Michael Gira, Christoph Hahn, Thor Harris, Devendra Banhart, Phil Puleo,
Larry Mullins, Dana Schechter, Birgit "Cassis" Staudt, Bill Rieflin, Steve
Moses, Bliss Blood, Daria, Pat Fondiller, The Akron/Family Boyz ( Seth
Olinsky, Dana Janssen, Miles Seaton, Ryan Vanderhoof ), Siobhan Duffy,
Larkin Grimm, Pat Fondiller, Kid Congo Powers, Jerome O'Brien, Julia Kent,
Paul Cantelon, David Garland, Eszter Balint, and dozens more I guess....
Angels of Light is the songwriting project I started immediately after
terminating Swans (1982-1997).
The first album, New Mother, was released in 1999. Next came How I Loved
You, released in 2001. Then, Everything Is Good Hear/Please Come Home was
released in 2003. The album The Angels Of Light Sing Other People was out in
March of '05. The new one, We are Him, will be out Late August of 07.
I write the songs on acoustic guitar, then gather musicians and friends,
and build up the orchestrations with them in the studio and in live
performances. I guide the process, but solicit their creative contributions
actively. Each recording contains the contributions of an ever-changing
plethora of amazing musicians, whom I thank here heartily! My friends, the
various musicians who come and go on these records, are of invaluable help
in making the arrangements. I produce the Angels recordings, and the
production of the recordings is as important to me as the songs themselves.
Most of the instruments used in the recordings are acoustic, but not all.
Electric guitars, bass and drums etc., are sometimes used (as well as an
occasional electronic sound, or loop), but I usually steer clear of a 'Rock'
sound (though the new Angels of Light album I just finished has a lot of
"Rock" elements in it. I don't know why. It just happened.
I'm always changing the sonic approach from record to record. Just sitting
around my house, writing these songs, and then finally coming up with a
statement that I think makes sense through working on things in the studio.
Typically it's a pretty laborious and painful process. I'm always sure i
know exactly what i want when i go in the studio, but as soon as i actually
hear something recorded, my perception changes entirely. this can be
extremely frustrating for the people that take the dire step of working with
me, because i'm always changing my mind, usually forceful and certain of
what i want at any given moment, even though i don't really know what that
is exactly yet. ha ha!
Here's some info bout the upcoming (aug '07 ) Angels of Light Album
We Are Him:
We Are Him began with my usual vows to keep things simple this time,
finally, and i failed once again to live up to the task. I went into the
studio with Akron/Family as backing band (as they had been on Other People).
We recorded all the basic tracks in a week. They played drums, bass, guitar,
piano, and backing vocals. Despite Akron's valorous efforts and fine
performances, things sounded thin and tentative to me, so i started calling
my friends to help me flesh things out. Christoph Hahn came to Brooklyn from
his home in Berlin (Christoph played in Swans for a while, and has played in
several Angels incarnations - he has his own group called Les Hommes Sauvage
too) and played his usual stellar "kraut-abilly" electric guitar stylings,
as well as open-tuned lap steel. That helped considerably, and gave the
songs balls, or bowels in many instances, as well as occasionally lifting
things up nach Himmel... Next came Bill Rieflin. Bill is as fine a gentleman
as you'll ever meet. He also played in Swans at one point. When i met him he
was drumming in Ministry. He's since moved on to play with Robert Fripp (off
and on i think), Robyn Hitchcock, and he currently is the drummer for REM.
He's an incredibly expressive musician, on a variety of instruments. He
played: Hammond B3 organ, Moog synthesizer, electric guitar, bass guitar,
drums/percussion, piano, casio, and backing vocals and probably 3 or 4
things I can't remember at the moment... Next the spirited and gracious
Eszter Balint played fiddle/violin to great effect. she played mostly drone
based parts, but injected a lot of feel through inflection and modulation.
she's a wonderful player and she also just brings a sense of warmth into the
studio which is most welcome. she also sang some backing vocals here and
there. Eszter first came to wide public notice through her central role in
the film Strangers In Paradise, but she's gone on to become a fine singer,
instrumentalist, and songwriter in her own right - look her up!....
Next came Julia Kent ..o and Paul Cantelon on violin. They played
multitracked string sections on a few songs here and there, "arranged" on
the fly. Julia's a member of Antony and The Johnsons, and she does some
arrangements as well as playing therein. Paul is primarily a pianist.
composer, arranger and recently a soundtrack composer for some high
fallutin' films, the names of which i now forget, but i like the way he
plays violin, with lots of warble and feeling. he and Julia work quite well
together too and have the added advantage (from my perspective) of
tolerating my vague descriptions and out of tune humming-of-part
suggestions, and then taking those scanty guidelines and making something
musical and fully realized out of them. no mean feat !.. next came my pal
and x-neighbor in Brooklyn Steve Moses. Steve's a drummer and trombone
player. He's in the band Alice Donut and also has his own solo extravaganza
called Drumbone and also an improv duo called Lambic. He played trombone
like a brontosaurus on this record. he also played drums and trombone on a
few of Devendra's YGR releases... next came the estimable musical
encyclopedia and flute player (and multi instrumentalist ) of true finesse
David Garland. he played flute on a few songs, and also did some rather deep
backing vocs. he's another great presence to have in the studio, though he's
a little intimidating because he's such a repository of all things musical.
he hosts the shows (on NYC public radio station WNYC) Evening Music and
Spinning On Air. Aside from playing classical music and film scores and
more, he's also been a big supporter of people like Devendra, Akron/Family,
Mi and L'au and other contemporary rock/folk related music, as well as
myself. David's also a songwriter/singer and should be checked out too!...
Next came the glorious Siobhan Duffy and Larkin Grimm, singing "Chick Vox"
on several songs (and Siobhan sings a cameo on the song Not Here/Not Now).
Siobhan drummed for years in the NYC noise/skronk band God Is My Co-Pilot,
but she went on to become the singer of the group Gunga Din, then drumming
for Kid Congo and also Flux Information Sciences. She's sadly temporarily
retired from music. she's got a very particular and unique voice, and it's a
big loss. Larkin is a wild-ass Georgia mountain woman, or She-Shaman, or
something. ha ha! she too has an amazing voice, a huge range and as a
songwriter she's eccentric and fiercely expressive and really coming into
herself. she's got a few CDs out - look for 'em. we're also in the nascent
stages of working on an album that she'll be putting out on Young God
Records... Next came my old touring buddy Phil Paleo. Phil was drummer in a
band called Cop Shoot Cop, but he played drums and yes, hammer dulcimer in
Swans final phase. he played hammer dulcimer on a few songs here... Birgit
"Cassis" Staudt played accordion and melodica on a few songs. She's played
and toured in several Angels incarnations, and she's a chanteuse you can
find playing cabarets and nightclubs in NYC... My big buddy and protector
Pat Fondiller played a little mandolin here and there. he did a great job.
his hands are bigger than the mandolin! Pat played bass on an Angels tour a
while ago, and he also plays in the hard rock combo Smokewagon... The record
was recorded at Trout Recording by Bryce Goggin and at Seizure's Palace by
Jason La Farge, both in Brooklyn, and in fact right around the corner where
i used to live. it was mixed by Bryce at Trout. thanks to them, and all the
above!
I've now left NYC/Brooklyn permanently, so in a way the new album is a
good-bye to a long era for me (I moved to NYC in 1979). I now live in the
Catskill Mountains, and I also run the record label Young God Records. It
generally consumes most of my time, but I accept that. It's my "day job" but
quite a decent one, though tedious at times. But I've had the great pleasure
of being able to produce or co-produce many of the acts on the label, have
always learned something new from working with the musicians involved, and
am delighted to be able to bring their music out into the world. Some of the
music YGR has released (aside from my own work): Devendra Banhart,
Akron/Family, Lisa Germano, Mi and L'au and a great deal more. If you're
interested, go to younggodrecords.com ...that's all I have to say about
myself, in fact I've said too much! Here below is an extensive bio of me, if
you're interested... Thanks! Michael Gira
I have to say...I am a huge fan. I absolutely love your We are him album. Black river song and my brother's man are excellent songs...and i feel like i am gushing over your music. Keep it up! YOu guys are so awesome!
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