...Introducing Kevin Kmetz On The Shamisen

[Mulboyne]

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Star Wars theme.

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Star Spangled Banner

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Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog"

More Kevin Kmetz shamisen here. He plays in the band God of Shamisen "from Santa Cruz, Calif., led by a master of the Shamisen...The band involves elements spanning a multitude of genres, including progressive rock, metal, and funk." Kmetz also appears in a film called The Birth of California Shamisen. There are a few clips online where he comes across as a decent bloke.

[Charles]

More Kevin Kmetz shamisen here. He plays in the band [SIZE="5"]God of Shamisen[/SIZE] "from Santa Cruz, Calif., led by a master of the Shamisen...The band involves elements spanning a multitude of genres, including progressive rock, metal, and funk." Kmetz also appears in a film called The Birth of California Shamisen. There are a few clips online where he comes across as a decent bloke.

He's just daring the real God of Shamisen to smite him.

[Mulboyne]

[AssKissinger]

Those are some seriously mediocre renditions.

[American Oyaji]

That's pretty damn good considering the lack of frets and considering only 3 strings. During the Star Wars piece I liked how he had a sub rythm going.

I'm going to have to look into this cat.

[Charles]

That's pretty damn good considering the lack of frets and considering only 3 strings.

You obviously never heard Frank Zappa playing his legendary "fretless Strat."

[AssKissinger]

None of the instruments used to make the original Star Wars score have frets.

[American Oyaji]

Charles, I have Zappa on my iPod. Been listening to his stuff my whole life. However,

That's pretty damn good considering the lack of frets and considering only 3 strings.

AK, you'd have a good point if it weren't for the fact that Star Wars was recorded with a whole orchestra.

[Charles]

Charles, I have Zappa on my iPod. Been listening to his stuff my whole life..

Okay, well did you know FZ played a fretless Stratocaster? Go listen to the fretless Strat guitar solo on "The Torture Never Stops" from Zoot Allures. Then let me know if you still think Mr. Shamisen is doing pretty good despite the lack of frets.

[American Oyaji]

Okay, well did you know FZ played a fretless Stratocaster? Go listen to the fretless Strat guitar solo on "The Torture Never Stops" from Zoot Allures. Then let me know if you still think Mr. Shamisen is doing pretty good despite the lack of frets.

I will confess my ignorance of his playing a fretless Strat.

I still think he's doing pretty good, but comparing him to Frank Zappa is doing Zappa an injustice. Not even the same league let alone the same game.

That's like comparing Britney Spears to Barbara Streisand.

[Charles]

I will confess my ignorance of his playing a fretless Strat..

Yeah, it's legendary. Nobody can play like that, so I guess it is an unfair comparison. But damn, it's interesting what you can do with a fretless instrument. There are other related instruments like the Chapman Stick, there aren't many people who can play it.

I found some recent karaoke on YouTube with some woman shamisen player, backed by a 50 shamisen orchestra, I'll have to dig it up, it's pretty amazing. You want to hear the voice of the god of shamisen, listen to it at 50x..

[Guranto]

Kevin Kmetz is an amazing musician, and frequently performs with the likes of Nitta Masahiro, and Akihito Narumi, and is well known and respected in Japan. He is bringing a new world of Shamisen music to Japan, and is amazing the Shamisen community his original American style.
It seems to me that most of you who are being critical, probably haven't played a Shamisen, or even regularly listen to the traditional style.
Being a shamisen player myself, and having gone to Japan, studied there under three different masters, having competed in the all-Japan national tournament, having professionally performed with him, and hold him as a personal friend, I can tell you that he is a modern master, and that it is an extremely hard instrument to play, let alone pluck out Bach's fugue in D minor.
If you knew what you were talking about, I probably wouldn't be here, having to tell you this.


ps: Frank Zappa is a badass. We shouldn't even be comparing Shamisen music to Frank Zappa.

[Mulboyne]

Thanks for your comment Guranto. Kevin seems like a very talented guy but obviously, not everyone will connect with him in the same way that not every guitar lover can enjoy Paco de Lucía and Jimmy Page at the same time. If you have any information about Kevin: upcoming live perfomances, photos, biography etc then please feel free to post it here and maybe some people who wouldn't usually come across him can learn some more about him.