Jarboe Bio

Jarboe's recorded and performed projects produce only her unique energy. She draws from a variety of charged sources, from her early exposure to snake-handling revivals in the Mississippi delta, parents who were in the FBI, her participation in a lounge act, experimental performance in gallery & live radio settings,her 14-year critically acclaimed recordings and collaboration with Swans doing worldwide concerts (clubs, theatres, festivals, live radio, TV). Her delivery can be at turns innocent, knowing, seductive, & vitriolic - contained in melodic as well as experimental compositions.

A primary objective for Jarboe is to close in on the gap in the audience/performer relationship via complete submission and vicarious experience through her performance. Through visceral vocals, her repertoire includes a variety of voices from the shy schoolgirl to seductress to demon. Jarboe's private agenda over the course of her life has been to fine tune endurance - physical, emotional, and spiritual.Through efforts in such disciplines as weight-lifting, kick boxing, mountainclimbing, running, role-playing, studies in meditation and Buddhism, and her intense work with Swans, she has journeyed her body towards exhaustion specifically with the intent of rebuilding / reinventing identity and exploring the structure of persona.

Jarboe's musical explorations have led to select comparisons to other female musicians with regard for their success in penetrating the otherwise male-dominated "rock" subculture. Her work in and outside of the legendary Swans has received international critical attention. Jarboe is featured in Andrea Juno's groundbreaking book: Angry Women In Rock, and Adele Olivia Gladwell's women's studies/cultural theory: Catamania. She has been included in numerous other editorials and books such as The Wire, New York Times, The New Yorker, Time Out, Tip, Spex, People, LA Weekly, SF Weekly, Terrorizer, Rolling Stone, Art Papers, Outburn, Signal To Noise...and so on.

Highlights from the Jarboe tour diary include :
• "Work In Progress" Arts Program performances in NYC, Chicago, and Atlanta.
• Performance at the Serralves Museum in Porto, Portugal
• Performance at PS122 in NYC
• Europe/US Tour with the Italian avant-garde group, Larsen
• US Tour and London show with Neurosis
• Performances in the Baltic region, which included performances in cathedrals.
• Concerts on the East and West Coast with Amber Asylum, Blixa Bargeld, Red Sparowes
• Concerts in Moscow, Budapest, Seville, and various regions of Europe.

The eclectic roster of Jarboe's musical collaborators includes: Michael Gira, Bill Laswell, Jim Thirlwell,Lustmord, PanSonic, Mark Spybey, Steven Severin, Chris Connelly, Alan Sparhawk, Neurosis, Edward KaSpel, William Faith, David J, David Torn, Bill Rieflin, Iva Davies, Blixa Bargeld, Kris Force, Nic Le Ban, Julia Kent, A Perfect Circle, Brian Castillo, Lary Seven, Cobalt, Byla, Jesu. She has done voice over work for The Venture Brothers cartoon. She has worked with visual artists in film / photography / design including : Richard Kern, Cedric Victor-DeSouza, Beth B, Laura Levine, Wim Van De Hulst, Rochelle Heagh Phister, and Auriea Harvey & Michael Samyn.

Considered a true independent of the 21st century and "internet pioneer" for music, Jarboe has been panelist on "Artists and the Internet" at the CMJ convention in NYC. Jarboe has released 14 solo albums in addition to working on 20+ Swans albums and 60+ collaborative projects with visual & sound artists all over the world. She has recorded in various countries, including Europe , Japan, and the Middle East.