Jim Sclavunos
| Jim Sclavunos | |
|---|---|
| Genres | Post-punk, alternative rock, garage rock |
| Instruments | Drums, percussion, keyboards, vocals |
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Labels | Mute |
| Associated acts | Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Grinderman, The Vanity Set, Sonic Youth, 8 Eyed Spy, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, The Cramps |
Jim Sclavunos (aka James Sclavunos) is an American drummer, multi-instrumentalist musician, record producer and writer.
Sclavunos, a half-Greek and half-Italian from Brooklyn, NY (known for his exceptional height at 6'7"), is currently a member of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds and Grinderman.
Jim Sclavunos was memorably described in the pages of The Wire as an "infamous elegant degenerate." He has long been a prime mover in New York City’s vibrant underground music scene, helping to kick-start the vital No Wave movement in the late1970s (in Teenage Jesus & The Jerks and 8 Eyed Spy with Lydia Lunch), before playing with Sonic Youth and The Cramps. He has recorded albums with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Grinderman, Sonic Youth, The Cramps, Teenage Jesus & the Jerks, Tav Falco's Panther Burns, 8 Eyed Spy, The Vanity Set, and Congo Norvell as well as recording sessions with many artists including Marianne Faithfull, Iggy Pop, Beth Orton and Seasick Steve. He has also toured with Lydia Lunch, Alex Chilton and Wreckless Eric.
A key member of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds since 1994 and a founding member of Grinderman, he also formed his own NY-based musical ensemble The Vanity Set in 2000, releasing two studio albums to date.
Further to his work as a musician, Jim Sclavunos has produced a wide range of bands including Gogol Bordello, The Horrors, The Jim Jones Revue and Black Moth. He has done several remixes, both on his own and as one half of Silver Alert (along with The Vanity Set band mate, Peter Mavrogeorgis).
In 2012, Silver Alert performed “Faustian Pact” at The Perth International Arts Festival in Western Australia, a live adaptation of FW Murnau's film, "Faust," produced in collaboration with director/choreographer Micki Pellerano.
In 2012, Sclavunos began an ongoing collaboration with Australian performance artist/musician Michaela Davies on a composition entitled “FM-2030” (so-named for the transhumanist philosopher Fereidoun M. Esfandiary) utilizing programmed electro-muscular stimulation (EMS) of classical string players to generate involuntary playing movements. The composition is set to premiere at the 2013 Sonica Festival in Glasgow.
Selective list of bands
- Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (1994-to date)
- Silver Alert (2012-to date)
- Grinderman (2006-to date)
- The Vanity Set (2000-to date)
- The Gunga Din (1999–2000)
- Congo Norvell (1990–98)
- Shotgun Wedding withLydia Lunch and Rowland S. Howard (1992)
- The Cramps (1991–92)
- Trigger & the Thrill Kings (1983–86)
- Tav Falco’s Panther Burns (1983 and 1993)
- Sonic Youth (1982)
- Devil Dogs (1980)
- 8 Eyed Spy with Lydia Lunch (1979)
- Beirut Slump with Lydia Lunch (1978–79)
- Teenage Jesus and the Jerks with Lydia Lunch (1978–79)
- Information (1978)
- Red Transistor(1978)
- The Gynecologists (1978)
Selected Producer Credits
- Teenage Mothers - album title TBC 2011 / 2012
- Freshkills – Album: Raise Up The Sheets (2012)
- Black Moth – Album: The Killing Jar (2012)
- The Jim Jones Revue – Albums: Burning Your House Down (2010), The Savage Heart (2012)
- David J. Roch – Album: Skin & Bones (2011)
- Beth Orton - "I Me Mine" track on Let it Be Revisited (2010)
- The Horrors – Singles: "Count In Fives" and "Gloves" (2006), Album: Strange House (2007)
- Bellmer Dolls – EP: The Big Cats Will Throw Themselves Over (2006)
- Boss Hog – "Fear For You" track on White Out (1999)
- Gogol Bordello – Album: Voila Intruder (1999)
Selected Remix Credits as Silver Alert
- Philip Glass - “Etoile Polaire” Little Dipper remix - Silver Alert track on Rework: Philip Glass Remixed (2012)
- S.C.U.M. - Faith Unfolds remix (2011)
- Grinderman - "Evil" remix, featuring Matt Berninger of The National (2011)
Selected Remix Credits as Jim Sclavunos
- Breathless - “Next Time You Fall” remix (2013)
External links
Other:
- Even Better Than The Real Thing – Reality & Audio Production (2013) at Jack Move Magazine and Relic Zine
- Jim Sclavunos Talks Faustian Pact (2012)
- Another thing I wanted to Tell You: Jim Sclavunos on Mo Tucker (2011)
- In Conversation: Jim Sclavunos & The Jim Jones Revue (2010)
- What’s Wrong With Being Sexy? Nick Cave & Jim Sclavunos Of Grinderman Interviewed (2010)
- Lux Interior Obituary (2009)
- Twenty Minutes in Manhattan by Michael Sorkin (review) (2009)
- So good, they made it illegal - The Guardian (2004)
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