Quarantine Interviews: Thor Harris

Thor Harris is a musician, painter, writer, plumber, and carpenter (he built his own house). He was the percussionist in Swans from 2010 to 2016, and has performed with Shearwater, Bill Callahan, Ben Frost, and many others. He currently plays in Thor and Friends, who released their self-titled debut album in October 2016. Harris, an outspoken proponent of mental health advocacy, has published chapbooks of his drawings and writing. His “How To Live Like a King for Very Little” is a DIY classic. – The Creative Independent

Yes, yes, yes – its time for a chat with another legend (the other one being Martin Atkins)! And much like Martin, Thor’s talents extend beyond music – namely, he is a Nazi puncher supreme which is exactly what everyone should aspire to be on May 9th and beyond. Read on….

And don’t forget to browse our archives for more interviews

How are you dealing with quarantine?

lots of practicing recording, work in my wood shop, it’s been a creative 2 1/2 weeks.

What advice would you give to other musicians/artists dealing with it?

learn a recording program if you don’t know one already . Do the woodshedding you always felt you should do . No matter your skill level , there are YouTube lessons that can expand you abilities.

Latest Releases / Things in the Works

Joyful Noise 2019 Artist in Residence (Joyful Noise Recordings)

Thor fully embodies the spirit of our Artist in Residence series. You may know Thor as the percussive polymath extraordinaire behind one of his many projects (Swans, Thor & Friends, Xiu Xiu, Bill Callahan, Amanda Palmer, Shearwater and many others including our own Dumb Numbers and Yonatan Gat’s band).

But if you’re unfamiliar with Thor Harris, there is a reason for that. Thor is rarely a leading man. He’s an artistic facilitator – going where he is needed in service to the greater good… He’s a musician’s musician. And we thought it was time for the dude to get the top-billing-treatment he deserves.

Wreckmeister Harmonies – We Love to Look at the Carnage (Thrill Jockey)

5th album by Brooklyn’s Wrekmeister Harmonies, J.R. Robinson, and Esther Shaw, features frequent collaborator Thor Harris (Swans, Shearwater) percussion and Jamie Stewart (Xiu Xiu) electronics.

THAA – TBA (with Andrew Anderson)