Bhi Bhiman
A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject. (December 2016) |
Bhi Bhiman | |
---|---|
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | |
Origin | Santa Cruz, California, U.S. |
Genres | Folk rock, folk, rock, soul |
Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
Instrument(s) | Acoustic guitar, electric guitar, vocals |
Years active | 2002–present |
Labels | Boocoo Music, Tummy Touch |
Formerly of | Hippie Grenade |
Website | BhiBhiman.com |
Bhi Bhiman is an American singer-songwriter.
In 2016, Bhiman contributed the song "With Love from Russia" to Dave Eggers' 30 Days 30 Songs project. It was the third song released in the series, which raised funds for democratic causes ahead of the 2016 U.S. Elections.[16]
In 2018, The Wall Street Journal announced that Bhiman's latest album, Peace of Mind would be released as a podcast on the Critical Frequency network. Each episode will revolve around a song and its political theme and will include conversations w/ notable guests like Reza Aslan, Dave Eggers, LaDoris Cordell, Gaby Moreno, and attorneys from the ACLU. The podcast will launch January 18, 2019.[17]
Starting in March 2020, Bhiman's cover of the Dire Straits song "Walk Of Life" was used in the Comcast Xfinity ad "Working A Little Differently", which was produced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Early life and education
Bhi Ramesvara Bhiman was born and raised in
When Bhiman was 13, an injury during a baseball tournament in
Music career
Early years and Bhiman (2002–2012)
Bhiman formed the band Hippie Grenade in 2002[22] with Chris Thalmann and Steven Reilly while still attending school in Santa Cruz. With Bhiman as main songwriter and lyricist, after playing primarily at Santa Cruz house parties the band went through several lineup changes. Hippie Grenade later moved to San Francisco to pursue music as a career.[21] Bhiman's debut solo album Cookbook came out in December 2007 through Hinju Records,[11] and the following year he left Hippie Grenade to focus on his solo career.[23]
In 2011, he began work on what would be his first nationally distributed album. The bulk of the record was tracked at
EP and touring (2013–2014)
In November 2012, Bhiman performed on Later... with Jools Holland on the BBC.[6] While on the show he met the band Soundgarden, and was subsequently asked to open Chris Cornell's 2013 North American tour. For the tour's seven weeks, Bhiman and Cornell performed the songs "Hunger Strike" by Temple of the Dog and Audioslave's "Like a Stone" together.[7] He participated in a tribute concert to Prince on March 8, 2013, at Carnegie Hall, alongside artists such as Elvis Costello and D'Angelo. He performed an acoustic version of "When Doves Cry",[8] with the rendition praised as a concert highlight by Rolling Stone[27] and Entertainment Weekly, with the latter writing that Bhiman "transformed “When Doves Cry" into a foreboding murder ballad. In spinning the song in a different direction, Bhiman made a song everybody knew backwards into a wholly new thing."[9]
After starting the project in 2012,
Rhythm and Reason (2015)
External videos | |
---|---|
Bhi Bhiman feat. Rhiannon Giddens "Up in Arms" Music Video (July 6, 2015) |
The lead single for his third full-length solo album, "Moving to Brussels", was released through Speakeasy on March 24, 2015.[32] According to Bhiman, the track had been written while on tour in Belgium with Rosanne Cash, and he described it as "an immigrant's story described as a love song."[33] He was interviewed on air by NPR about his upcoming album Rhythm & Reason on May 15, 2015,[34] with the album released through his own imprint BooCoo Music on May 18, 2015, in conjunction with the Thirty Tigers label.[32]
Style and influences
According to The Guardian, Bhiman's songs "pair tuneful, sturdy, all-American melodies with often bleak and humorous lyrics."[15] Bhiman's voice and songwriting have been favorably compared to folk and country artists such as Nina Simone, Woody Guthrie,[26][36] Bill Withers, Randy Newman, and John Prine among others.[12] Bhiman has cited diverse artists and genres as influences on his sound, including folk and hard rock. He has cited guitarist and songwriter Kim Thayil as a particularly important musical influence.[37]
Discography
Solo albums
Year | Album title | Release details | Chart peaks[5] | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
US
Heat |
US
Folk | ||||
2007 | Cookbook |
|
— | — | |
2012 | Bhiman |
|
28 | 15 | |
2015 | Rhythm & Reason |
|
— | — | |
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |
EPs
Year | Album title | Release details |
---|---|---|
2013 | Substitute Preacher – Covers EP |
|
Singles
Year | Title | Album | Release details |
---|---|---|---|
2015 | "Up In Arms" (feat. Rhiannon Giddens) |
Rhythm & Reason | BooCoo Records (July 6, 2015)[38] |
"Moving to Brussels (Sub Commander Remix)" (ft. John Dragonetti) |
Single only | BooCoo Records (July 6, 2015)[38] | |
2016 | "With Love from Russia" | 30 Days, 30 Songs |
Self-released (October 14, 2016)[39] |
2017 | "(What's so Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, And Understanding" | 1,000 Days, 1,000 Songs | Self-released (January 25, 2017)[40] |
See also
References
- ^ a b Christgau, Robert (January 24, 2012). "Bhi Bhiman: Penetrating Melodies, Striking Vocals". All Things Considered. National Public Radio. Retrieved January 25, 2012.
- ^ "Bio". Shore Fire. February 26, 1997. Retrieved January 25, 2012.
- ^ "Bhi Bhiman's Cross-Cultural Folk Music Creating Local Following | San Jose Beez". Sjbeez.org. November 19, 2010. Archived from the original on November 26, 2010. Retrieved January 25, 2012.
- ^ "Bhi Bhiman, SF's Most Exciting New Songwriter, Talks American Idol And The Perils Of Being The Sri Lankan Woody Guthrie (VIDEOS)". Huffington Post. February 17, 2012. Retrieved February 17, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e "Bhi Bhiman Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
- ^ a b c "Episode 65: Keegan-Michael Key with Bhi Bhiman (Part One)". Wits. American Public Media Presents. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
- ^ a b "Chris Cornell + Bhi Bhiman @ Orpheum Theatre – October 23rd 2013". ConcertAddicts. October 23, 2013. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
- ^ a b Asward, Jem (March 8, 2013). "Prince Gets Royal Treatment at Carnegie Hall: D'Angelo, Elvis Costello, Bettye Lavette Light Up All-Star Tribute Concert". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
- ^ a b Anderson, Kyle (March 8, 2013). "D'Angelo, Elvis Costello, Chris Rock, the Roots pay tribute to Prince at Carnegie Hall". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
- ^ a b c d "Bhi Bhiman". iTunes. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
- ^ a b c d "Bhi Bhiman Discography". Discogs. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
- ^ Allmusic. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
- ^ a b Horowitz, Hal (May 19, 2015). "Rhythm & Reason". American Songwriter. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
- ^ a b
Carroll, Jim (June 26, 2015). "Bhi Bhiman: Rhythm & Reason Album Review". Irish Times. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
- ^ a b c d Denselow, Robin (May 28, 2015). "Bhi Bhiman: Rhythm & Reason review – Tamil-tinged Americana with guts and smarts". The Guardian. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
- ^ "Musicians Unite Against Trump For "30 Days, 30 Songs" Project". The FADER. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
- ^ Steele, Anne (December 8, 2018). "The New Concept Album Is a Podcast". Wall Street Journal.
- ^ a b c Kasten, Roy (March 20, 2012). "Talking St. Louis, Baseball, Country Blues and Crooning With Bhi Bhiman". Riverfront Times. St. Louis, MO. Archived from the original on February 24, 2013. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
- ^ a b Conner, Thomas (January 27, 2012). "Music review: Bhi Bhiman, 'Bhiman'". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on March 13, 2013. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
- ^ Mitchell, Cutter (February 18, 2012). "A Peak Behind the Artistic Curtain with Bhi Bhiman". Be Cool. Be Positive. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
- ^ a b "Hippie Grenade". SFStation. Retrieved October 5, 2015.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Vigil, Delfin (September 26, 2007). "Bandwidth: Bhi Bhiman". SFGate. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
- ^ Alexandra, Rae (February 15, 2012). "Finding worldly humor and compassion in the songs of S.F.'s Bhi Bhiman". SF Weekly. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
- ^ Bell, Chris (April 4, 2012). "Bhi Bhiman – Bhiman Review". Earbuddy. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
- ^ Caramanica, Jon (February 3, 2012). "Genre or Post-Genre, It's a Singer's World". The New York Times. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
- ^ a b Bill Friskics-Warren (January 23, 2012). "Bhi Bhiman displays mordant humor in 'Bhiman'". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 25, 2012.
- ^ Rhys, Dan (March 7, 2013). "The Roots Steer Prince Tribute Warm-Up at City Winery in New York". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
- ^ "Episode 6: Antibalas, IROK, Bhi Bhiman". John Kennedy's Xposure Podcast. December 12, 2012. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
- ^ "Bhi Bhiman – Walk of Life (Dire Straits Cover)". YouTube. May 13, 2013. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
- ^ "Soundgarden feat. Bhi Bhiman, "Superunknown"". YouTube. August 25, 2014. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
- ^ Coughlan, Jamie (July 10, 2015). "Kim Thayil Talks With Bhi Bhiman For The Talkhouse Podcast". Overblown.co.uk. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
- ^ a b "Bhi Bhiman Sends Dictators a 'Dear John' Letter on 'Moving to Brussels' (Exclusive Song)". The Wall Street Journal. March 24, 2015. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
- ^ "Moving to Brussels". Facebook: Bhi Bhiman. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
- ^ Simon, Scott (May 16, 2015). "In 'Rhythm,' Bhi Bhiman's Music Isn't Limited By National Borders". NPR. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
- ^ "Bhi Bhiman feat. Keegan-Michael Key – Moving to Brussels". YouTube: Bhi Bhiman. May 17, 2015. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
- ^ Arts and Culture (December 11, 2011). "Bhi Bhiman | San Francisco Bay Area News – Crosscurrents from KALW". Kalwnews.org. Archived from the original on January 20, 2012. Retrieved January 25, 2012.
- ^ DJ Drrrty Poonjabi (April 1, 2012). "Let it Bhi (Part II)". Speia Mutiny. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
- ^ a b "Bhi Bhiman Discography and Release Notes". Bandcamp. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
- ^ "With Love from Russia (30 Days, 30 Songs) – Single by Bhi Bhiman on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "(What's so Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, And Understanding (1,000 Days, 1,000 Songs) – Single by Bhi Bhiman on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
External links
- Official website
- Bhi Bhiman on Bandcamp
- Bhi Bhiman on SoundCloud
- Bhi Bhiman at AllMusic
- Bhi Bhiman at Discogs
- "Bandwidth: Bhi Bhiman". SFGate. September 26, 2007.
- "Bhi Bhiman: Penetrating Melodies, Striking Vocals". National Public Radio. January 24, 2012.
- "Episode 65: Keegan-Michael Key with Bhi Bhiman (Part One)". Wits. American Public Media Presents. 2012.
- "Bhi Bhiman Sends Dictators a 'Dear John' Letter on 'Moving to Brussels' (Exclusive Song)". The Wall Street Journal. March 24, 2015.
- "In 'Rhythm,' Bhi Bhiman's Music Isn't Limited By National Borders". NPR. May 16, 2015.
- "Bhi Bhiman: Rhythm & Reason Album Review". Irish Times. June 26, 2015.
- "Kim Thayil Talks With Bhi Bhiman For The Talkhouse Podcast". Overblown.co.uk. July 10, 2015.