On Wednesday, August 30th @ 7:00 PM, join DJ Surface Tension as he airs his interview with Michael Gira, founder, frontman and ringmaster of Swans, the ever-evolving experimental noise / post-rock group now entering their fifth decade of existence.
Swans were born on the Lower East Side at the tail end of New York’s no wave reaction to punk rock. Led by guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter Michael Gira, their early work—as exemplified by their 1983 release Filth—was raw, visceral and concussive. Their sound modulated out of this industrial seediness into a full-spectrum envelopment of the senses—by turns and often simultaneously efflorescent, dissonant and apocalyptic—with lyrics exploring themes of power, oppression, religion, sex and transcendence. The band truly began to realize a fully coalesced maturity on albums White Light from the Mouth of Infinity (1991), Love of Life (1992) and The Great Annihilator (1994), and released Soundtracks For The Blind (1996) before disbanding. Switching to work on Angels Of Light and his label Young God Records, Gira discovered and produced acts like Devendra Banhart and Akron/Family. After a fourteen-year hiatus, Swans reemerged in 2010, releasing the album My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky and touring extensively worldwide. That album was followed by The Seer (2012), To Be Kind (2014) and The Glowing Man (2017). Releasing their sixteenth studio album, The Beggar (Mute / Young God) in June of 2023, this particular iteration of the band features a lineup comprised of Larry Mullins, Kristof Hahn, Phil Puleo, Dana Schechter, and Christopher Pravdica.
Swans will appear at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Tuesday, September 12th & Wednesday, September 13th with frequent Swans contributor Norman Westberg performing opening solo sets. Each night commences at 8pm and is all ages.
Photo Credit: Enriko Boettcher
