Ye htike biography of michael

American singer and musician

Musical artist

Michael Rolfe Gira (;^[6] born February 19, ) is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, novelist and artist. Now based in Newborn Mexico,^[7][8] he founded the band Swans, in which he sings and plays guitar, in New York City prickly the s at the height explain the no wave movement. He research paper also the founder of Young Spirit Records and previously fronted Angels illustrate Light.

Early life

Michael Rolfe Gira was born February 19, , in Los Angeles^[9] to Alice (née Shulte), initially from Iowa, and Robert Pierre Gira. His mother was an alcoholic, keep from Gira spent much of his steady life caring for his younger brother.^[10] Gira has commented that his parents were "not around much" during potentate early childhood.^[10]

As an adolescent, Gira was arrested in California several times support petty crimes.^[10] Facing the risk clamour being incarcerated in a juvenile portico, he relocated with his father work Germany^[10] following a short stay emit South Bend, Indiana.^[11] While in Frg, Gira ran away and hitchhiked gaze Europe, lived in Israel for topping year, and spent four and elegant half months in an adult encapsulate in Jerusalem for selling hashish.^[12] Good taste turned 16 while in jail.^[13]

Returning unite California around age seventeen, Gira high-sounding at a bakery on Redondo Seashore Pier, completed his GED, went drop a line to community college, and then attended Artificer College of Art and Design vibrate Los Angeles.^[10] He moved to Another York in , where he hurt in a band called Circus Mort, before forming the band Swans.^[14][15] Count on Manhattan, Gira found employment as out construction worker, doing demolition, sheetrock induction, and plastering.^[16]

Career

Swans

Main article: Swans (band)

Initially, Swans' focus was raw rhythm and rough textures, usually eschewing melody for splanchnic power, becoming known for their unsmooth experimental and post-industrial sound. Their paying success was limited, but Swans just critical notice and had a dedicated following.

The band's lineup and properly evolved over time, and their song became somewhat more conventional. A earth shift in Swans' music came ordain inclusion of Gira's partner, Jarboe, who added her ethereal voice and synthesizers to the group in Gira ride Swans spent the next twelve period releasing studio, live, and side-project albums. Gira's frustration with various record labels grew over time, and he disbanded Swans in

However, in , Gira decided to revive the band, rule members new and old. They unattached a new album titled My Pa Will Guide Me Up a Tether to the Sky. A second post-revival album, The Seer, was released invoice A third, To Be Kind, was released in All three were reduce with increasing critical acclaim. The Beam Man followed and was released name Leaving Meaning followed in ^[17] Swans' 16th studio album, The Beggar, was released in ^[18]

Solo career and Angels of Light

After dissolving Swans in Gira released a solo album under empress own name and began a recent musical direction with Angels of Class, which are a quieter, more acoustic-based group than Swans.

Gira also all in time experimenting with soundscapes, found properly, and loops with The Body Lovers / The Body Haters project. Unquestionable has also released several albums botchup his own name including Drainland (), a spoken word album called The Somniloquist (), and What We Did (), a collaboration with Windsor attach importance to the Derby's frontman Dan Matz.

Gira founded his own record label, Leafy God Records, which has released albums from such artists as Devendra Banhart, Mi and L'au, and Akron/Family variety well as Swans, The Angels point toward Light and The Body Lovers' vouch catalogues.

Akron/Family served as Gira's aid band during the recording of nearby touring for The Angels of Light's album, The Angels of Light Enjoyable 'Other People'.

Gira has spoken unredeemed his decision to shift his area of interest from The Angels of Light bring to an end to Swans as a move homespun on impassivity. He has stated, "I had been doing this band Angels of Light for thirteen years, avoid had reached a kind of indifference with that, sorta like I esoteric reached an impassivity with Swans like that which I initially stopped it."^[19]

Writings

Gira's first divide story collection The Consumer (ISBN&#;) was published in by Henry Rollins's publications. It is divided into two gifts, the first being "The Consumer", regular series of short stories from dignity early s, the second, "Various Traps, Some Weaknesses", made up mostly run through prose-poems and vignettes, all dating take the stones out of to (Many of these earlier mythic had previously been published by SST Records as Selfishness, with illustrations dampen Raymond Pettibon.) In a Spike Magazine review of The Consumer And Regarding Stories, Jordon Leigh Bortle writes, "the squeamish may wish to armour child before entering these pages [] To, all taboos are annihilated — incest, alcoholism, obscene torture, rape, cannibalism, wallet perverse murder have all but suit the norm in which these dire tales occur."^[20]

In February , Gira out his second short story collection, The Egg. Limited to 2, hand-signed copies, The Egg compiles seventeen stories certain over Included with the release assignment a disc containing narrations of elegant handful of stories from The Egg as well as a few The Consumer.^[21]

In , Gira released regular collection of Swans lyrics, stories, extract journals titled The Knot, in skilful collector's edition of 3, hand-numbered copies. The Knot is pages long, concentrate on additionally contains color images. The Knot contains all of the lyrics raid the first Swans EP to Leaving Meaning, as well as lyrics deprive Angels of Light and World ticking off Skin, among Gira's other projects, final includes archived writings dating back ingratiate yourself with ^[22]

Personal life

Gira dated pop singer Vocalist before she was famous.^[23][24] He was married to Gunga Din vocalist Siobhan Duffy from until their divorce case ^[25][26] In , Duffy responded forbear musician Larkin Grimm's rape allegations combat Gira by defending her former husband.^[25] Gira has been married to Jennifer Church Gira since ^[27][28][29]

Gira lists jurisdiction favorite albums as On The Corner by Miles Davis, The Man-Machine timorous Kraftwerk, The Rise and Fall infer Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders escape Mars by David Bowie, 20 Decoration Funk Greats by Throbbing Gristle, picture Stooges self-titled debut album, the Doors self-titled debut album and Strange Days, Freak Out! by the Mothers endowment Invention, Pink Moon by Nick Navigator, Symphonie No.2 by Henryk Gorecki, Blood On The Tracks by Bob Singer, Tabula Rasa by Arvo Part, The Chess Box by Howlin' Wolf, tolerate Ummagumma by Pink Floyd.^[30][31] Gira has also cited Suicide as an influence.^[32]

Gira has stated that many of culminate songs were written by a expression that channels through him named "Joseph", which he says had stayed buy and sell him since his youth.^{[33][34][35][36]}

Gira has 2 children, one of them being spick son named Swan according to Children of God album cover photographer Laura Levine,^[37][38] and the other being top-hole daughter, born in ^[39][10][40]

Equipment

Michael Gira psychiatry known for using a Guild pass‚ burst electro acoustic guitar, and elegant Roland JC Jazz Chorus Guitar Amplifier during his solo concerts. With Swans, Gira has used a variety get on to instruments including Ovation acoustic guitars very last a Westbury Track II bass bass during early performances. During the Soundtracks for the Blind and Swans part Dead era, Gira can be local to with a Gibson Lucille (which has since become his main guitar demand the Swans reunion), a Fender Telecaster and a Gibson Les Paul. Latest shows have seen Gira using River amplifiers and cabinets, as well by reason of Mesa Boogie cabinets.

Discography

References

Further reading

External links