Jarboe | Artist

Jarboe La Salle Devereaux aka Jarboe, is an American singer, songwriter and keyboardist born in Mississippi and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. She came to prominence as a member of the New York City-based experimental rock band Swans over the years 1984-97, where she contributed vocals, keyboards and organ. She has since released numerous solo albums and collaborations, many of which have been self-published. She also co-composed the soundtrack of the 2009 psychological horror game "The Path". As a child Jarboe learned to play a Hammond Organ and later trained as a jazz and choral vocalist. She described herself as "obsessed" with Swans since hearing their first album, Filth in 1983. She met Michael Gira and attended the band's practice sessions before joining initially as a roadie, then as vocalist and keyboardist, debuting on their third album Greed. Between 1985-96, she appeared on the albums Children of God, The Burning World and Soundtracks for the Blind. Her influence on the band marked a shift from their previous noise rock sound to a more melodic industrial and even folkish sound. She also collaborated with Gira, forming their side project, The World of Skin in 1987, releasing several albums and singles. Jarboe left Swans in 1997 when the band broke up and embarked on a solo career. The artist has released over thirty albums on various small labels plus many more works as self releases, via download and private CD and Vinyl issues. Standout albums include Sacrificial Cake (1995), Neurosis & Jarboe (2003), The Conduit (2006), Dark Consort (2008), Skullgirl (2009) and The Path (2010). Her music spans many genres: dance, industrial, atmospheric, noise, and jazz, infused with her ever-changing vocal style. She undertook Buddhist vows from the Dalai Lama in 1992, with the “intent to be an embodiment in my actions of compassionate nature…I see my music and performance as channeling the emotions and suffering of the audience." During her childhood, both of Jarboe's parents were employees of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and she has described her father as "the ultimate law-enforcement man". Unbeknownst to her, her father tape-recorded her phone conversations when she was a teen. When she found out, she saved the tapes and ultimately sampled them in her music.

Artist Website: thelivingjarboe.com

Featured Albums: Jarboe

Related Artists: AEAEA, Swans, Neurosis

Video Clips: Man of Hate, Listen, When She Breathes