Forgetting is Violent (Patrick Shiroishi) - Album of the Month
An exclusive interview with the prolific multi-instrumentalist composer discussing his latest LP
“it makes us feel like we’re not alone. And I think that’s important, especially in a time where it’s just so fucking grim, that we can support each other and be together, that there is hope in the future….”
“As time passes and genocide looms, Shiroishi’s music — insistent, liquid, organic — is but one source of hope.” — so says the album’s liner notes listed on Patrick’s Bandcamp page.
Every month I share with you an album that I’ve been listening to that I think of very, very highly and pair it with an exclusive interview —
This album — Forgetting is Violent — is Patrick’s latest LP, released on Chicago’s American Dreams Records. It’s heavy, perhaps his heaviest collection of works yet, and features a sensational cast of collaborators from across the musical spectrum — Aaron Turner (SUMAC, ISIS), Gemma Thompson (Savages), Faith Coloccia (Mamiffer), otay::onii (Elizabeth Colour Wheel), and Mat Ball (BIG|BRAVE).
Patrick was kind enough to share a moment with me discussing his inspirations behind the album and his creative practice.
Hi Patrick. It's a pleasure to welcome you to Sonic Tapestries. I've been immersed in the preview you shared a few weeks back of your new album - Forgetting Is Violent. It's such a hypnotic, truly absorbing work that creates such beautiful spaces — meandering somewhat off away from your previous releases. Can you tell us a little about the inspiration behind its conception?
thank you for having me & for taking the time to listen to this music. the seeds of the record were planted several years ago, I let them sit & develop over time, which in a way is different than how I typically make records. in the past, the music for an album comes all in a moment / a short burst of time (a week or two) or stems from a single idea. since this music didn't come in this way, I'd work on other records & then come back to it. so in a way it is a sum of a lot of different things I've been developing over the years. thematically, it wrestles with a more macro view of what I've been investigating with my family history: the whole continuing act of racism we see against people of color, as well as loss - a family member OD'ed right before I began the second suite…
This theme of family and loss — the album opens with To protect our family names — and features a subtle layering of a spoken word recording of Japanese woman. Is this an original field recording of your own? Who and what are we listening to?
it is a recording of a woman who survived the atomic bombing in Hiroshima & telling the story about that day... it's a devastating thing to hear. even if you don't know Japanese & can't understand what she is saying, you can hear what she means through her voice. it touches on the fact that we are all human, that no matter what language we speak, be it Japanese or English or Arabic or whatever, you can hear when someone is in pain. you can hear when someone is happy, that shit is all universal, you know? so to start off the record like that, not with a saxophone but a voice, it was an important & intentional decision.
“I want to say 95% of what I do, solo wise, is recorded on my own or at home. there's nothing particular that I need really & it all depends on the situation.”
This album features an incredible palette of soundscapes — sourced from a really diverse roster of musical friends and influences. How did you find working with in this way influenced your compositional approach?
the music started & developed more or less the same as I usually write - I didn't write the pieces with any other musicians in mind. the idea of having guests didn't come up until pretty late, when the music was almost fully completed. to be honest, it was a while ago & I don't remember what made me decide on having someone on a track... I think in very early iterations of the first suite I would end with this melodic loop & play one of MLK Jr.'s speeches on top of it. in a live setting it was cool, but I knew it wasn't something that would land on a record. eventually I decided on asking Aaron (Turner) to fill that space & thought it would be really sweet to also have Faith (Coloccia) a part as well. this is the first time having guests on a solo record of mine & something that I will continue in the future just based on this experience. everyone was true to themselves & did what they do best...& it 100% made the music better.
Could you shed a little light on your creative studio practice — are you attached to any particular hardware or software when composing and recording?
I want to say 95% of what I do, solo wise, is recorded on my own or at home. there's nothing particular that I need really & it all depends on the situation. for example, when I recorded "I was too young to hear silence," that was all just a zoom recorder with an extra mic connected to it. for this record, it was recorded mostly at home & a really nice reverberant room at my old job. software wise I've been using Logic for the past few years, it was a nice easy transition going from Garageband.
How much of a role does field recording take in your creative practice? Do you seek out particular sounds to work with or do you prefer to wander, record and find inspiration to work with these sounds once in the studio?
i'm not sure if it takes the driver's seat, or even the passenger seat for that matter, but I am always listening for sounds wherever I am. whether if I'm tour or with my family around town, the most interesting sounds could take place in a parking garage or right next to you. my wife got me a cool mic for my phone that I use most of the time, but sometimes if I'm worried the moment will pass by I'll just use voice memos on my phone. from there, it kinda all depends. sometimes you'll capture something & know it's special & needs to be used somehow. other times a track will be near completion & I'll remember a sound & it'll fit right in...you just never know. that's part of the beauty of music.
I've read that you have experimented deeply with using digital effects processing and pedals to push your sound — can you share with us some insight into any particular effects or models that have been really enlightening?
it's been quite the journey for me regarding effects/pedals & the saxophone. I'm not the most technically savvy person, probably why I mostly stick with acoustic instruments, but there was a learning curve for sure. some of the effects track differently with the saxophone than, lets say, the guitar. in a solo live setting, the DL4 (surprise surprise) is essential. I also love the PS-3 & this special distortion pedal that was made for myself & my bandmates in Upsilon Acrux. I'm getting a couple new pedals before the year ends & I'm excited to try them out and see what I can make of them!
This album feels less musical in a sense that it is guided by standard notation, keys, genres and rhythms. It feels ephemeral, displaced, existing somewhere out of time... what/who have been your greatest influence(s) in these explorations?
I listen to a lot of different kinds of music, discovering a new band or a new record is such an incredible feeling to me. I can't tell you what exactly I was listening to when writing this record as it took several years to make, but I can say that the seeds of the records were started when I was on tour with Godspeed You! Black Emperor & Sumac. I also, in a weird way, refer to this as my drone record. some inspirations (I don't know if they are "great influences," but their magic has definitely seeped into me) are Sarah Davachi, Sean McCann, SunnO))), Basinski, & of course, the great Pauline Oliveros.
“there are so many sounds that the saxophone is capable of & discovering/incorporating them has been part of the journey”
Do you have a particular non-musical practice that helps to put you into the creative mindset for writing or recording?
as I mentioned before, writing & recording for me comes in bursts. usually when the music comes, I'm pretty excited & it all follows suit (given that I have the time to do everything). there are times where it doesn't come & I'm lucky to have other improvisational groups & bands that are consistently writing together (Upsilon Acrux & Oort Smog), but to me those fall into different categories. I haven't been that inspired in my solo practice the past several months & started writing poetry, which has been both incredibly fulfilling & terrifying...I'm not the best with words. but I'm very grateful as it feels like I'm still being creative & not just sitting at home twiddling my thumbs.
As a sound recordist who has recently spent many sessions recording and building a library of sound effects focused on the breath and breathing, I was deeply drawn to one last walk with the wind of my past (my favourite track FYI) It feels almost as if there's a microphone sitting on your lips as you play! How did you achieve this sound and what inspired its inclusion in this track?
there are so many sounds that the saxophone is capable of & discovering/incorporating them has been part of the journey with the horn. i turned the sensitivity of the mic up & recorded various takes of blowing through the horn & flicking of the reed. I thought it would be a captivating way of starting the second suite, a way of asking the listener to be patient with me for the duration of the piece.
Do you have any other upcoming projects or collaborations you are working on or performances to look out for? What is the best way for folks to follow you?
I'm happy to be doing a few headlining shows for the record in October (on the west coast) & November (on the east coast). a band that I'm in called The Armed also just released our newest record "The Future is Here & Everything Needs to be Destroyed" & we'll be doing some west coast & mid west shows (we just completed the east coast) so really looking forward to that as well. the best way to follow me is via Instagram (@patrickshiroishi) & specifically bandcamp (for music releases) + my website (for tour dates).
if you got this far, thank you for reading & I hope you enjoy this record. if you can, take your first listen in one sitting, preferably with a whiskey or your favorite drink in hand.
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Thank you for being here with me.
Mat
🌻
Great stuff, thanks for highlighting. "I was too young to hear silence" was absolutely haunting and brilliant. Will check this out now!