Today we’d like to introduce you to Patrick Shiroishi.
Patrick, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
My earliest experiences with music was in the womb, my mother would play classical music and often sing to me and have music going on when I was young. When I was five, my parents started me in piano lessons, and that jump-started my love for music, and I went on picking up the saxophone in middle school and classical guitar in college. Fast forward to present day, I play and read about music more than I ever did, have met so many amazing human beings from around the world by sharing bills/collaborating with, and have been lucky to have released my own music on various labels located in America, London, Ireland, Poland, Denmark & France.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I am a multi-instrumentalist who focuses primarily on works with the saxophone. I have several collaborations and groups with other extremely talented musicians and artists that focus on different things depending on the project: some have the primary focus of writing challenging music that progresses over the duration of the piece, others try to bring out different timbres that are not common in some instruments.
with my solo work, I have been trying to express personal experiences as well as the experiences that my family, especially my grandparents, have gone through.
My grandparents on my father’s side of the family actually met at Tule Lake when they were being held in concentration camps during World War II. Growing up there wasn’t really much information about this, save for a paragraph in my high school history book. When I asked my grandmother what had happened and what she experienced, she completely shut down and avoided the question. She was a very cheerful, bright person and when I saw how much she did not want to relive or pass that weight down to me, it broke my heart. I never was able to bring up that question again before she passed away, but that moment has influenced a lot of my work. I hope that I can translate that through my music, even if it makes just one person investigate a little further on what took place or realize that an event like the camps is again a possibility under the current administration. I want to raise awareness and help to keep that from happening again.
Have things improved for artists? What should cities do to empower artists?
I think conditions for artists are pretty tough, especially if they want to make a living off of what they do, be it painting, creative writing, music, etc. I know a lot of talented musicians who have to work multiple jobs to be able to support their creative side or are in debt when they honestly shouldn’t be. On top of that, certain opportunities that are given to men are often not given to women, creating an even harder situation for them to thrive and succeed in.
one positive thing that has gotten easier in present times is to be able to share your art with anyone anywhere or collaborate with people across the globe on the same project.
There have been the closure of a lot of art spaces that are vital, some to build new parking garages or loft spaces. For a musician, a place to be able to perform at is one of the most important things. Supporting spaces that allow for that and even offering grants to resident artists would be incredibly helpful to the longevity and progression of the arts.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
I am lucky to play around locally quite often, typically around the Los Angeles area. People can purchase CDs and cassettes through the labels that I’ve worked with as well as my Bandcamp page. I realize that everyone’s time is precious, so anything taking the time to listen to any of my work means a lot!!
Contact Info:
- Website: patrickshiroishi.com
- Email: takashiroishi@gmail.com
- Instagram: takashiroishi
- Other: patrickshiroishi.bandcamp.com
Image Credit:
Felix Salazar
Lou Mendoza
Andrea Calderon
Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
