Michael Gira
Michael Gira | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Michael Rolfe Gira |
Born | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | February 19, 1954
Genres | |
Occupations |
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Instruments |
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Years active | 1979–present |
Labels | |
Member of | Swans |
Formerly of |
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Website | younggodrecords |
Michael Rolfe Gira (/dʒəˈrɑː/;[6] born February 19, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, author and artist. Now based in New Mexico,[7][8] he founded the band Swans, in which he sings and plays guitar, in New York City in the 1980s at the height of the no wave movement. He is also the founder of Young God Records and previously fronted Angels of Light.
Biography
Early life
Michael Rolfe Gira was born February 19, 1954, in Los Angeles, California[9] to Alice (née Shulte), originally from Iowa, and Robert Pierre Gira. His mother was an alcoholic, and Gira spent much of his early life caring for his younger brother.[10] Gira has commented that his parents were "not around much" during his early childhood.[10]
As an adolescent, Gira was arrested in California several times for
Returning to California around age seventeen, Gira worked at a bakery on
Swans
Initially, Swans' focus was raw rhythm and abrasive textures, usually eschewing melody for visceral power, becoming known for their abrasive
The band's lineup and sound evolved over time, and their music became somewhat more conventional. A marked shift in Swans' music came with inclusion of Gira's partner, Jarboe, who added her ethereal voice and synthesizers to the group in 1985. Gira and Swans spent the next twelve years releasing studio, live, and side-project albums. Gira's frustration with various record labels grew over time, and he disbanded Swans in 1997.
However, in 2010, Gira decided to revive the band, with members new and old. They released a new album titled
Solo career and Angels of Light
After dissolving Swans in 1997 Gira released a solo album under his own name and began a new musical direction with Angels of Light, which are a quieter, more acoustic-based group than Swans.
Gira also spent time experimenting with soundscapes, found sound, and loops with The Body Lovers / The Body Haters project. He has also released several albums under his own name including Drainland (1995), a spoken word album called The Somniloquist (2000), and What We Did (2001), a collaboration with Windsor for the Derby's frontman Dan Matz.
Gira founded his own record label, Young God Records, which has released albums from such artists as Devendra Banhart, Mi and L'au, and Akron/Family as well as Swans, The Angels of Light and The Body Lovers' back catalogues.
Akron/Family served as Gira's backing band during the recording of and touring for The Angels of Light's 2005 album, The Angels of Light Sing 'Other People'.
Gira has spoken of his decision to shift his focus from The Angels of Light back to Swans as a move based on impassivity. He has stated, "I had been doing this band Angels of Light for thirteen years, and had reached a kind of impassivity with that, sorta like I had reached an impassivity with Swans when I initially stopped it."[19]
Writings
Gira's first short story collection The Consumer (
In February 2018, Gira released his second short story collection, The Egg. Limited to 2,500 hand-signed copies, The Egg compiles seventeen stories written over 2016. Included with the release is a disc containing narrations of a handful of stories from The Egg as well as a few from The Consumer.[21]
In May 2022, Gira released a collection of Swans lyrics, stories, and journals titled The Knot, in a collector's edition of 3,000 hand-numbered copies. The Knot is 408 pages long, and additionally contains 101 color images. The Knot contains all of the lyrics from the first
Personal life
Gira dated pop singer Madonna before she was famous.[23]
Gira lists his favorite albums as
Gira has a son named Swan according to Children of God album cover photographer Laura Levine.[26]
Equipment
Michael Gira is known for using a
Discography
Solo albums
- Drainland (1995)
- Solo Recordings at Home (2001)
- I Am Singing to You from My Room (2004)
- I Am Not Insane (2010)
- The Egg: Stories by Michael Gira (2018)
Collaborations
- Hard Rock (1984) – with Lydia Lunch
- A Diamond Hidden in the Mouth of a Corpse (1985) – with various artists
- Offenbarung und Untergang by Georg Trakl (1999) – with Étant Donnés
- What We Did (2001) – with Dan Matz
- Gantse Mishpuchah Music in Three Parts (2004) – with David Coulter, Jean-Marie Mathoul & Charlemagne Palestine
Live albums
- Jarboe Emergency Medical Fund (1999)
- The Somniloquist (2000)
- Living '02 (2002)
Compilations
- Songs for a Dog (1999)
- The Milk of M. Gira: Selected Solo Home Recordings 2001–2010 (2011)
- I Am Not This (2016)
With Swans
- Filth (1983)
- Cop (1984)
- Greed (1986)
- Holy Money (1986)
- Children of God (1987)
- The Burning World (1989)
- White Light from the Mouth of Infinity (1991)
- Love of Life (1992)
- The Great Annihilator (1995)
- Soundtracks for the Blind (1996)
- My Father Will Guide Me up a Rope to the Sky (2010)
- The Seer (2012)
- To Be Kind (2014)
- The Glowing Man (2016)
- Leaving Meaning (2019)
- The Beggar (2023)
With Angels of Light
- New Mother (1999)
- How I Loved You (2001)
- Everything Is Good Here/Please Come Home (2003)
- The Angels of Light Sing 'Other People' (2005)
- Akron/Family & Angels of Light (2005) – with Akron/Family
- We Are Him (2007)
With
- Shame, Humility, Revenge (1988)
- Ten Songs for Another World (1990)
References
- ^ Far Out. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
- ^ Essner, Dean (August 26, 2014). "Cold Specks – Neuroplasticity". Consequence. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
- ^ "Listen to Swans frontman Michael Gira's guest mix on BBC 6 Music". Fact. March 13, 2015. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
- ^ a b Stosuy, Brandon (May 8, 2014). "Interviews: Swans". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
- ^ Nasrallah, Dimitri (October 24, 2010). "Michael Gira: From Uncompromising Swans to Ethereal Angels of Light". Exclaim!. Retrieved July 27, 2015.
- ^ "Spinning on Air: The Angels of Light". WNYC. New York Public Radio. October 23, 2005. Retrieved March 13, 2011.
- ^ "Interview: Michael Gira of Swans". Spectrum Culture. August 31, 2016. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
- ^ "The Beggar". Young God Records. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
- ^ "The Birth of Michael Rolfe Gira". California Birth Index. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Lipez, Zachary (August 22, 2014). "In Search of the Real Michael Gira, From Prison Stays and Madonna Sightings to Swans' Second Coming". Self-Titled. Archived from the original on March 24, 2019. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
- ^ Gladstone, Neil (April 23, 2001). "Angels of Light | Press Clippings | Series 1". CMJ New Music Report. Young God Records. Archived from the original on August 27, 2013. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
- ^ Pattison, Louis (October 19, 2010). "Waxing lyrical: Swans' Michael Gira on his love of words". The Guardian. Retrieved April 21, 2011.
- ^ Clark, Jeff. "Swans – Interview/Stomp and Stammer". swans.pair.com. Archived from the original on November 28, 2012.
- ^ Ratliff, Ben (September 3, 2010). "Michael Gira and Swans Re-Form for Tour". The New York Times. Retrieved July 7, 2010.
- ^ Green, Jim (February 16, 2005). "Circus Mort". Trouser Press. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
- ^ Grow, Kory (May 26, 2015). "Why Swans Whipped Sheet Metal and Licked CBGB's Floor to Make 'Filth'". Rolling Stone.
- ^ "Swans Announce New Album 'Leaving Meaning,' Release "It's Coming It's Real"". Spin. September 5, 2019. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
- ^ Van Isacker, Bernard (March 22, 2023). "Swans announce 16th album 'The Beggar' and 2023 world tour". Side-Line Magazine. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
- ^ "Michael Gira". Crasier Frane. October 20, 2010. Archived from the original on September 6, 2013.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Bortle, Jordon Leigh (April 1, 2001). "Michael Gira: The Consumer And Other Stories". Spike Magazine. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
- ^ Gira, Michael. "The Egg: Stories by Michael Gira". younggodrecords.com. Young God Records. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
- ^ "Michael Gira • The Knot: Complete Words for Music, Collected Stories and Journals". Young God Records. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
- ^ Joseph, Dan (September 4, 2018). "Nick Soulsby's Swans: Sacrifice And Transcendence, The Oral History". The Brooklyn Rail. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
- ^ "Swans' Michael Gira names his favourite albums". Far Out Magazine. December 12, 2022. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
- ^ "Bleak Psychedelia: Michael Gira Of Swans' Favourite Albums". The Quietus. November 13, 2012. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
- ^ "Cool Customers « Mystery Spot Vintage". Laura Levine. October 31, 2010. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
Further reading
- Neal, Charles, ed. (1987). Tape Delay: Confessions from the Eighties Underground. SAF Publishing Ltd. pp. 93–103. ISBN 978-0-946719-02-0– via the Internet Archive.