Jarboe Biography
Coming to rock and experimental music from a complex, fascinating background (both her parents were FBI agents; her upbringing in the South included such elements of extreme American religious faith as snake-handling ceremonies; and before her direct involvement in music she participated in "unorthodox sex work," to use her own words, in various U.S. cities), Jarboe, who has always preferred to be known by her sole name, has long been known as one of the fiercest spirits in modern music. She is an intelligent and aggressive artist possessed of striking musical skill who has rejected the music industry's all-too-easy stereotyping and exploitation to create shockingly powerful visions. Helping strongly in this is her one-of-a-kind vocal talent, ranging from emotive blues/gospel tones to wild shrieking, matching excellently with her wide-ranging preference in musical styles. Joining the band Swans two years after it came into being, Jarboe soon became the co-leader of the band with founder Michael Gira, who has also remained her personal partner ever since; together the two released some of the most striking, musically extreme recordings of recent years, both as Swans and as the side project band Skin. Jarboe's solo career began in earnest in 1992 with the release of Thirteen Masks, followed a couple of years later by a collaborative effort released under the name Beautiful People with Larry Seven, who also worked on Thirteen Masks and various Swans tracks before that time. The next official release was 1995's Sacrificial Cake, described as a "Swans Related Product," and released in concert with Gira's own solo debut, Drainland. After this, Swans took precedence as she and Gira finished the group's farewell albums and tours; her first post-Swans release, Anhedoniac, appeared in 1998. Shortly thereafter she made a trip to Israel for artistic inspiration for a planned follow-up, Disburdeen Disciple. However, she contracted an illness while visiting there, leading to hospitalization on return to America. A sampler for Disciple has appeared as a teaser, but the main album itself was not completed or ready for release. A collaboration with Telecognac, titled Over, appeared in 2000. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide
Popular Biographies:
Minimal compact Biography: When punk and new wave blew up in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, the fallout was felt on a global level even though acts from the U.S. and the U.K. snagged most of the attention. Minimal...
Rope Biography: Rope is an electro-acoustic duo comprised of Przemyslaw Chris Drazek on guitar and trumpet and Robert Iwanik on electric bass and vocals. The two were originally in a band called KRZYCZ (translation:...
Crimson thorn Biography: The members of Crimson Thorn, surely one of the world's most extreme-sounding Christian metal bands, choose to preach their gospel via the unfeasibly coarse but highly technical death metal style...
Amplified heat Biography: Originally begun as a blues band called Blues Condition, in Houston, TX, by the Ortiz brothers, Jim (guitar, vocals), Gian (bass, backing vocals), and Chris (drums), Amplified Heat adopted their...
Arno Biography: With his whiskey-and-cigarettes vocals, blues-inspired arrangements, and acerbic lyrics, Arno regularly earned comparison to gutter poets like Serge Gainsbourg and Tom Waits. Born Arno Hintjens in...
Raekwon Biography: Raekwon may not have achieved the solo stardom of his fellow Wu-Tang Clan mates Method Man or Ol' Dirty Bastard, but along with Genius/GZA and frequent partner Ghostface Killah, he's done some...
Ledisi Biography: Ledisi (means to bring forth in Nigerian) was born in the Big Easy where she sang with New Orleans Symphony Orchestra when she was eight years old and spent many adolescent hours watching her mom...
Rae and christian Biography: Rae & Christian emerged in the late '90s as a successor to the many stellar British production teams of the '90s, updating the rich urban grooves of Soul II Soul and Massive Attack with a bit more...