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Richard Bishop was a founding member (along with brother Alan) of Ethnic-Improv pioneers and DIY tricksters Sun City Girls, who during their 26-year reign had over 50 full length albums, plus over 20 one-hour cassettes and a dozen 7” records. That being said, Richard has spent more than a quarter century perplexing, amazing, and alienating audiences exactly as planned. In early 2005, Richard (as Sir Richard Bishop) began extensive touring as a solo artist, performing throughout Europe, Australia, and the United States. Though the good Sir is known mostly for his acoustic playing, he has been using electric guitars in his most recent solo performances. Sir Richard’s guitar explorations often reflect the shadow worlds of India, North Africa and the Middle East, and other points along the Gypsy trail, though many strange and experimental forms have crept into the live shows as of late. One can usually recognize the influences of Omar Khorshid, Django Reinhardt, Ali Akbar Khan and Ravi Shankar in his playing, though he has fused these and many other influential elements into his own unique style.
During the last 4 years he has shared the stage with the likes of Lydia Lunch, the Dead C, OOIOO, Animal Collective, Om, Joanna Newsom, Pan Sonic, and Os Mutantes, to name a few. He has done extensive touring (and performed live with) Earth, Bonny Prince Billy, Six Organs of Admittance, Devendra Banhart, Bill Callahan, and he’s jammed with Donovan..
Sir Richard’s first solo record, Salvador Kali, was released by John Fahey’s esteemed Revenant label in 1998. Several years passed before Locust Music issued his second record, Improvika in 2004. This, as the title suggests, was a completely improvised album, as was the follow up, Fingering the Devil, which was recorded at an impromptu session at London’s Southern Studios on a day off during the 2005 European tour. This was followed by two more releases from Locust Music. The first was Elektronika Demonika, which consisted of ear-splitting, creepy electronics, and contained no guitar at all. After that came While My Guitar Violently Bleeds, which is made up of three lengthy compositions for acoustic and electric guitar.
2007 saw the first Sir Richard release from Drag City. The album, Polytheistic Fragments, consisted of varying styles and instrumentations, from solo acoustic pieces, to electric guitar gallops, some strange avant wanderings on lapsteel guitar, and even a couple of piano compositions. Bishop's latest record, The Freak of Araby, was released by Drag City in 2009. This one features 5 original pieces and 5 traditional Middle Eastern songs all with electric guitar, bass and percussion.
OFFICIAL DISCOGRAPHY
The Freak of Araby (2009, Drag City)
God Damn Religion DVD, (30 minutes, 2008, Locust Music)
Earth/Sir Richard Bishop – Split 12” (2008, Southern Lord)
Polytheistic Fragments (2007, Drag City)
While My Guitar Violently Bleeds (2007, Locust Music)
Elektronika Demonika (2006, Locust Music)
Fingering the Devil (2006, Southern Records)
Improvika (2004, Locust Music)
Salvador Kali (1998, Revenant Records)
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