Jump to content

Thurston Moore

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 205.118.16.110 (talk) at 16:44, 30 January 2008 (→‎Early years: changed "Umass" to "University of Massachusetts"). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Thurston Moore

Thurston Joseph Moore (born July 25, 1958 in Coral Gables, Florida) is an American musician best known as a singer, songwriter and guitarist of Sonic Youth. He has participated in many solo and group collaborations outside of Sonic Youth, as well as running a small record label.

Early years

Moore was born in Coral Gables, Florida, but was raised in[1] Bethel, Connecticut. Although he enrolled at Western Connecticut State University, he opted to move to New York City instead to join the burgeoning post-punk/no wave music scenes.[2]

Once there, Moore was briefly in the hardcore punk band Even Worse, featuring future The Big Takeover editor (and future Springhouse drummer) Jack Rabid. After exiting the band, Moore and Lee Ranaldo learned experimental guitar techniques in Glenn Branca's "guitar orchestras."[3] He also spent much time at the University of Massachusetts and in the Amherst/Northampton area

Sonic Youth

Main article: Sonic Youth

Moore and Ranaldo soon formed Sonic Youth, serving as the band's guitarists, with Moore on lead vocals. The band signed to Neutral Records, then to Homestead Records, and then to SST Records.

Live in the Netherlands (with Sonic Youth), 1991

In 1984, Moore married Sonic Youth bassist/vocalist Kim Gordon; the pair have a daughter, Coco Hayley Gordon Moore. They currently reside in Northampton, Massachusetts.

He and Ranaldo make extensive use of unusual guitar tunings, often heavily modifying their instruments to provide unusual timbres and drones, They are known for bringing upwards of fifty guitars to every live gig, using some guitars for one song only.[4] In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him and Ranaldo the 33rd and 34th best guitarists in music history.

Work outside of Sonic Youth

In addition to his work with Sonic Youth, Moore has also released albums as a solo artist.

He and Gordon released a few songs as Mirror/Dash, a reference to their respective nicknames. ("Mirror" being an alliterative pun on "Moore," and "Dash" being a pun on Flash Gordon.)

Moore has collaborated with scores of musicians, including Lydia Lunch, DJ Spooky, William Hooker, Christian Marclay, Mike Watt, Loren Mazzacane Connors, Tom Surgal, William Winant, Nels Cline, Cock E.S.P., Daniel Castro, Chris Corsano and My Cat is an Alien. Most of his solo/duo collaborations have been instrumental, and are generally improvised and/or noise based.

In the early 1990s, Moore formed the side band Dim Stars, featuring punk legend Richard Hell of the Voidoids. Moore performed solo on the side stage of the 1993 Lollapalooza tour.

Additionally, Moore also contributed guitar work [citation needed] and backing vocals on "Crush With Eyeliner," which appeared on R.E.M.'s Monster LP.

Since 2004, Moore has recorded and performed with the all-star noise collective To Live and Shave in L.A., the lineup of which also features Andrew W.K.. He recorded with the band at Sonic Youth's former studio in Manhattan, and later performed with them at the George W. Bush "anti-inaugural" Noise Against Fascism concert in Washington, D.C., named in reference to Sonic Youth's 1992 song "Youth Against Fascism." Moore curated the "Nightmare Before Christmas" weekend of the All Tomorrow's Parties music festival, in December 2006.

Moore directed the music video for Pavement's song "Here," from Slanted and Enchanted.

Moore is a member of director Jim Jarmusch's "secret club," The Sons Of Lee Marvin.

On June 21, 2007, Moore revealed to Spin Magazine that he would be releasing a solo album titled Trees Outside The Academy. The album was recorded at J Mascis' studio in Amherst, Massachusetts. The album is made up of mostly acoustic material and features Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley and violinist Samara Lubelski. The album also features collaborations between Mascis and Charalambides' Christina Carter, who performs a duet with Moore on the track, "Honest James." The album was released on September 18, 2007, on Moore's label Ecstatic Peace.

Work on film soundtracks

In 1994, Moore teamed up with Greg Dulli of The Afghan Whigs, Don Fleming of Gumball, Mike Mills of R.E.M., and Dave Grohl of Nirvana/Foo Fighters, to form the Backbeat Band, which recorded the soundtrack album to the movie Backbeat.

In 1998 Moore played on the soundtrack of the film Velvet Goldmine as a member of Wylde Rattz, along with The Stooges' Ron Asheton, his Sonic Youth bandmate Steve Shelley, Minutemen's Mike Watt, Gumball's Don Fleming, and Mark Arm of Mudhoney.

Moore also composed original music for the films:

Record label and writings

Moore and other S.Y. members published the irreverent music zine Sonic Life. Moore runs the independent record label Ecstatic Peace!. Beginning in 1993, this label jointly released records with rock critic Byron Coley's label, Father Yod, as Ecstatic Yod Records.

Moore reviewed new music in Arthur Magazine. He manages the website Protest Records, named for its protest against music piracy laws. Moore was the editor/overseer of the 2005 book Mix Tape: The Art of Cassette Culture.

Solo Discography

References

  1. ^ Dixon, Ken, "Music Hall of Fame proposed for state ", article in Connecticut Post in Bridgeport, Connecticut, April 26, 2007 ("Thurston Moore, leader of alt-rock legends Sonic Youth, who grew up in Bethel")
  2. ^ Azerrad, Michael. Our Band Could Be Your Life. New York: Little, Brown, 2001
  3. ^ Azerrad, Michael. Our Band Could Be Your Life. New York: Little, Brown, 2001
  4. ^ Azerrad, Michael. Our Band Could Be Your Life. New York: Little, Brown, 2001

External links


Template:Persondata

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thurston_Moore&oldid=187943974"