Sxip Shirey’s Avant Groove
Note: An edited version of this feature appeared previously in Brooklyn Paper. — bk
Described as an “electro-acoustic” artist, Brooklyn-based Sxip Shirey is tough to pin down musically. Read about him most places and you’re likely to come away thinking his music is cerebral, experimental and more than a little avant-garde. Actually listen to the music, and you may be surprised to learn that it’s got a groove and is quite melodic.
“I’m not writing music to be smart,” Shirey insists. While he sees the value in music as a purely intellectual pursuit, that’s not his goal. “I’m a smart fucker,” he laughs, “and I definitely use conceptual techniques for my music, but I’m actually just interested in, ‘Can you write a fucking good song?’” To him, the best music communicates with people. He says that he would welcome a situation in which he’s told, “Hey, Sxip, there’s a bunch of plumbers out there, and you have to sell this to them.”
Though he’s involved in myriad pursuits – including a compelling walk-through musical work called “The Gauntlet,” performed in New York and Fredrikstad, Norway – Shirey’s latest effort is the album A Bottle of Whiskey and a Handful of Bees, released January 13. The album’s premiere was celebrated with a show at National Sawdust in Brooklyn.
The album features guest vocals by Rhiannon Giddens and Xavier, both of whom performed at the release show. Shirey first met Giddens when his “klezmer punk” collective Luminescent Orchestrii collaborated with the Carolina Chocolate Drops on an EP. “We started as admirers, then collaborators,” Shirey says, “and then it turned into a friendship.”
Shirey met r&b vocalist Xavier through a mutual friend. Shirey notes that he writes specifically for the singers he uses. “I wrote from a gay perspective on Xavier’s songs. I had these partially-finished songs,” he recalls, “and I had been talking to Xavier a lot about situations he was in. It was really easy to write the rest of the lyrics.”
“I’m pulling out the stops” for the National Sawdust Show, Shirey says. Minneapolis poet-rapper and NPR Tiny Desk Concerts sensation Dessa joined Shirey for “I Live in New York City,” and the performance also featured Brooklyn’s 20-piece vocal ensemble, Choral Chameleon. The evening also included a controversial piece Shirey debuted at a 2008 TED talk.
He describes that work: “I breathe in and out of another person’s lungs, internally miking my mouth; they loved the piece at TED.” Commenting on a YouTube posting of that piece, Shirey summed up his work in perhaps the most succinct manner possible: “Some of you will get what I am doing … and some of you will still think I’m full of shit!”
“Which,” he adds, “is fine!”
About the Author
Bill Kopp
With a background in marketing and advertising, Bill Kopp got his professional start writing for Trouser Press. After a stint as Editor-in-chief for a national music magazine, Bill launched Musoscribe in 2009, and has published new content every business day since then (and every single day since 2018). The 4500-plus interviews, essays, and reviews on Musoscribe reflect Bill's keen interest in American musical forms, most notably rock, jazz, and soul. His work features a special emphasis on reissues and vinyl. Bill's work also appears in many other outlets both online and in print. He regularly hosts lecture/discussions on artists and albums of historical importance (including monthly events Music to Your Ears and Music Movie Mondays), and is a frequent guest on music-focused radio programs and podcasts. In Spring 2023 he taught a history of Rock 'n' Roll at UNC Asheville's College for Seniors. He also researches and authors liner notes for album reissues -- more than 30 to date -- and co-produced a reissue of jazz legend Julian "Cannonball" Adderley's final album. His first book, Reinventing Pink Floyd: From Syd Barrett to The Dark Side of the Moon was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2018, and in paperback in 2019. His second book, Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Rise of New Wave, was published in 2021 by HoZac Books. His third book, What's the Big Idea: Great Concept Albums will be published in 2024. Read even more about him here.