Sxip Shirey
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
composer, performer, and story-teller. He grew up in Athens
Athens, Ohio
Athens is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Athens County, Ohio, United States. It is located along the Hocking River in the southeastern part of Ohio. A historic college town, Athens is home to Ohio University and is the principal city of the Athens, Ohio Micropolitan Statistical Area. ...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and currently resides in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Sxip started experimenting with found sound composition and extended instrument techniques when asked to compose music for Ohio University’s modern dance department. This eventually took him to New York City and he has been performing everywhere from underground clubs in Brooklyn (Rubulad) to TED (solo performance), all over Europe (The Luminescent Orchestrii) to the Sydney Opera House (The Daredevil Opera Company).
Career
Shirey is an electric-acoustic oriented composer whose work blurs the edge of what is composition and what is sound design, what is experimental and what is novelty, with the intention to create a music built on direct statements that is very audience aware and very audience welcoming. His work utilizes found objects, traditional instruments, computer and re-imaged instruments such as Industrial Flutes, Bullhorn Harmonicas, Regurgitated Music Box, Triple Extended Pennywhistles, Miniature Hand Bell Choir, Obnoxiophone, Glass Bowls With Red Marbles and a clutch of curious objects.At request from the Aaron Copeland founded American Music Center, Shirey has developed composing workshops that draw inspiration from Ann Bogart’s Viewpoints, Foley techniques and deep listening. These workshops allow musicians and non-musicians alike to develop strategies to use what is available to them, voice, found objects and found sounds and extended techniques for traditional instruments to create composition for their own work.
Shirey has been invited to be a guest lecturer at the Norwegian Institute of Art in February 2012 and September of 2013. By invite of the English National Opera he will running a weekend workshop for young composers (and composing music for a short film), March of 2012. He has also run his workshop at Trinity College, Oxford England at request of tuba instructor Oren Marshall and for the animation department at Harvard at request of animation professor Ruth Linford.
Upcoming performances include: Featured performer as member of an ensemble led by founding member of Ethel and Bang on a Can alumni Todd Reynolds, co-billing with Laurie Anderson at Lincoln Center Outdoors on August 10th. Solo performance and performance with Children's Choir in collaboration with composer Angelica Negron at New Amsterdam's Ecstatic Music Festival March 22nd in NYC.
"His music sounds like stories. He works in the places where noise becomes music and does things that make you realize there are no boundaries between noise and music—or not like you imagine" -Neil Gaiman in The Wall Street Journal
Composition Highlights include scoring a short film for Neil Gaiman (Sandman, Coraline) which was featured in an 11 part series for Sky TV in the U.K. and ran on Christmas day. Composition “Song for Lizzie” premiered by The Boston Pops at Symphony Hall on New Years Day. Work with choreographer Heid Latsky and disabled dancers on "GIMP "which had a Boston Premier at The Institute of Contemporary Art. Composition for the feature film Hotel Gramarcy Park by director Douglas Keeve (Unzipped). Collaboration with composer Rachelle Garniez to create and perform the work "Shadowland" for MOMA's Surrealistic Tribute to Salvidor Dali. Composition and music direction for "Marsupial Girl” at The Minneapolis Children's Theater by playwright Lisa D'Amour. Composition for 5 George Meilies silent films including "A Trip to the Moon" for The Museum of The Moving Image in Queens with presentation by International Book Award writer Brian Selznick (The Invention of Hugo Cabaret). Shirey composed music for director puppeteer Theodora Skipitaras' for Women of Troy and Lysistrata at La Mama.
Previous performance highlights include Featured presenter at TED (solo performance), support act for Dresden Dolls US tour, England. Ashley Capp's (founder of Bonaroo) Big Ears Festival, Edinburgh Fringe, Adelaide Fringe Festival in Australia, Floyd Fest, Joe's Pub, The Knitting Factory and CBGB's in New York Ctiy.
"My first night in New York City I wandered over to Tompkin's Square Park, where 15 punk rockers, armed with sledgehammers, sticks and whatever they could find were pounding a piano into dust. It was John Cage made dangerous and delicious." -Sxip Shirey
Sxip Shirey he has played exploding circus organ for the pyro-technic clowns of the Daredevil Opera Company at the Sydney Opera House and the Kennedy Center, industrial flutes for acrobats on mechanical jumping boots at The New Victory Theater on Broadway, tamponophone with The Bindlestiff Family Cirkus at Bonaroo, hillbilly music for gypsies in Transylvania and gypsy music for hillbillies in West Virginia with The Luminescent Orchestrii. When in NYC, Shirey performs at the last of New York's true underground parties and at Joe's Pub at The Public Theater.
Shirey also hosted and curated the multi-part Charm Sessions featuring live international music from NYC for Radio Scotland.Shirey has toured Ireland and Wales as a duo, "Sxip and Rhi" with Rhiannon Giddens of the Carolina Chocolate Drops. Featured on a track with New Orleans legend Doctor John on the next album by french recording artist Feloche.
Shirey has released 3 solo albums, 3 albums with The Luminescent Orchestrii and one fabulous EP on Nonesuch records as a collaboration between Luminescent Orchestrii and The Carolina Chocolate Drops. He has had two songs featured as NPR 'S Song of the Day.
He is the host and producer of Sxip's Hour of Charm, a variety show of cabaret acts. Hour of Charm regularly occurs in New York City, usually at Joe's Pub
Joe's Pub
Joe's Pub at Public Theater is a nightclub that hosts live performances regularly. The venue, which is a non-profit operation, is located at 425 Lafayette Street near Astor Place in Manhattan, New York City...
, but has been taken on the road to the American Repertory Theatre
American Repertory Theatre
The American Repertory Theater is a professional not-for-profit theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1980 by Robert Brustein, the A.R.T. is known for its commitment to new American plays and music–theater explorations; to neglected works of the past; and to established classical texts...
, the Rothbury Music Festival
Rothbury Music Festival
The Rothbury Festival is a four-day jam band music festival in Rothbury, Michigan at the Double JJ Resort. The festival first occurred in 2008 during the Independence Day holiday weekend. In addition to music and arts, the festival is intended to promote sustainability and promote overall...
and other venues. Musicians and sound generators who have performed include:
Amanda Palmer
Amanda Palmer
Amanda MacKinnon Gaiman Palmer , sometimes known as Amanda Fucking Palmer, is an American performer who first rose to prominence as the lead singer, pianist, and lyricist/composer of the duo The Dresden Dolls...
,
Jason Webley
Jason Webley
Jason Webley is an American musician known for his fusion of folk, experimental and alternative music. He began as a busker, playing accordion in the streets of Seattle, Washington, but has since moved in-doors and on stage, playing various venues....
,
Reggie Watts
Reggie Watts
Reggie Watts is a Seattle-based comedian and musician. His shows are mostly improvised and consist of stream of consciousness stand-up in various shifting personae, mixed with loop pedal-based a cappella compositions. He also performs regularly on television, radio, and in live theater...
,
Corn Mo
Corn Mo
Corn Mo is the stage name of Jon Cunningham, a Brooklyn-based musician. Corn Mo sings, plays the accordion, keyboards, and sometimes performs as a one man band. His music style is a mixture of circus music, glam rock, and humorous novelty songs. He is currently recording his third solo album, and...
,
Bora Yoon
Bora Yoon
Bora Yoon is an American musician who uses unconventional instruments in her music.-Early life:Yoon grew up in the United States outside Chicago, Illinois...
,
Project Jenny, Project Jan
Project Jenny, Project Jan
Project Jenny, Project Jan is a laptop rock band from Brooklyn, New York. The band consists of singer Jeremy Haines and programmer/keyboardist Sammy Rubin. Formed in late 2004/early 2005, they have released an EP called EP in 2005 and an album, XOXOXOXOXO in 2007...
,
and
Curtis Eller
Curtis Eller
Curtis Eller is a banjo player, yodeler and songwriter based in New York City.Eller's work has an old-time feel, drawing on an abundance of direct or indirect influences from the first half of the 20th Century, combined with a modern perspective and a healthy dose of rock & roll energy. Many of...
;
variety artists who have performed include:
The Red Bastard,
Una Mimnagh,
Greg Walloch
Greg Walloch
Greg Walloch is an American comedian, actor, author, and monologist.Walloch is best known for his autobiographical performance monologues, which deal with events from his own life, in a style characterized by humor, poignancy, and sexuality...
,
Scotty The Blue Bunny,
Jonathan Nosan,
and
AJ Silver.
Sxip has also toured with Féloche. and Evelyn Evelyn
Evelyn Evelyn
Evelyn Evelyn are a musical duo formed by Amanda Palmer and Jason Webley. According to the fictional backstory described by Palmer and Webley, the duo consists of conjoined twin sisters , Evelyn and Evelyn Neville, who were discovered in 2007 by Palmer and Webley...
for whom he provided an elaborate shadow puppet show.
Sxip is a member of The Daredevil Opera Company and is a founding member of the band Luminescent Orchestrii.
In November 2006 Sxip released his début album, Sombule .
Sxip composed the music for a play Tale of a West Texas Marsupial Girl, a new play at the Children's Theatre Company
Children's Theatre Company
The Children's Theatre Company is a regional theatre established in 1961 in Minneapolis, Minnesota specializing in plays for families and young audiences and the recipient of a 2003 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre...
in Minneapolis, Minnesota in January 2007.
Sxip then wrote the music for Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
's short film Statuesque
Statuesque (short film)
Statuesque is a 2009 short film written and directed by Neil Gaiman, commissioned by Sky Television.The eight-minute film concerns an old man and his relationship with a group of living statues, which includes Amanda Palmer....
, first shown December 2009 on Sky 1 in the UK.
This was followed by a project with Jason Webley
Jason Webley
Jason Webley is an American musician known for his fusion of folk, experimental and alternative music. He began as a busker, playing accordion in the streets of Seattle, Washington, but has since moved in-doors and on stage, playing various venues....
in 2009 entitled Days with You. a 2-song coloured vinyl 7" accompanied by a free 13-song CD.
In May 2010 Sxip released his second album Sonic New York, which included a cover of Ring My Bell
Ring My Bell
"Ring My Bell" is a 1979 disco song by Anita Ward. It was originally written for Stacy Lattisaw, but when she signed with a different label, Ward was asked to sing it instead and it became her only major hit. The song hit number one on the disco charts. "Ring My Bell" went to number one on both...
by Anita Ward
Anita Ward
Anita Ward is an American singer and musician. She is best known for her 1979 million selling chart-topper, "Ring My Bell".-Career:Before signing a recording contract, Ward obtained a degree in psychology from Rust College in Holly Springs, Mississippi, and had become a schoolteacher...
.
On August 1st 2011, Sxip announced that, through the crowd sourcing website Kickstarter
Kickstarter
Kickstarter is an online threshold pledge system for funding creative projects. Kickstarter has funded a diverse array of endeavors, ranging from indie film and music to journalism, solar energy technology and food-related projects.-Model:...
, he had managed to raise $21,005 to fund a third album A Bottle of WHISKEY and a Handful of BEES.