Michael Gira
| Michael Gira | |
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Gira performing in Glasgow, 2010
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Michael Rolfe Gira |
| Born |
February 19, 1954 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1979–present |
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| Website | younggodrecords |
Michael Rolfe Gira (/dʒəˈrɑː/; born February 19, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author and artist. He is the main force behind the New York City musical group Swans and fronts Angels of Light. He is also the founder of Young God Records.
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. 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 drugs. He turned 16 when in jail.
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.
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.
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