SF product Bhi Bhiman packs The Independent for album release party

July 7, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Bhi BhimanBy Mike Rosati //

Bhi Bhiman with Ol Silver Tongue, Vikesh Kapoor //
The Independent – San Francisco
June 27th, 2015 //

Sri Lankan-American folk rocker Bhi Bhiman packed The Independent on a Saturday night for his Rhythm & Reason album release party last month. A native of St. Louis, Mo., Bhiman eventually migrated to Northern California to attend UC Santa Cruz before moving to SF to pursue music.

With his sidekicks — keyboardist Max Cowan, bassist Oscar Westesson and drummer Cairo McCockran — playing alongside him, Bhiman (guitar, vocals) performed a mix of both old and new songs for his adopted hometown crowd. There was even a special guest toward the end of the show as Joshua Boronkay of Oakland two-piece Ol Silver Tongue, which served as one of the evening’s two openers, joined the band for set closer “Guttersnipe”.

Setlist:
Out in the Streets
Color Pink
Eye on You
Waterboarded
Death Song
Up in Arms (solo)
Brussels
Bread & Butter
The Fool
Closer to Thee
Guttersnipe

Encore:
Crazy (Gnarls Barkley cover) (solo)

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Ásgeir’s ethereal falsetto, captivating songwriting melts ears

February 12, 2015 by Leave a Comment

ÁsgeirBy Diana Cordero //

Ásegir with Bhi Bhiman //
The Independent – San Francisco
February 9th, 2015 //

It was an intimate Monday night at The Independent with Icelandic singer-songwriter Ásgeir. His ethereal falsetto and captivating songwriting surely melted some ears. The singer performed in front of a mostly-seated crowd at the sold-out venue. His sound is also quite angelic — think a bit in the realm of Sigur Rós but with heavier troubadour tendencies.

But don’t let that description misguide you. Ásgeir’s sound is far from traditional folk, as he creates dreamy soundscapes using mainly electronic instruments played by himself and two of his friends. It’s been said that most of his lyrics have been written by his 72-year-old father (Ásegir is only a spry 23), which has been part of his big success in Iceland.

The surprise of the night came when he covered Nirvana’s “Heart Shaped Box”, giving the song a whole new meaning. Bay Area act Bhi Bhiman opened up the show.

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