Abakis
Port Townsend, WA | Established. Jan 01, 2013 | SELF
Music
Press
By: Mindie Lind
Born and bred in Virginia as the daughter of a jazz musician, Aba Kiser (Abakis) learned to sing Billie Holiday in her jammies! Leaving her family (and biggest musical influence) behind, Aba’s been hard traveling for a few years now, stretching her roots across the U.S., and periodically stopping in pockets of woodlands like Nevada City, CA and Port Townsend, WA. Now living in New York City, Abakis has returned to her East Coast roots with her debut album, I'm One Too.
With soulful powerhouse vocals, I'm One Too is a folk-pop dream come true, growing taller and taller with every track, becoming almost a piece of Byzantine architecture. From the buttress to the scaffolding, Abakis knows the scope of her sound; rootsy pop soaked in nuanced complexity.
The album won’t be here until November 2014, but we are excited to share the exclusive pre-release single, “Day Job”!
A new KITHFOLK favorite, “Day Job” immediately locks you in with its straight shooting folk riffs and immense intricacy; it’s Jangle Pop for the ages (think Lana Del Ray meets the Paisley Underground)! We like to imagine a possible music video of Abakis doing “The Twist” at a 1960’s pool party while singing the song’s hard hitting truths, “The world doesn’t come with whistles and bells…Oh Well”.
Check out what Aba Kiser has to say about the track and be sure to visit her website for a free download of “Day Job” by pre-ordering the album, I'm One Too.
“Day Job” according to Aba!
Written while working three day jobs and living in the basement of a Brooklyn Apartment, “Day Job” relates the trials of the daily wage-slave, facing the existential desire for a more fulfilled life. The song speaks of another economy, the economy of what brings meaning to our lives. It weaves in and out how money pits us against our own desires, until we listen to what we love and realize our true wealth. Within an economy of heart, humor, and passion…how rich are you? - Kithfolk Music Blog
A night of symphonic folk for inner space travels, New York’s Abakis make the internal external. Virginia-born singer Aba Kiser’s surrealistic pillows give voice to acoustic-based intimacies once confessed by space oddities such as Shirley Collins, Linda Perhacs and Vashti Bunyan — though she updates them for the modern age of melodic pluralism. It is a phantasmagoric pursuit and one well suited for her breathy lilts. Her recently released single, “Day Job,” from her upcoming debut album, “I’m One Too,” is an ingratiating fusion of jazz, pop and folk that reveals its numerous strengths with repeated listens. Abakis plays Sunday, Sept. 14, with Richmond’s Lili and the Dirty Moccasins, Paul Willson and Well Dressed Beast at Helen’s Restaurant. Doors open at 10 p.m. Free. helensrva.com. - Style Weekly, Richmond
Abakis, whose jazz vocals and witty, intense blues songs are one of the Northwest’s best kept secrets, will be supporting at the Palindrome. Check out every single one of her dynamic videos, from leading a full, funky band in New York City to playing solo at Joonior Studios Noise Cellar (below) then buy her latest album I’m One Too. - Sean Jewell
A few months back we at KITHFOLK premiered Abakis' first song “Day Job” from her upcoming album I'm One Too, and we’re excited to say that her full length album is here! With her album release party held at a church in New York City, and catered by friends, family, and local businesses who all received hand letter-pressed copies, the album's release was quite the underground roots project. But don't be fooled by Abakis' folky tendencies, I'm One Too, is anything but. With its intricately lush arrangements, 1960's harmonies, and nuanced jazz stylings, I'm One Too is a flawless nod to Baroque/ Orchestral pop that carries a kind of cultish modern style.The album's refreshingly non-guitar-heavy sound mixes perfectly with Abakis' booming and soulful voice and catchy hooks for a landscape that feels ungrounded, almost floating. I'm One Too takes its listeners far above the clouds to that special place where pop still feels fresh and new modern sounds become old classics! - Kith folk
Discography
I'm One Too
Photos
Bio
Abakis (a.k.a. Aba Kiser) creates collaborative music that bridges new and old worlds: a delicate blend of classic soul led by powerhouse vocals and Kottke-style fingerpicking guitar. Born and bred in Virginia where she learned to sing jazz in her father's restaurant, Aba migrated westward to find collaborators in the woodland pockets of Washington State. On her album "I'm One Too" (November 2014) the nuanced complexity of her raw folk songs have expanded to contain an entire orchestra. In 2016 Abakis was selected as a fellow of the Dosti Music Project, a collaborative music residency bringing together musicians from India, Pakistan and the United States. After a sojourn in Brooklyn and points east, Aba has returned to Washington state to make the northwest her home. Her band Abakis and Company now sways with soulful folk and country swing, blending these together with elements of jazz.
Band Members
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