Thurston Moore
Encyclopedia
Thurston Joseph Moore is an American musician
best known as a singer, songwriter and guitarist of Sonic Youth
. He has also participated in many solo and group collaborations outside of Sonic Youth, as well as running the Ecstatic Peace! record label. Moore was ranked 34th in Rolling Stone
's 2004 edition of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time."
, but was raised in Bethel, Connecticut
. Although he enrolled at Western Connecticut State University
, he instead moved to New York City to join the burgeoning post-punk
/no wave
music scenes. At the beginning of his time in New York, he lived in an apartment below Dan Graham
, eventually befriending him, sometimes using records from Graham's collection for mix tapes.
Once in the city, Moore was briefly a member of the hardcore punk
band Even Worse
, featuring future The Big Takeover
editor (and future Springhouse drummer) Jack Rabid. After exiting the band, Moore and Lee Ranaldo
learned experimental guitar techniques in Glenn Branca
's "guitar orchestras."
, then to Homestead Records
, and then to SST Records
.
Moore and Ranaldo make extensive use of unusual guitar tunings, often heavily modifying their instruments to provide unusual timbres and drones. They are known for bringing upwards of fifty guitars to every gig, using some guitars for one song only. In 2004, Rolling Stone
magazine ranked Moore and Ranaldo the 33rd and 34th Greatest Guitarists of All Time.
In 2011, Gordon and Moore announced they are separated; therefore, the future of Sonic Youth is unclear.
. ) The two also established Protest records
together but the project has since lapsed.
Moore has collaborated with scores of musicians, including Maryanne Amacher
, Lydia Lunch
, DJ Spooky
, William Hooker, Daniel Carter
, Christian Marclay
, Mike Watt
, Loren Mazzacane Connors
, Tom Surgal, William Winant
, Nels Cline
, Cock E.S.P.
, WRONG
, Daniel Castro, Glenn Branca
, Yamantaka Eye
, Chris Corsano
and My Cat is an Alien
. Most of his solo/duo collaborations have been instrumental, and are generally improvised and/or noise
based.
In the early 1990s, Moore formed the side band Dim Stars
, with Richard Hell
, Don Fleming
, Steve Shelley
and Robert Quine
. Moore performed solo on the side stage of the 1993 Lollapalooza
tour. Additionally, Moore also contributed guitar work and backing vocals on "Crush with Eyeliner
", which appeared on R.E.M.
's Monster.
Since 2004, Moore has recorded and performed with the noise collective To Live and Shave in L.A.
, the lineup of which also features Andrew W.K.
. He recorded with the band at Sonic Youth's former studio in Manhattan
, and later performed with them at the George W. Bush
"anti-inaugural" Noise Against Fascism concert in Washington, D.C.
, named in reference to Sonic Youth's 1992 song "Youth Against Fascism." Moore curated the "Nightmare Before Christmas" weekend of the All Tomorrow's Parties
music festival in December 2006.
Moore directed the music video for Pavement's
song "Here," from Slanted and Enchanted
. Foot is a collaboration between Don Fleming
, Jim Dunbar and Thurston Moore.
On June 21, 2007, Moore revealed to Spin Magazine that he would be releasing a solo album titled Trees Outside The Academy
. The album was recorded at J Mascis
' studio in Amherst, Massachusetts
. The album is made up of mostly acoustic material and features Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley
and violinist Samara Lubelski. The album also features collaborations between Mascis and Charalambides
' Christina Carter, who performs a duet with Moore on the track, "Honest James." The album was released on September 18, 2007, on Moore's label Ecstatic Peace.
On September 24, 2008, Pitchfork Media
reported that Thurston was working on a song with former Be Your Own Pet
vocalist Jemina Pearl
, a cover of the Ramones
song "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker
." The song was recorded for the teenage drama Gossip Girl
and was featured in the episode "There Might Be Blood".
Since 2008, Moore has provided narration for a variety of documentaries on the National Geographic Channel
. His work includes Inside: Straight Edge and the Hard Time series about life in prison.
In 1994, Moore teamed up with Greg Dulli of The Afghan Whigs
, Don Fleming
of Gumball, Mike Mills
of R.E.M.
, and Dave Grohl
of Nirvana
/Foo Fighters
, to form the Backbeat Band, which recorded the soundtrack album to the movie Backbeat
.
In 1998 Moore played on the soundtrack of the film Velvet Goldmine
as a member of Wylde Ratttz, along with The Stooges
' Ron Asheton
, his Sonic Youth bandmate Steve Shelley
, Minutemen
's Mike Watt
, Gumball
's Don Fleming
, Mark Arm
of Mudhoney
and Jim Dunbar.
Moore also composed original music for the films:
In 2007, Moore also appeared with noise/improv group "Original Silence" featuring Norwegian drummer Paal Nilssen-Love (The thing, Atomic, Scorch Trio), guitarist Terrie Ex (The Ex), Jim O'Rourke (Sonic Youth, Wilco, Illusion of Safety), saxophonist Mats Gustafsson
and bassist Massimo Pupillo (Zu). The group released the live album "The First Original Silence" in 2007, on Oslo (Norway) label SmallTown Superjazz, and a second album "The Second Original Silence" in 2008.
Ecstatic Peace!. Beginning in 1993, this label jointly released records with rock critic Byron Coley
's label, Father Yod
, as Ecstatic Yod Records.
Moore reviews new music in Arthur Magazine in a column written jointly with Byron Coley
. He manages the website Protest Records, named for its protest against United States' invasions in the Middle East
. Moore was the editor/overseer of the 2005 book Mix Tape: The Art of Cassette Culture
. He published a highly influential list of collectible free jazz records in Grand Royal magazine.
/vocalist Kim Gordon
. The pair have a daughter, Coco Hayley Gordon Moore (born 1 July 1994). They currently reside in Northampton, Massachusetts
. However, as of October 14, 2011, the couple announced that they are separating .
guitars during gigs. Most of the time he plays a Jazzmaster through many different types of amps among which Vox AC30
, Peaveys
and Fender
s are present. He also plays a Jaguar
and (less often) a heavily modified Fender Duo-Sonic
with three single-coil pickups.
Since Ranaldo and Moore, together with Elvis Costello
, J. Mascis, and Kevin Shields
, are known for being key figures in the popularization and resurrection of the Fender Jazzmaster
, in 2009 Fender
introduced a Lee Ranaldo signature edition of a Sapphire Blue Transparent version featuring two Fender Wide Range
humbucking pickups and a Forest Green transparent finish for Moore, equipped with a pair of Seymour Duncan
Antiquity II Jazzmaster single-coil pickups).
Other:
Limited Edition Noise, experimental, drone projects:
Collaborations:
Free Improvisation Albums:
Live Albums:
Albums with Sonic Youth:
Albums with Diskaholics Anonymous Trio [Jim O'Rourke, Mats Gustafsson, Thurston Moore]:
Albums with Original Silence:
Early work with Glenn Branca:
Early work with the Coachmen:
Singles:
Split LPs:
Album appearances:
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
best known as a singer, songwriter and guitarist of Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
. He has also participated in many solo and group collaborations outside of Sonic Youth, as well as running the Ecstatic Peace! record label. Moore was ranked 34th in Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
's 2004 edition of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time."
Early years
Moore was born in Coral Gables, FloridaCoral Gables, Florida
Coral Gables is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, southwest of Downtown Miami, in the United States. The city is home to the University of Miami....
, but was raised in Bethel, Connecticut
Bethel, Connecticut
Bethel is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, about sixty miles from New York City. Its population was 18,584 at the 2010 census. The town center is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place...
. Although he enrolled at Western Connecticut State University
Western Connecticut State University
Western Connecticut State University is a public university in Danbury, Connecticut. Founded in 1903, WestConn has an arts and sciences curriculum, a business school, and several professional programs including elementary and secondary education, nursing, music performance, and social work...
, he instead moved to New York City to join the burgeoning post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
/no wave
No Wave
No Wave was a short-lived but influential underground music, film, performance art, video, and contemporary art scene that had its beginnings during the mid-1970s in New York City. The term No Wave is in part satirical word play rejecting the commercial elements of the then-popular New Wave genre...
music scenes. At the beginning of his time in New York, he lived in an apartment below Dan Graham
Dan Graham
Dan Graham , is a conceptual artist now working out of New York City. He is an influential figure in the field of contemporary art, both a practitioner of conceptual art and an art critic and theorist. His art career began in 1964 when he moved to New York and opened the John Daniels Gallery....
, eventually befriending him, sometimes using records from Graham's collection for mix tapes.
Once in the city, Moore was briefly a member of the hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
band Even Worse
Even Worse (band)
Even Worse was a band formed in 1980 in New York City that helped define the American punk/post-punk/no wave scene. Band members included Rebecca "R.B." Korbet , Robert Weeks , Eric Keil , Ken Temkin, and Jack Rabid . Other occasional members have included Thurston Moore and Tim Sommer...
, featuring future The Big Takeover
The Big Takeover
The Big Takeover is a bi-annual music magazine published out of New York City since 1980 by critic Jack Rabid.-Overview:The Big T usually appears in June and December, with most recent issues coming in around 200 pages. The review section, featuring Jack’s Top 40 for the issue, is regularly 60-80...
editor (and future Springhouse drummer) Jack Rabid. After exiting the band, Moore and Lee Ranaldo
Lee Ranaldo
Lee M. Ranaldo is an American singer, guitarist, writer, record producer, and visual artist, best known as a co-founder of the alternative rock band Sonic Youth...
learned experimental guitar techniques in Glenn Branca
Glenn Branca
Glenn Branca is an American avant-garde composer and guitarist known for his use of volume, alternative guitar tunings, repetition, droning, and the harmonic series. In 2008 he was awarded an unrestricted grant from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts.-Beginnings: 1960s and early 1970s:Branca...
's "guitar orchestras."
Sonic Youth
Moore and Ranaldo soon formed Sonic Youth, serving as the band's guitarists, with Moore on lead vocals on a good portion of the material. The band signed to Neutral RecordsNeutral Records
Neutral Records is an independent record label. Glenn Branca ran the label during the No Wave and post-punk scene in the Lower East Side, New York, in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Among their releases were early records by Swans and the first EP by Sonic Youth as well as Confusion is Sex....
, then to Homestead Records
Homestead Records
Homestead Records was a Long Island, NY based sublabel of music distributor Dutch East India Trading. It was founded in 1984 by Sam Berger, who was the American Independent buyer for Dutch East India Trading. Berger was finding that many bands who had perhaps released their own first 45 were...
, and then to SST Records
SST Records
SST Records is an American independent record label formed in 1978 in Long Beach, California by musician Greg Ginn. The company was initially called Solid State Transmitters through which Ginn sold electronics equipment...
.
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine ranked Moore and Ranaldo the 33rd and 34th Greatest Guitarists of All Time.
In 2011, Gordon and Moore announced they are separated; therefore, the future of Sonic Youth is unclear.
Work outside of Sonic Youth
In addition to his work with Sonic Youth, Moore has also released albums as a solo artist. He and Gordon released a few songs as Mirror/Dash, a reference to their respective nicknames. ("Mirror" being an alliterative pun on "Moore" , and "Dash" being a pun on Flash GordonFlash Gordon
Flash Gordon is the hero of a science fiction adventure comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by and created to compete with the already established Buck Rogers adventure strip. Also inspired by these series were comics such as Dash...
. ) The two also established Protest records
Protest Records
Protest Records is a subversive, online record label that creates mp3 compilation albums, which are released for free download. The label was founded by Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth with Stephan Said...
together but the project has since lapsed.
Moore has collaborated with scores of musicians, including Maryanne Amacher
Maryanne Amacher
Maryanne Amacher was an American composer and installation artist.-Biography:Amacher was born in Kane, Pennsylvania, to an American nurse and a Swiss freight train worker. As the only child, she grew up playing the piano. Amacher left Kane to attend the University of Pennsylvania on a full...
, Lydia Lunch
Lydia Lunch
Lydia Lunch is an American singer, poet, writer, and actress whose career was spawned by the New York No Wave scene...
, DJ Spooky
DJ Spooky
Paul D. Miller , known by his stage name DJ Spooky, That Subliminal Kid, is a Washington DC-born electronic and experimental hip hop musician whose work is often called by critics or his fans as "illbient" or "trip hop". He is a turntablist, a producer, a philosopher, and an author...
, William Hooker, Daniel Carter
Daniel Carter (musician)
Daniel Carter is an American free jazz saxophone, flute, clarinet, and trumpet player active mainly in New York City since the early 1970s...
, Christian Marclay
Christian Marclay
Christian Marclay is a Swiss-American visual artist and composer.Marclay's work explores connections between sound, noise, photography, video, and film...
, Mike Watt
Mike Watt
Michael David Watt is an American bassist, singer and songwriter.He is best known for co-founding the rock bands Minutemen, dos, and Firehose; , he is also the bassist for the reunited Stooges and a member of the art rock/jazz/punk/improv group Banyan as well as many other post-Minutemen...
, Loren Mazzacane Connors
Loren Mazzacane Connors
Loren MazzaCane Connors is an American experimental musician who has recorded and performed under several different names: Guitar Roberts, Loren Mazzacane, Loren Mattei, and currently Loren Connors...
, Tom Surgal, William Winant
William Winant
William Winant is an American percussionist.In addition to his work in contemporary classical music -- notably performing Lou Harrison's compositions—Winant has worked in a variety of genres, including noise rock, free improvisation and jazz. Notable collaborators include Glenn Spearman, Thurston...
, Nels Cline
Nels Cline
Nels Cline is an American guitarist and composer, currently the lead guitarist of alternative rock band Wilco. David Carr of the New York Times describes Cline as "one of the best guitarists in any genre."-Career:...
, Cock E.S.P.
Cock E.S.P.
Cock E.S.P. is a US-American band based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The group draws on the most extreme, subversive and absurdist elements of both popular and experimental Twentieth century music and performance art, creating abstract high-energy entertainment. Influences include noise music, punk...
, WRONG
Wrong
A wrong or being wrong is a concept in law, ethics, epistemology, and science. In a colloquial sense, wrongness usually refers to a state of incorrectness, inaccuracy, error, or miscalculation in any number of contexts...
, Daniel Castro, Glenn Branca
Glenn Branca
Glenn Branca is an American avant-garde composer and guitarist known for his use of volume, alternative guitar tunings, repetition, droning, and the harmonic series. In 2008 he was awarded an unrestricted grant from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts.-Beginnings: 1960s and early 1970s:Branca...
, Yamantaka Eye
Yamantaka Eye
, real name , born February 13, 1964 in Kobe, is a Japanese vocalist and visual artist, best known as a member of Boredoms. He has changed his name three times, from Yamatsuka Eye, to Yamantaka Eye, to Yamataka Eye, and sometimes calls himself eYe or EYヨ...
, Chris Corsano
Chris Corsano
Chris Corsano is a drummer from New England, USA. He often performs in an improvisation duo with saxophonist Paul Flaherty. He has also recorded material with artists such as Evan Parker, Dredd Foole, Sunburned Hand of the Man, Six Organs of Admittance, Kim Gordon, Thurston Moore, Matt Valentine,...
and My Cat is an Alien
My Cat Is an Alien
My Cat Is An Alien is the name of an Italian musical duo consisting of brothers Maurizio and Roberto Opalio from Torino in Italy. They release avant garde /experimental music and are often classified as improv....
. Most of his solo/duo collaborations have been instrumental, and are generally improvised and/or noise
Noise music
Noise music is a term used to describe varieties of avant-garde music and sound art that may use elements such as cacophony, dissonance, atonality, noise, indeterminacy, and repetition in their realization. Noise music can feature distortion, various types of acoustically or electronically...
based.
In the early 1990s, Moore formed the side band Dim Stars
Dim Stars
Dim Stars was an alternative rock supergroup active briefly in the early 1990s. The group was composed of bassist Richard Hell of The Voidoids, guitarist Thurston Moore and drummer Steve Shelley from Sonic Youth, guitarist Don Fleming from Gumball; there was some guitar work by Robert Quine, also...
, with Richard Hell
Richard Hell
Richard Hell is a singer, songwriter, bass guitarist, and writer.Richard Hell was an innovator of punk music and fashion. He was one of the first to spike his hair and wear torn, cut and drawn-on shirts, often held together with safety pins...
, Don Fleming
Don Fleming
Donald Denver "Don" Fleming was an American college and professional football player who was a defensive back in the National Football League for three seasons in the early 1960s. Fleming played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played professionally for the...
, Steve Shelley
Steve Shelley
Steven Jay Shelley is an American drummer, best known as the drummer of alternative rock band Sonic Youth.-Biography:...
and Robert Quine
Robert Quine
Robert Wolfe Quine was an American guitarist, known for his innovative guitar solos.A native of Akron, Ohio, Quine worked with a wide range of musicians, though he himself remained relatively unknown in comparison...
. Moore performed solo on the side stage of the 1993 Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza is an annual music festival featuring popular alternative rock, heavy metal, punk rock and hip hop bands, dance and comedy performances, and craft booths. It has also provided a platform for non-profit and political groups. The music festival hosts more than 160,000 people over a...
tour. Additionally, Moore also contributed guitar work and backing vocals on "Crush with Eyeliner
Crush with Eyeliner
"Crush with Eyeliner" is a song by R.E.M., released as the third single from their ninth studio album Monster. Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore provides background vocals....
", which appeared on R.E.M.
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
's Monster.
Since 2004, Moore has recorded and performed with the noise collective To Live and Shave in L.A.
To Live and Shave in L.A.
To Live and Shave in L.A. is an experimental music collective founded in 1993 by avant-garde composer/producer Tom Smith and Miami Beach musician/producer Frank "Rat Bastard" Falestra...
, the lineup of which also features Andrew W.K.
Andrew W.K.
Andrew W.K. is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, entertainer, and motivational speaker. He is the host of the television series Destroy Build Destroy.-Early life & career:Andrew Wilkes-Krier was born in Stanford, California, and grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan...
. He recorded with the band at Sonic Youth's former studio in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, and later performed with them at the George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
"anti-inaugural" Noise Against Fascism concert in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, named in reference to Sonic Youth's 1992 song "Youth Against Fascism." Moore curated the "Nightmare Before Christmas" weekend of the All Tomorrow's Parties
All Tomorrow's Parties (music festival)
All Tomorrow's Parties is a music festival which takes place at Camber Sands holiday camp in East Sussex and Butlin's holiday camp in Minehead, Somerset, England....
music festival in December 2006.
Moore directed the music video for Pavement's
Pavement (band)
Pavement is an American alternative rock band that formed in Stockton, California in 1989. In their career, they achieved a significant cult following, and they were called the best band of the 1990s by prominent music critics Robert Christgau and Stephen Thomas Erlewine...
song "Here," from Slanted and Enchanted
Slanted and Enchanted
Slanted and Enchanted is the debut studio album by American indie rock band Pavement, released in April 1992 on Matador Records. The album was distributed to critics as early as 1991, months before its official release; the original distribution did not feature the entire band as several members...
. Foot is a collaboration between Don Fleming
Don Fleming (musician)
Don Fleming is an American musician, best known for being the frontman of Velvet Monkeys, B.A.L.L., and Gumball.-Biography:...
, Jim Dunbar and Thurston Moore.
On June 21, 2007, Moore revealed to Spin Magazine that he would be releasing a solo album titled Trees Outside The Academy
Trees Outside the Academy
Trees Outside the Academy is an alternative rock album by American musician Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth. It was released on 18 September 2007 and was Moore's first solo album since 1995's Psychic Hearts. It was released on Moore's own label, Ecstatic Peace...
. The album was recorded at J Mascis
J Mascis
J Mascis is an American musician, best known as the singer, guitarist and songwriter for Dinosaur Jr.. In 2011, he was ranked in Rolling Stone's list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.- Biography :...
' studio in Amherst, Massachusetts
Amherst, Massachusetts
Amherst is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States in the Connecticut River valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 37,819, making it the largest community in Hampshire County . The town is home to Amherst College, Hampshire College, and the University of Massachusetts...
. The album is made up of mostly acoustic material and features Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley
Steve Shelley
Steven Jay Shelley is an American drummer, best known as the drummer of alternative rock band Sonic Youth.-Biography:...
and violinist Samara Lubelski. The album also features collaborations between Mascis and Charalambides
Charalambides
Charalambides is an avant garde musical group originally from Houston, Texas, USA and lately of Austin, Texas. Formed in 1991 by Tom Carter, Christina Carter and Kyle Silfer, they have followed in the footsteps of other Texas psychedelic music artists such as the 13th Floor Elevators, Red Crayola,...
' Christina Carter, who performs a duet with Moore on the track, "Honest James." The album was released on September 18, 2007, on Moore's label Ecstatic Peace.
On September 24, 2008, Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
reported that Thurston was working on a song with former Be Your Own Pet
Be your own PET
Be Your Own Pet was a four-piece punk/garage rock group from Nashville, Tennessee, USA.-Members:* Jemina Pearl – vocals* Nathan Vasquez – bass, backing vocals* Jonas Stein – guitar, backing vocals* John Eatherly – drums...
vocalist Jemina Pearl
Jemina Pearl
Jemina Pearl Abegg , known by the stage name Jemina Pearl, is an American singer, formerly the frontwoman of Be Your Own Pet....
, a cover of the Ramones
Ramones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
song "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker
Sheena is a Punk Rocker
"Sheena Is a Punk Rocker" is a song by the punk rock group The Ramones. It first appeared on their third LP, Rocket to Russia, in 1977, and was also included on later pressings of the group's second album, Leave Home...
." The song was recorded for the teenage drama Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl (TV series)
Gossip Girl is an American teen drama television series based on the book series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series was created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, and premiered on The CW on September 19, 2007...
and was featured in the episode "There Might Be Blood".
Since 2008, Moore has provided narration for a variety of documentaries on the National Geographic Channel
National Geographic Channel
National Geographic Channel, also commercially abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo, is a subscription television channel that airs non-fiction television programs produced by the National Geographic Society. Like History and the Discovery Channel, the channel features documentaries with factual...
. His work includes Inside: Straight Edge and the Hard Time series about life in prison.
Work on film soundtracks
The Afghan Whigs
The Afghan Whigs were a soul-influenced American rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio. PopMatters described the band as "beyond simple genre categorization, and though lauded by the music press, never got their just due."-Band history:...
, Don Fleming
Don Fleming (musician)
Don Fleming is an American musician, best known for being the frontman of Velvet Monkeys, B.A.L.L., and Gumball.-Biography:...
of Gumball, Mike Mills
Mike Mills
Michael Edward "Mike" Mills is an American multi-instrumentalist and composer who was a founding member of the alternative rock group R.E.M.. Though known primarily as a bass guitarist, backing vocalist, and pianist, his musical repertoire includes also keyboards, guitar, and percussion instruments...
of R.E.M.
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
, and Dave Grohl
Dave Grohl
David Eric "Dave" Grohl is an American rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter for Foo Fighters; the former drummer for Nirvana and Scream; and the current drummer for Them Crooked Vultures...
of Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
/Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
, to form the Backbeat Band, which recorded the soundtrack album to the movie Backbeat
Backbeat (film)
Backbeat is a 1994 British-German drama film directed by Iain Softley. It chronicles the early days of The Beatles in Hamburg, Germany. The film focuses primarily on the relationship between Stuart Sutcliffe and John Lennon , and also with Sutcliffe's German girlfriend Astrid Kirchherr...
.
In 1998 Moore played on the soundtrack of the film Velvet Goldmine
Velvet Goldmine
Velvet Goldmine is a 1998 British/American drama film directed and co-written by Todd Haynes. The film tells the story of a pop star based mainly on David Bowie's 'Ziggy Stardust' character and is set in Britain during the days of glam rock in the early 1970s.Sandy Powell received another Academy...
as a member of Wylde Ratttz, along with The Stooges
The Stooges
The Stooges are an American rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan first active from 1967 to 1974, and later reformed in 2003...
' Ron Asheton
Ron Asheton
Ronald Frank Asheton was an American guitarist and co-songwriter with Iggy Pop for the rock band The Stooges.Asheton is ranked as number 29 on Rolling Stones list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time....
, his Sonic Youth bandmate Steve Shelley
Steve Shelley
Steven Jay Shelley is an American drummer, best known as the drummer of alternative rock band Sonic Youth.-Biography:...
, Minutemen
Minutemen (band)
Minutemen were an American hardcore punk band formed in San Pedro, California in 1980. Composed of guitarist D. Boon, bassist Mike Watt and drummer George Hurley, Minutemen recorded four albums and eight EPs before Boon's death in an automobile accident in December 1985...
's Mike Watt
Mike Watt
Michael David Watt is an American bassist, singer and songwriter.He is best known for co-founding the rock bands Minutemen, dos, and Firehose; , he is also the bassist for the reunited Stooges and a member of the art rock/jazz/punk/improv group Banyan as well as many other post-Minutemen...
, Gumball
Gumball (band)
Gumball was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1990. The original lineup consisted of Don Fleming , Eric Vermillion , and Jay Spiegel . In 1992, a fourth member was added, Malcolm Riviera who had previously played with Fleming and Spiegel in the Velvet Monkeys.-History:After Fleming...
's Don Fleming
Don Fleming (musician)
Don Fleming is an American musician, best known for being the frontman of Velvet Monkeys, B.A.L.L., and Gumball.-Biography:...
, Mark Arm
Mark Arm
Mark Arm is the vocalist for the grunge band Mudhoney. He is also credited with coining the term "grunge" to describe his style of rock music...
of Mudhoney
Mudhoney
Mudhoney is an American alternative rock band. Formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1988 following the demise of Green River, Mudhoney's members are vocalist and rhythm guitarist Mark Arm, lead guitarist Steve Turner, bassist Guy Maddison, and drummer Dan Peters. Original bassist Matt Lukin left the...
and Jim Dunbar.
Moore also composed original music for the films:
- HeavyHeavy (film)Heavy is a 1995 independent American drama film written and directed by James Mangold, and starring Liv Tyler, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Shelley Winters, and Deborah Harry...
(1995) - BullyBully (film)Bully is a 2001 independent American drama film, based on actual events, starring Brad Renfro, Bijou Phillips, Rachel Miner, Michael Pitt, Leo Fitzpatrick and Nick Stahl. The story concerns the plot to murder a mutual friend of several young adults in Southern Florida, in revenge for his continual...
(2001) - ManicManic (film)Manic is a 2001 American drama film directed by Jordan Melamed and written by Michael Bacall and Blayne Weaver. It was shown at several film festivals in 2001 and 2002, including the Sundance Film Festival. The region 1 DVD was released January 20, 2004...
(2001) - Extra Action and Extra Hardcore (2008)
In 2007, Moore also appeared with noise/improv group "Original Silence" featuring Norwegian drummer Paal Nilssen-Love (The thing, Atomic, Scorch Trio), guitarist Terrie Ex (The Ex), Jim O'Rourke (Sonic Youth, Wilco, Illusion of Safety), saxophonist Mats Gustafsson
Mats Gustafsson
Mats Olof Gustafsson is a Swedish saxophone player and a stalwart on the Scandinavian free jazz scene. He is known for his tonal belligerence and intensity when improvising....
and bassist Massimo Pupillo (Zu). The group released the live album "The First Original Silence" in 2007, on Oslo (Norway) label SmallTown Superjazz, and a second album "The Second Original Silence" in 2008.
Record label and writings
Moore and other Sonic Youth members published the irreverent music zine Sonic Life. Moore runs the record labelRecord label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
Ecstatic Peace!. Beginning in 1993, this label jointly released records with rock critic Byron Coley
Byron Coley
Byron Coley is an American music critic who wrote prominently for Forced Exposure magazine in the 1980s, starting with their fifth issue until the magazine ceased publication in 1993. Prior to Forced Exposure, he wrote for NY Rocker, Boston Rock, and Take It! magazine. Coley is one of the first...
's label, Father Yod
Father Yod
Father Yod or YaHoWha was the American owner of a Los Angeles health food restaurant on the Sunset Strip who founded a spiritual commune in the Hollywood Hills known as the Source Family...
, as Ecstatic Yod Records.
Moore reviews new music in Arthur Magazine in a column written jointly with Byron Coley
Byron Coley
Byron Coley is an American music critic who wrote prominently for Forced Exposure magazine in the 1980s, starting with their fifth issue until the magazine ceased publication in 1993. Prior to Forced Exposure, he wrote for NY Rocker, Boston Rock, and Take It! magazine. Coley is one of the first...
. He manages the website Protest Records, named for its protest against United States' invasions in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. Moore was the editor/overseer of the 2005 book Mix Tape: The Art of Cassette Culture
Mix Tape: The Art of Cassette Culture
Mix Tape: The Art of Cassette Culture is a 2005 book edited by musician Thurston Moore on Universe Publishing.-Info:The book is a collection of stories, essays, art, and other contributions by various artists, musicians, and writers...
. He published a highly influential list of collectible free jazz records in Grand Royal magazine.
Personal life
In 1984, Moore married Sonic Youth bassistBassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
/vocalist Kim Gordon
Kim Gordon
Kim Althea Gordon is an American musician, vocalist, artist, record producer, video director and actress. She has sung and played bass and guitar in the alternative rock band Sonic Youth, and in Free Kitten with Julia Cafritz...
. The pair have a daughter, Coco Hayley Gordon Moore (born 1 July 1994). They currently reside in Northampton, Massachusetts
Northampton, Massachusetts
The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of Northampton's central neighborhoods, was 28,549...
. However, as of October 14, 2011, the couple announced that they are separating .
Equipment
Moore is known for using a large selection of FenderFender
Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, commonly referred to as simply Fender, of Scottsdale, Arizona is a manufacturer of stringed instruments and amplifiers, such as solid-body electric guitars, including the Stratocaster and the Telecaster...
guitars during gigs. Most of the time he plays a Jazzmaster through many different types of amps among which Vox AC30
Vox AC30
The Vox AC30 is a guitar amplifier manufactured by Vox and known for its "jangly" high-end sound. First introduced in 1958 due to the growing demand for higher-wattage amplifiers, it became an iconic amplifier for British musicians and soon for others....
, Peaveys
Peavey Electronics
Peavey Electronics Corporation is one of the largest audio equipment manufacturers in the world, headquartered in Meridian, Mississippi in the United States.- History :...
and Fender
Fender
Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, commonly referred to as simply Fender, of Scottsdale, Arizona is a manufacturer of stringed instruments and amplifiers, such as solid-body electric guitars, including the Stratocaster and the Telecaster...
s are present. He also plays a Jaguar
Fender Jaguar
The Fender Jaguar is an electric guitar introduced in 1962. A descendant of the Jazzmaster, the Jaguar quickly caught on in the emerging Surf music scene...
and (less often) a heavily modified Fender Duo-Sonic
Fender Duo-Sonic
The Fender Duo-Sonic guitar was launched by Fender as a “student” model guitar. The “Duo-Sonic” features two single-coil pick-ups and a vertical switch on the lower horn of the body to select bridge, neck or both pickups in a humbucking style configuration...
with three single-coil pickups.
Since Ranaldo and Moore, together with Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
, J. Mascis, and Kevin Shields
Kevin Shields
Kevin Patrick Shields is an American-born, Irish vocalist, guitarist, and producer of alternative rock band My Bloody Valentine....
, are known for being key figures in the popularization and resurrection of the Fender Jazzmaster
Fender Jazzmaster
The Fender Jazzmaster is an electric guitar designed as an upmarket sibling to the Fender Stratocaster. First introduced at the 1958 NAMM Show, it was initially marketed at jazz guitarists, but found favor among surf rock guitarists in the early 1960s...
, in 2009 Fender
Fender
Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, commonly referred to as simply Fender, of Scottsdale, Arizona is a manufacturer of stringed instruments and amplifiers, such as solid-body electric guitars, including the Stratocaster and the Telecaster...
introduced a Lee Ranaldo signature edition of a Sapphire Blue Transparent version featuring two Fender Wide Range
Fender Wide Range
The Fender Wide Range Humbucker is a humbucker guitar pickup, designed by Seth Lover for Fender in the early 1970s. This pickup was intended to break Fender's image as a "single coil guitar company", and to gain a foothold in the humbucker guitar market dominated by Gibson.The pickups enjoyed some...
humbucking pickups and a Forest Green transparent finish for Moore, equipped with a pair of Seymour Duncan
Seymour Duncan
Seymour Duncan is a company that is best known for manufacturing of guitar pickups, and currently has a line of effects pedals. The company was founded in 1976 by guitarist and luthier Seymour W. Duncan and his then-wife Cathy Carter Duncan in Goleta, California, USA...
Antiquity II Jazzmaster single-coil pickups).
Solo discography and collaborations
Solo albums:- Psychic HeartsPsychic HeartsPsychic Hearts is a solo album by Sonic Youth member Thurston Moore. The album was released in 1995 through Geffen Records. The album has been remastered "for goodness" and reissued in 2006...
(1995, Geffen RecordsGeffen RecordsGeffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
) - Trees Outside the AcademyTrees Outside the AcademyTrees Outside the Academy is an alternative rock album by American musician Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth. It was released on 18 September 2007 and was Moore's first solo album since 1995's Psychic Hearts. It was released on Moore's own label, Ecstatic Peace...
(2007, Ecstatic PeaceEcstatic PeaceEcstatic Peace! is a record label based in Easthampton, Massachusetts, founded in 1981 by Sonic Youth member Thurston Moore. The premiere release was a split cassette featuring spoken word performances from Michael Gira of Swans and Lydia Lunch...
) - Demolished ThoughtsDemolished ThoughtsDemolished Thoughts is an acoustic rock album by American musician Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth.-Background and recording:Demolished Thoughts was produced by Beck Hansen and recorded in 2010 in Massachusetts and Los Angeles...
(2011, Matador RecordsMatador RecordsMatador Records is an independent record label, with a roster of indie rock artists and bands.-History:Matador was started by Chris Lombardi in 1989 in his New York City apartment. The following year, Lombardi was joined by former Homestead Records manager Gerard Cosloy, and the two of them have...
) (UK chart peak: #119)
Other:
- RootRoot (album)Root was a multimedia project based around 25 one minute guitar pieces improvised by Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth. These samples were sent out to around 100 people - both visual artists as well as musicians - in Hoover bags to remix or create accompanying artwork for...
- Remix Project (1998, Lo RecordingsLo RecordingsLo Recordings is a label founded in 1995 by Jon Tye. They are noted for their strong visual style thanks to Non-Format, with whom they work very closely and won a D&AD award for several of their releases sleeves.-Musical style:...
) - Solo Acoustic Volume Five - Part of the VDSQ (Vin Du Select Qualitite) acoustic guitar series (2011)
Limited Edition Noise, experimental, drone projects:
- 2006 - Flipped Out Bride 12 (2006, Blossoming Noise), Limited Edition of 500 blue marbled vinyl
- 2006 - Free / Love EP (2006, Blossoming Noise), Limited Edition of 90 Cassettes only
- 2007 - Black Weeds - White Death (2007, Meudiademorte), Limited Edition of 200 Cassettes only
- 2008 - Sensitive / Lethal
- 2008 - BlindfoldBlindfoldA blindfold is a garment, usually of cloth, tied to one's head to cover the eyes to disable the wearer's sight. It can be worn when the eyes are in a closed state and thus prevents the wearer from opening them...
' (Destructive Industries), Limited Edition of 200 Cassettes only - 2008 - Built For Lovin (Lost Treasures of the Underworld), Limited Edition of 500 vinyl only
- 2010 - Suicide Notes For Acoustic Guitar EP
- 2010 - Schwarze Polizei (with Kommissar HjulerKommissar HjulerKommissar Hjuler works as a sound recordist in the field of Noise and Post-industrial music, visual artist and film maker at Flensburg, a town on the German border with Denmark. He often works together with his wife Mama Baer as Kommissar Hjuler und Frau. As self-taught artist he began making...
, Goaty Tapes), Limited Edition of 50 Cassettes only
Collaborations:
- 1988 - Barefoot In The Head [with Jim Sauter & Don Dietrich]
- 1993 - Shamballa [With William Hooker & Elliott Sharp]
- 1995 - Klangfarbenmelodie & the Colorist Strikes Primitive [with Tom Surgal]
- 1996 - Pillow Wand [with Nels Cline]
- 1996 - Piece For Yvonne Rainer [with Yoshimi & Mark IboldMark IboldMark Ibold is a New York-based bass guitarist, member of the indie band Pavement from 1992 to 1999, and again as of their 2010 reunion. He is also currently in the alternative rock band Sonic Youth....
] - 1997 - MMMR [with Loren Mazzacane Connors, Jean-Marc Montera & Lee Ranaldo (Numero Zero Audio)
- 1998 - Foot [with Don Fleming & Jim Dunbar]
- 1999 - The Promise [With Evan Parker & Walter Prati]
- 2000 - New York - Ystad [Thurston Moore, Lee Ranaldo, Steve Shelley, Mats Gustafsson]
- 2000 - TM/MF [Thurston Moore, Marco Fusinato]
- 2001 - Three Incredible Ideas [Thurston Moore / Walter Prati / Giancarlo Schiaffini]
Free Improvisation Albums:
- 2007 - The Roadhouse Session Vol.1 [Thurston Moore / Chris Corsano / Paul Flaherty / Wally Shoup 4tet]
- 2008 - Untitled [Paul Flaherty / Thurston Moore / Bill Nace]
Live Albums:
- 1996 - Piece for Jetsun Dolma [a live improvisation with Tom Surgal and William Winant at Festival International de Musique Actuelle de VictoriavilleFestival International de Musique Actuelle de VictoriavilleThe Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville is an annual international music festival held in Victoriaville, Quebec that showcases contemporary music.-External links:*...
(Les Disques VICTO)]
Albums with Sonic Youth:
- See Sonic Youth discographySonic Youth discographySonic Youth is a alternative rock band formed in New York City in 1981. Their lineup currently includes Thurston Moore, Lee Ranaldo, Kim Gordon, Mark Ibold, and Steve Shelley...
Albums with Diskaholics Anonymous Trio [Jim O'Rourke, Mats Gustafsson, Thurston Moore]:
- 2001 - Diskaholics Anonymous Trio
- 2006 - Weapons Of Ass Destruction (Recorded in 2002)
Albums with Original Silence:
- 2007 - The First Original Silence (Recorded live in concert on sept. 30 2005 at Teatro Ariosto, Reggio Emilia, Italy)
- 2008 - The Second Original Silence (Recorded Live In Concert on September 28, 2005 at Brancaleone, Rome)
Early work with Glenn Branca:
- 1981 - Symphony No. 1 "Tonal Plexus" (w/Glenn BrancaGlenn BrancaGlenn Branca is an American avant-garde composer and guitarist known for his use of volume, alternative guitar tunings, repetition, droning, and the harmonic series. In 2008 he was awarded an unrestricted grant from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts.-Beginnings: 1960s and early 1970s:Branca...
, Lee RanaldoLee RanaldoLee M. Ranaldo is an American singer, guitarist, writer, record producer, and visual artist, best known as a co-founder of the alternative rock band Sonic Youth...
, Anne DeMarinisAnne DeMarinis- Sonic Youth :Anne DeMarinis was in the alternative rock band Sonic Youth, for a very brief period from 1981-1982 as a keyboardist. She contributed vocals, along with Kim Gordon, and Thurston Moore, on three Sonic Youth songs performed once, and only live on June 18, 1981. The songs are entitled...
& others) - 1982 - Symphony No. 2 "The Peak Of The Sacred"
- 1983 - Symphony No. 3 "Gloria" - Music for the first 127 intervals of the harmonic series
Early work with the Coachmen:
- 1979 -Failure to Thrive
Singles:
- "Sputnik" 7" (1997) Thurston Moore and Don Fleming on one side, Pete Kember aka Sonic Boom on the other. Gilltery vinyl.
- "Wonderful Witches" single (2007)
- 1995 - The Church Should Be For The Outcasts, Not A Church That Casts People Out (7") [As Male Slut]
Split LPs:
- From The Earth To The Spheres (2004, split with My Cat Is An Alien)
- Thrash Sabbatical (2008, Deathbomb Arc, four-way split 12" + 2x7" w/ Men Who Can't Love, Barrabarracuda, Kevin Shields)
- Mature, Lonely + Out of Control/Alternative Hair Styles (2008, Nihilist RecordsNihilist RecordsNihilist Records is a record label that releases noise music albums, and is similar to labels like Load Records and Hanson Records, though it tends to release bands that are more controversial or offensive in a sensational manner...
, split LP with Graham Moore)
Album appearances:
- 1992 - Do You Wanna Dance (by Dim StarsDim StarsDim Stars was an alternative rock supergroup active briefly in the early 1990s. The group was composed of bassist Richard Hell of The Voidoids, guitarist Thurston Moore and drummer Steve Shelley from Sonic Youth, guitarist Don Fleming from Gumball; there was some guitar work by Robert Quine, also...
) - 1994 - Monster (by R.E.M.R.E.M.R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
) - 1997 - Legend Of The Blood Yeti (by XIII Ghosts & Derek Bailey)
- 1998 - Velvet Goldmine - Music From The Original Motion Picture ("T.V. Eye" with the Wylde Ratttz)
- 2002 - Kapotte MuziekKapotte MuziekKapotte Muziek is the musical improvisation project of Frans de Waard, Peter Duimelinks and Roel Meelkop. Active since 1984, it is one of the most internationally visible improvisation and experimental project hailing from the Netherlands. The group began as the solo noise music project of Frans de...
- #12 in Kapotte Muziek series (Korm Plastics) - 2006 - The Voloptulist [The New Blockaders, with Thurston Moore (track 1) / Jim O'Rourke (track 2)]
- 2007 - Touch The Iceberg (by Owl Xounds Exploding Galaxy)
External links
- Sonic Youth.com - Official website
- Official Myspace page for "Kill Your Idols", a documentary about the Cinema of Transgression featuring Thurston Moore
- Ecstatic Peace! Records.
- Spike magazine interview.
- Writings by Thurston on 2003 NYC power blackout.
- Thurston Moore's "Skrewer Boy" published on the Tellus Audio Cassette MagazineTellus Audio Cassette MagazineLaunched from the Lower East Side, Manhattan, in 1983 as a subscription only bimonthly publication, the Tellus cassette series took full advantage of the popular cassette medium to promote cutting-edge downtown music, documenting the New York scene and advancing experimental composers of the time...
@ UbuwebUbuWebUbuWeb is a large web-based educational resource for avant-garde material available on the internet, founded in 1996 by poet Kenneth Goldsmith. It offers visual, concrete and sound poetry, expanding to include film and sound art mp3 archives.-Philosophy:... - Pichfork article Working with Jemina