XIU XIU

02 November 2010

Xiu Xiu bio (Last.fm)

Xiu Xiu (pronounced “shew shew”) is an experimental band originally from San Jose, California and currently based in Durham, NC and Brooklyn. The band is named after the main character of the 1998 Chinese film Tian yu (a.k.a. Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl).

Xiu Xiu was first formed in 2000 and is the main project of singer-songwriter Jamie Stewart, who records with friends on his home computer. Stewart’s cousin, Caralee McElroy joined the band in 2003 and was the only other permanent member of the band until her departure in early 2009. Past members include Cory McCulloch, Lauren Andrews and Yvonne Chen. Some, including McCulloch, have played in previous bands with Stewart such as Ten in the Swear Jar and IBOPA.

In 2006 drummer/percussionist Ches Smith joined Stewart and McElroy in touring to support their 2006 album “The Air Force”.

In May 2007 Devin Hoff joined the band on bass.

Xiu Xiu’s full-length album, Women as Lovers, was released January 29 via Kill Rock Stars.

On May 15, 2009 Caralee McElroy left the band, for personal reasons. She’s now involved with the band Cold Cave.

 

Zola Jesus bio (Last.fm)

Zola Jesus is the endeavor of a solitary girl named Nika Roza Danilova to simultaneously combat and invoke the approaching apocalypse using the only weapon/offering she has; her voice. After a decade of opera study and a musical awakening involving such varied inspiration as Billboard bubblegum, classical arias, no wave, avant industrial, she was able to thread her influences into a sound uniquely her own.

Born and raised in the backwoods of Wisconsin, Nika Roza was literally raised by wolves (well proximally anyways). Trained as an opera singer from a young age, she applied to Julliard. At 10 years old. Rejection didn’t slow her down though as she went on to complete high school in three years and is set to graduate from university with a double major in French and philosophy in the same amount of time.

Beginning her musical output at the age of 16, she released: two 7”s, an EP, a live recording from WNYU, and a split with neighboring Madison headtrips Burial Hex, on Sacred Bones, Troubleman, Die Stasi, and Aurora Borealis respectively. It was her debut full length for Sacred Bones last summer, however, that suddenly grew Zola Jesus’ profile exponentially. Her video for “Clay Bodies” debuted on the Fader and her likeness was plastered all over the interblog. The Spoils made dozens of year-end lists including: The Wire, Pitchfork, The Fader, and Dusted.

Fans and critics alike seemed rabid for new material ever but none of them were quite prepared for the massive pop-ness of her new EP on Sacred Bones, Stridulum. Recording her vocals for the first time with professional instruments, Nika’s voice is brought to the powerful forefront of the mix unleashing the full range of emotions that had only been hinted at in her previous work. No longer just the doomsday soothsayer, Nika refines her soulful psalms creating songs equally nurturing as foreboding. The praise and publicity is flowing in from the NYT to AOL and the band is eager to begin touring this year.

 

Former Ghosts bio (Last.fm)

Former Ghosts is a new synthpop project from Freddy Ruppert, formerly of This Song Is a Mess But So Am I. The band is also comprised of Xiu Xiu’s Jamie Stewart, Zola Jesus’ Nika Roza and TEARIST’s Yasmine Kittles. Ruppert is the lead songwriter on this brutally gloomy project. The title of the debut, Fleurs, is a reference to the white-flowered iris (Iris germanica).

Xiu Xiu bio (Last.fm)

Xiu Xiu (pronounced “shew shew”) is an experimental band originally from San Jose, California and currently based in Durham, NC and Brooklyn. The band is named after the main character of the 1998 Chinese film Tian yu (a.k.a. Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl).

Xiu Xiu was first formed in 2000 and is the main project of singer-songwriter Jamie Stewart, who records with friends on his home computer. Stewart’s cousin, Caralee McElroy joined the band in 2003 and was the only other permanent member of the band until her departure in early 2009. Past members include Cory McCulloch, Lauren Andrews and Yvonne Chen. Some, including McCulloch, have played in previous bands with Stewart such as Ten in the Swear Jar and IBOPA.

In 2006 drummer/percussionist Ches Smith joined Stewart and McElroy in touring to support their 2006 album “The Air Force”.

In May 2007 Devin Hoff joined the band on bass.

Xiu Xiu’s full-length album, Women as Lovers, was released January 29 via Kill Rock Stars.

On May 15, 2009 Caralee McElroy left the band, for personal reasons. She’s now involved with the band Cold Cave.

 

Zola Jesus bio (Last.fm)

Zola Jesus is the endeavor of a solitary girl named Nika Roza Danilova to simultaneously combat and invoke the approaching apocalypse using the only weapon/offering she has; her voice. After a decade of opera study and a musical awakening involving such varied inspiration as Billboard bubblegum, classical arias, no wave, avant industrial, she was able to thread her influences into a sound uniquely her own.

Born and raised in the backwoods of Wisconsin, Nika Roza was literally raised by wolves (well proximally anyways). Trained as an opera singer from a young age, she applied to Julliard. At 10 years old. Rejection didn’t slow her down though as she went on to complete high school in three years and is set to graduate from university with a double major in French and philosophy in the same amount of time.

Beginning her musical output at the age of 16, she released: two 7”s, an EP, a live recording from WNYU, and a split with neighboring Madison headtrips Burial Hex, on Sacred Bones, Troubleman, Die Stasi, and Aurora Borealis respectively. It was her debut full length for Sacred Bones last summer, however, that suddenly grew Zola Jesus’ profile exponentially. Her video for “Clay Bodies” debuted on the Fader and her likeness was plastered all over the interblog. The Spoils made dozens of year-end lists including: The Wire, Pitchfork, The Fader, and Dusted.

Fans and critics alike seemed rabid for new material ever but none of them were quite prepared for the massive pop-ness of her new EP on Sacred Bones, Stridulum. Recording her vocals for the first time with professional instruments, Nika’s voice is brought to the powerful forefront of the mix unleashing the full range of emotions that had only been hinted at in her previous work. No longer just the doomsday soothsayer, Nika refines her soulful psalms creating songs equally nurturing as foreboding. The praise and publicity is flowing in from the NYT to AOL and the band is eager to begin touring this year.

 

Former Ghosts bio (Last.fm)

Former Ghosts is a new synthpop project from Freddy Ruppert, formerly of This Song Is a Mess But So Am I. The band is also comprised of Xiu Xiu’s Jamie Stewart, Zola Jesus’ Nika Roza and TEARIST’s Yasmine Kittles. Ruppert is the lead songwriter on this brutally gloomy project. The title of the debut, Fleurs, is a reference to the white-flowered iris (Iris germanica).

Price: 10E