Kurt Swinghammer

Biography

While Kurt Swinghammer might not have as prominent a profile within the Canadian arts picture as, express, Barenaked Ladies, he has non-etheless produced an impact being a musician, specialist, and visual artist. Obtaining his begin in Niagara Falls, Ontario, preliminary Swinghammer shows in 1978 had been definitely even more art-school than pop-schooled, incorporating media apparatus such as for example projectors and television sets, coupled with both live and pre-recorded musical amounts. After performing within the Niagara region for quite some time, with occasional excursions into Toronto, Swinghammer finally produced the transfer to Toronto correct in 1984. Furthermore to documenting off-center solo functions, Swinghammer performed with several bands on the following years, including General Electric powered, the Yard, and Vital Sines. He also documented other performers at his house studio during this time period — including an unidentified bicycle courier by the name of Ron Sexsmith. Frustratingly, despite having all this music under his belt, in musical circles he might have been most widely known because the one who hand-painted the matches how the Shuffle Demons used during shows. Though he’d previously self-released several cassettes, it had been the 1991 discharge from the PoMo a GoGo Compact disc that finally brought Swinghammer to some cross-Canada audience, because of a distribution cope with Fringe Item. Though he continuing to indulge his even more creative side during this time period, he also installed once again with superstar-in-the-making Ron Sexsmith, executing in Sexsmith’s music group the Uncool, and executing together beneath the improbable moniker Sexhammer. The start of the ’90s also discovered Swinghammer starting to compose more regularly for films and television applications. When Swinghammer finally returned into solo executing mode, his selection of written content was perfectly consistent with his creative sensibilities; Vostok 6 was an idea album focused on cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, the very first woman in space. Though the record didn’t specifically sell with the truckload, it produced a lover of Ani DiFranco, who not merely gave the recording wider release on her behalf own label, but additionally invited Swinghammer to execute in her live music group and on her behalf To one’s teeth album. His single release Dark Eyed Sue adopted in 2001. Between single projects, Swinghammer continues to be busy along with his structure work with the display and his visitor looks on albums by additional Canadian performers (Dan Bryk, Great Big Ocean, and Sarah Slean, to mention just a couple).

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