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Michael Gira

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Michael Gira
Gira performing in Glasgow, 2010
Gira performing in Glasgow, 2010
Background information
Birth nameMichael Rolfe Gira[1]
Born (1954-02-19) February 19, 1954 (age 70)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer-songwriter
  • musician
  • producer
  • author
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • bass
  • keyboards
Years active1979–present
Labels
SpouseJennifer Gira
Websiteyounggodrecords.com

Michael Rolfe Gira (/dʒəˈrɑː/;[6] born February 19, 1954)[1] is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author and artist. He is the main force behind the New York City musical group Swans and fronted Angels of Light. He is also the founder of Young God Records.

Biography

Early life

Gira was born in Los Angeles. His mother, Alice Shulte, is from Iowa. Gira relocated to Europe with his father, Robert Pierre Gira, after a short stay in South Bend, Indiana.[7] As a teenager he hitchhiked across Europe, lived in Israel for a year and spent four and a half months in an adult jail in Jerusalem for selling hashish.[8] He turned 16 when in jail.[9]

He then came back to California, worked at a bakery on Redondo Beach Pier, took a GED, went to community college, and then went to Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles. He moved to New York in 1979, where he played in a band called Circus Mort, before forming the band Swans.[10][11]

Swans

Main article: Swans (band)

Initially, Swans' focus was raw rhythm and abrasive textures, usually eschewing melody for visceral power. They became known for their abrasive experimental and post-industrial sound. Their commercial success was limited, but Swans earned much critical notice and had a devoted following.

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 the 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 My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky. A second post-revival album, The Seer, was released in 2012. A third, To Be Kind, was released in 2014. All three were met with increasing critical acclaim. The Glowing Man, the band's latest project, was released in June 2016.

Solo career and Angels of Light

Michael Gira performing at The Doug Fir Lounge in Portland, Oregon on March 3, 2009

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 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."[12]

Writings

Gira's short story collection The Consumer (ISBN 1-880985-26-8) was published in 1995 by Henry Rollins's 2.13.61 publications. It is divided into two parts, the first being "The Consumer", a series of short stories from the early 1990s, the second, "Various Traps, Some Weaknesses", made up mostly of prose-poems and vignettes, all dating from 1983–1986. (Many of these earlier stories had previously been published by SST Records as Selfishness, with illustrations by Raymond Pettibon.) The stories contain many disturbing images and scenes including incest, identity loss, murder, self-hatred, rape, and both mental and physical decay.

Rape allegations

On February 25, 2016, Michael Gira was accused of rape and sexual harassment by singer-songwriter Larkin Grimm.[13] Gira produced Grimm's 2008 album, Parplar, and released it on his label Young God Records. Grimm claims in a lengthy and detailed Facebook post that Gira raped her during this time and continued to sexually harass her throughout the completion of the album. In the post, she said she confronted Gira about it and he then dropped her from his label.[14] Gira and his wife responded on Facebook, calling Grimm's allegations "a slanderous lie" and attacking her character. His wife claims to have proof that Grimm is lying.[15] In an official statement through his publicist, Gira has acknowledged the spring 2008 night in question, claiming that no such intimate acts between the two were ever "consummated" and calling the incident "an awkward mistake." Grimm published a statement to Pitchfork in response to Gira's statement, calling his comments "an admission of guilt."[16] Grimm's Heroes Are Gang Leaders bandmate Margaret Morris questioned her mental health and challenged Grimm's rape allegations against both Gira and a fellow Heroes Are Gang Leaders member in a March 2016 article in Spin magazine.[17] Michael Gira commented more fully on Larkin Grimm’s allegations and the reasons she was dropped from his label in a July 2016 NY Observer interview.[18]

Equipment

Michael Gira is known for using a Guild antique burst electro acoustic guitar, and a Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus Guitar Amplifier during his solo concerts. In recent Swans performances, he has been using a modified Gibson Lucille through Orange amplifiers and Mesa Boogie cabinets.

Solo discography

Michael Gira on stage at Stylus, Leeds University, 5 April 2013
Year Title Label
1985 A Diamond Hidden in the Mouth of a Corpse (compilation) Giorno Poetry Systems
1988 Shame, Humility, Revenge Product Inc.
1995 Drainland Sub Rosa/Alternative Tentacles
1999 Jarboe Emergency Medical Fund (live)
2000 Somniloquist Young God Records
2001 What We Did (With Dan Matz) Young God Records
2001 Solo Recording at Home Young God Records
2002 Living '02 Young God Records
2004 I Am Singing To You From My Room Young God Records
2006 Songs for a Dog Lumberton Trading Co.
2010 I Am Not Insane Young God Records

References

  1. ^ a b "California Births, 1905 – 1995". FamilyTreeLegends.com. Retrieved December 12, 2009.
  2. ^ "Listen to Swans frontman Michael Gira's guest mix on BBC 6 Music". Fact. March 13, 2015. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  3. ^ Essner, Dean (August 26, 2014). "Cold Specks – Neuroplasticity". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  4. ^ Stosuy, Brandon (May 8, 2014). "Interviews: Swans". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  5. ^ Nasrallah, Dimitri (October 24, 2010). "Michael Gira: From Uncompromising Swans to Ethereal Angels of Light". Exclaim!. Retrieved July 27, 2015.
  6. ^ "Spinning on Air: The Angels of Light". WNYC. New York Public Radio. October 23, 2005. Retrieved March 13, 2011.
  7. ^ Gladstone, Neil (April 23, 2001). "Angels of Light | Press Clippings | Series 1". CMJ New Music Report. Young God Records. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
  8. ^ Pattison, Louis (October 19, 2010). "Waxing lyrical: Swans' Michael Gira on his love of words". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved April 21, 2011.
  9. ^ Clark, Jeff. "Swans – Interview/Stomp and Stammer". swans.pair.com. Retrieved August 1, 2013.
  10. ^ Ratliff, Ben (September 3, 2010). "Michael Gira and Swans Re-Form for Tour". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved July 7, 2010.
  11. ^ "Circus Mort". TrouserPress.com. Retrieved March 13, 2011.
  12. ^ "Michael Gira". CrasierFrane.com. October 20, 2010. Retrieved October 21, 2010.
  13. ^ "Larkin Grimm Accuses Swans' Michael Gira Of Rape". February 25, 2016.
  14. ^ "Swans' Michael Gira Issues Statement on Rape Accusations, Larkin Grimm Responds". February 25, 2016.
  15. ^ "Michael Gira and Jennifer Gira's response on Facebook about rape accusations by Larkin Grimm". February 25, 2016.
  16. ^ "Swans' Michael Gira Details "Consensual Romantic Moment" With Rape Accuser". February 25, 2016.
  17. ^ "Heroes Are Gang Leaders' Margaret Morris Challenges Larkin Grimm's Rape Allegations | SPIN". Spin. March 4, 2016. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  18. ^ "Michael Gira on 'Dangling Off the Edge of a Cliff' for Swans' Epic Final Album". Observer. July 20, 2016. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
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