Discogs
Kurt Swinghammer Biography
by Sean Carruthers
While Kurt Swinghammer may not have as prominent a profile in the Canadian arts scene as, say, Barenaked Ladies, he has nonetheless made an impact as a musician, technician, and visual artist.
Getting his start in Niagara Falls,
Ontario, initial Swinghammer performances in 1978 were definitely more
art-school than pop-schooled, incorporating multimedia apparatus such as
projectors and televisions, combined with both live and pre-recorded
musical numbers. After performing in the Niagara area for several years,
with occasional trips into Toronto, Swinghammer finally made the move
into Toronto proper in 1984. In addition to recording off-center solo
works, Swinghammer performed with a number of bands over the subsequent
years, including General Electric, the Lawn, and Vital Sines. He also recorded other artists at his home studio during this time -- including an unknown bike courier by the name of Ron Sexsmith.
Frustratingly, even with all of this music under his belt, in musical
circles he may have been best known as the person who hand-painted the
suits that the Shuffle Demons wore during performances.
Though he'd previously self-released a number of cassettes, it was the 1991 release of the PoMo a GoGo
CD that finally brought Swinghammer to a cross-Canada audience, thanks
to a distribution deal with Fringe Product. Though he continued to
indulge his more artistic side during this time, he also hooked up again
with superstar-in-the-making Ron Sexsmith, performing in Sexsmith's band the Uncool,
and performing together under the unlikely moniker Sexhammer. The
beginning of the '90s also found Swinghammer beginning to compose more
often for movies and television programs.
When Swinghammer finally
got back into solo performing mode, his choice of subject material was
perfectly in line with his artistic sensibilities; Vostok 6
was a concept album dedicated to cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, the
first woman in outer space. Though the album didn't exactly sell by the
truckload, it made a fan of Ani DiFranco,
who not only gave the album wider release on her own label, but also
invited Swinghammer to perform in her live band and on her To the Teeth album. His solo release Black Eyed Sue followed in 2001.
Between solo projects, Swinghammer
remains busy with his composition work for the screen and his guest
appearances on albums by other Canadian artists (Dan Bryk, Great Big Sea, and Sarah Slean, to name just a few).
Tracklist
| 1 |
| 6'16'63 |
| 2 |
| Blue |
| 3 |
| Nocturne |
| 4 |
| Of A Dream |
| 5 |
| MC Squared |
| 6 |
| The First |
| 7 |
| Vostok 6 |
| 8 |
| White Russians |
| 9 |
| Star City |
| 10 |
| Mercury |
| 11 |
| Cold War |
| 12 |
| Dark |
| 13 |
| Falling Star |
| 14 |
| Retro Rocket |
| 15 |
| Valentina |
| 16 |
| Seagull |
| 17 |
| Dawn |
