This spring, Stetson-wearing noisemonger Michael Gira is returning to the land of Bergman, Genet, and a freakin’ ton of dungeons. That’s right: America’s favorite vacation destination, Europe! Gira’s going the solo route this time, bringing little more than his trusty guitar, a Chinese lacquered box full of self-loathing, and Cool Ranch-flavored Doritos, plus Swans’ Christoph Hahn as an opening act. Together they’ll all navigate the roads of the Olde World, charting a magical course from familiar destinations like Paris to those more off the beaten path, such as the beautiful Norwegian town of Stavanger, which is ...

The song begins with a faded-in single snare. An organ creeps along, tiptoeing around the beat. There is a deep, tunneled voice, ranting, Lynchian, in Russian, presumably, since Post-Materialists are a Moscow collective. The track reminds me of other anti-music like the most anarchistic Ween or the angriest, least sensible Sun City Girls. It's hard to know without asking anything about this band: Do they want you to like this, or are they in the Sir Richard Bishop School Of Not Giving A Fuck...

Swans leader and Young God owner Michael Gira will be performing some solo shows on the West Coast soon, and some forthcoming U.K. dates as well. They’ve also announced that studio and live albums from Swans are done… 3/15/2012 – San Francisco, CA @ The Great American Music Hall (w/ Sir Richard Bishop) 3/16/2012 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo (w/ Sir Richard Bishop) 3/22/2012 – Seattle, WA @ Triple Door (w/ Sir Richard Bishop) 3/23/2012 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios (w/ Sir Richard Bishop) 3/24/2012 – Denver CO @ The Oriental Theater (w/Wovenhand) Read ...

It’s been two-and-a-half years since Sir Richard Bishop released the underrated-to-the-point-of-being-offensive album The Freak of Araby , and the void left by the apparent dearth in guitar-centered improvisational releases is starting to make me feel oddly anxious. Fortunately, through whatever spiritual channeling he undoubtedly engages in, Mr. Bishop has become fully aware of my waxing anxiety, and has announced the release of three brand-new CD-Rs due out December 12, but which are available for pre-order now. (Also planned for release next year is full-length collaboration with David Oliphant of Maybe Mental!) Intermezzo fulfills expectations as a “collection of various pieces ...

Social Music is running a record and tape club subscription series, fittingly named the Social Music Record + Tape Club Subscription Series . Along with contributions from folks like Ty Segall , Jacuzzi Boys , and Sir Richard Bishop , Grouper 's Liz Harris has also collaborated with like-minded artist Ilyas Ahmed as Visitor for a new EP. The untitled track below is the first cut that appears on side one of that release. (via Gorilla vs. Bear )

by Elliott Sharp • November 2011 Exemplifying robust cosmopolitan values, Chris Corsano makes himself at home across multiple scenes and sound-worlds, from rock to noise to free-jazz to ________. He’s played with a massive range of musicians, including Thurston Moore, Björk, Nels Cline, and C. Spencer Yeh. He’s also in a little trio called Rangda with Sir Richard Bishop and Ben Chasny, and works frequently with Mick Flower in the Flower-Corsano Duo. When he’s found the time, Corsano’s dropped some astounding and gonzo solo albums — 2006’s The Young Cricketer and 2009’s Another Dull Dawn — and ...

Here's some documentation from the series of shows I put together in August for the Berkeley Art Museum. Aug 5, 2011 - David Horvitz and company Mia Nolting Skype portraits Joshua Kit Clayton conversing with an unsuspecting populace courtesy of BAM/PFA flickr Sara Wintz and Jackqueline Frost "Use Your Paper Voice" courtesy of BAM/PFA flickr C. Spencer Yeh more photos from BAM/PFA flickr here. Aug 12, 2011 - Gerritt Wittmer & Paul Knowles. Gerritt Wittmer & Paul Knowles @ Berkeley Art Museum 8/12/2011 from Gerritt Wittmer on Vimeo . More photos at the BAM/PFA flickr set . Sir Richard Bishop ...

Tonight’s triple bill at Royale brought together three seemingly different acts, but each one turned out to be special in its own way… Sir Richard Bishop – former  Sun City Girl who channeled his inner Fahey/Shankar with an impro-raga-drone set. Spirits of Kerouac and Sir Richard Bishop’s brother Charles Gocher also made an appearance in [...]

photos by Dana (distortion) Yavin "Swans at Music Hall of Williamsburg. The most punishingly hot and loud show I've been to for a while. But pleasurably so, and they have a shirtless drummer named Thor. My brain is now a...

Recommended Show: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2011 THE DRUMS @ MAXWELL'S 1039 Washington St Hoboken, NJ 07030 $17, 8PM Chances of you getting into see Radiohead at Roseland tonight? Close to zero. While it may seem like the typical retreat to cross the river and head to Jersey, The Drums at Maxwell's seem like a reasonable reason. La Resistance @ Arlene's Grocery Foster The People & Reptar @ Terminal 5 Radiohead & Four Tet @ Roseland Ballroom Laura Marling & Alessi's Ark @ Webster Hall Swans & Sir Richard Bishop @ Music Hall of Williamsburg Factory Floor, Apache Beat, & Fan-Tan @ Knitting Factory The Album Leaf, Sister Crayon ...

Recommended Show: TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2011 VERONICA FALLS @ GLASSLANDS 289 Kent Ave Brooklyn, NY 11211 $10, 8PM Veronica Falls feels like one of those up-and-coming bands that everyone is talking about. Tonight they play at Glasslands, and assuming they become as big as everyone anticipates, this will be one of those "I was there when" moments. Descender & Akris @ Cake Shop Tunabunny @ Brooklyn Fireproof Anika & Slowdance @ Le Poisson Rouge Foster The People & Reptar @ Terminal 5 Mensch, noon:30, & Puta De Cava @ Bruar Falls Erik Friedlander & Becca Stevens Band @ 92YTribeca Band Of Skulls & Gringo Star @ Mercury Lounge (early) Viva Voce & The Parson ...

WHAT: Hideout Block Party WHEN: September 24 WHERE: Chicago, IL WHO: Andrew Bird, Mavis Staples, Jon Langford, Booker T. Jones, Dosh, the Eternals, White Mystery, more WHAT: Boomslang Fest WHEN: September 23-25 WHERE: Lexington, KY WHO: Swans, Pelican, Ty Segall, Psychedelic Furs, Tom Tom Club, Julianna Barwick, Ssion, Those Darlins, R. Stevie Moore, MEN, Pujol, Sir Richard Bishop, Delicate Steve, more WHAT: Music Midtown WHEN: September 24 WHERE: Atlanta, GA WHO: Coldplay, the Black Keys, the Joy Formidable, Manchester Orchestra, more WHAT: roBOt Festival WHEN: September 28-October 1 WHERE: Bologna, Italy WHO: SBTRKT, Yann Tiersen, Bjorn Torske, Whomadewho, more

Photo coverage of Swans with Sir Richard Bishop at First Avenue (9/20/11)

by BBG Wovenhand at Knitting Factory (more by Greg Cristman) Though tickets for both Swans/Sir Richard Bishop shows are still available, the second night got a little more attractive with the addition of a third act - David Eugene Edwards,...

Swans at Roadburn 2011 (more by Stefan Raduta) Swans will now play two shows at Music Hall of Williamsburg with Sir Richard Bishop as part of a larger tour that leads up to Swans' appearance at ATP NJ. The first...