan dialek daerah dari berbagai kota yang pernah mereka tinggali dengan bersemangat, terutama Elda yang sangat ekspresif saat menceritakan sesuatu. Elda yang baru sampai di Jakarta sehari sebelumnya terlihat ceria, walaupun mengaku dirinya baru saja sembuh dan mengalami kecelakaan kecil jatuh dari tangga. Jadwal Stars and Rabbit sendiri lumayan padat, menghabiskan satu hari di Jakarta untuk beberapa interview dan besoknya mereka langsung berangkat ke Bandung untuk sebuah gig. Anyway, pertanyaan pertama tentu saja bagaimana mereka bertemu. “I know him from my ex-boyfriend. They had a band. 6 or 7 years ago, dan kami berteman baik sejak itu. Tapi kami sempat hilang kontak dua tahun terakhir.” ungkap Elda. “Kalau aku sudah ngefans sama Elda sejak dia masih main di bandnya yang dulu, Candles. Dari dulu sebenarnya kami sering sharing masalah musik dan aku sempat beberapa kali bantuin beberapa project Elda, kami sempat lost contact cukup lama sampai akhirnya di pertengahan tahun 2011, Elda menghubungi aku buat project baru. Karena terlalu banyak rasanya hal-hal yang sayang untuk kami abaikan begitu saja, karena pemikiran dan visi yang sama, akhirnya kami melanjutkan project ‘Stars and Rabbit’ ini.” lanjut Adi. Walaupun saat itu mereka sudah memiliki beberapa lagu seperti “Like It Here”, “Rabbit Run” dan “Worth It”, nama band justru baru mereka pikirkan belakangan. Stars and Rabbit sendiri sebenarnya adalah nama akun personal twitter Elda, yang akhirnya dipilih karena dirasakan cocok untuk lagu mereka yang memang cenderung whimsical dan manis.

Bicara tentang musik mereka yang whimsical, hal itu tak lepas dari vokal Elda yang kerap dibilang mirip Joanna Newsom, Emiliana Torrini dan Cerys Matthews, namun gadis pengagum Jewel dan Vanessa Carlton ini mengaku jika cara bernyanyinya memang keluar begitu saja tanpa dibuat-buat, sama seperti lirik yang ia tulis. Walau tak bisa memainkan instrumen, jika mendapat inspirasi yang datangnya bisa dari mana saja, Elda akan mencoret-coret di buku doodling yang sering ia bawa, humming dan memetik senar gitar berdasarkan insting. Di saat itulah ia membutuhkan bantuan Adi yang akan menerjemahkan apa yang ada di pikiran Elda lewat musik. Proses bermusik yang berjalan dengan sangat natural untuk mereka. Lucunya, walau chemistry bermusik mereka sangat kuat, namun mereka mengaku jika sebenarnya mereka tidak terlalu nyambung kalau di luar musik. Untuk hang out pun mereka memiliki lingkup pertemanan masing-masing, walau tak bisa dipungkiri jika kedekatan keduanya memang terasa. “Dia itu sudah seperti kakak saya.” kata Adi sambil tersenyum, yang langsung disahuti oleh Elda, “Haha, kita kan cuma beda dua bulan padahal!”

Walaupun kini Adi menetap di Jakarta dan bekerja di sebuah Production House, sementara Elda masih menetap di Jogja sambil mengurusi toko handmade miliknya yang bernama Little Garage. Mereka mengungkapkan dengan yakin jika sampai kapanpun Jogja adalah rumah mereka, walaupun mereka sendiri bukan orang asli Jogja. “Tidak bisa diungkapkan dengan kata-kata, Jogja dikelilingi gunung, laut, bukit dan orangnya pembawaannya laid back semua. Padahal dulu sebelum pindah dari Surabaya, aku sempat menolak tinggal di Jogja, eh begitu sampai di sini jadi nggak mau kemana-mana rasanya,” ungkap Elda. “Tapi itu juga yang menjadi salah satu ‘bahaya’ tinggal di Jogja, saking nyamannya banyak yang nggak mau mengembangkan diri keluar. Seperti adegan orang-orang yang makan bunga lotus di kasino di film Percy Jackson.” Lanjut gadis yang kerap memakai topi-topi lucu saat manggung ini. “If you want to do something, you must act now. Nggak usah takut, karena semua pasti ada jalannya sendiri.” Tutupnya dengan senyum lebar.

As published on NYLON Indonesia April 2012

photo by Muhammad Asranur