Jim Sclavunos

Jim Sclavunos
Jim Sclavunos
Background information
Genres	Post-punk, alternative rock, garage rock
Instrument(s)	Drums, percussion, keyboards, vocals
Years active	1978–present
Labels	Mute

James Sclavunos is an American drummer, multi-instrumentalist musician, record producer and writer. He is best known as a drummer, having been a member of two seminal no wave groups in the late 1970s (Teenage Jesus & the Jerks and 8 Eyed Spy, both alongside Lydia Lunch). He is also noted for stints in Sonic Youth and the Cramps, and has been a member of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds since 1994. Sclavunos has led his own group the Vanity Set since 2000.

Biography

Sclavunos, a half-Greek and half-Italian from Brooklyn, New York (known for his exceptional height at 6'7"), was memorably described in the pages of The Wire as an "infamous elegant degenerate". He has long been a prime mover in New York City’s vibrant underground music scene, helping to kick-start the vital no wave movement in the late 1970s (with Teenage Jesus & the Jerks and 8 Eyed Spy (both with Lydia Lunch), before playing with Sonic Youth and the Cramps. He has also recorded albums with Grinderman, Sonic Youth, Tav Falco's Panther Burns and Congo Norvell as well as recording sessions with many artists including Marianne Faithfull, Iggy Pop, Beth Orton, Religious to Damn and Seasick Steve. He has also toured with Lunch, Alex Chilton and Wreckless Eric.

A key member of the Bad Seeds since 1994 and a founding member of the Bad Seeds offshoot Grinderman, he also formed his own New York-based musical ensemble the Vanity Set in 2000, releasing two studio albums to date.

Further to his work as a musician, Sclavunos has produced a wide range of bands including Gogol Bordello, the Horrors, the Jim Jones Revue, Black Moth and most notably Teenage Mothers. Lead guitarist and co-vocalist Raph Brous introduced Sclavunos to veganism and has dedicated his upcoming novel, Empire of Ants, to him. He has done several remixes, both on his own and as one half of Silver Alert (along with Vanity Set bandmate Peter Mavrogeorgis).

In 2012, Silver Alert performed "Faustian Pact" at the Perth International Arts Festival in Western Australia, a live adaptation of FW Murnau's film Faust, produced in collaboration with director/choreographer Micki Pellerano.

In 2012, Sclavunos began an ongoing collaboration with Australian performance artist/musician Michaela Davies on a composition titled "FM-2030" (named for the transhumanist philosopher Fereidoun M. Esfandiary) utilizing programmed electro-muscular stimulation of classical string players to generate involuntary playing movements. The composition premiered at the 2013 Sonica Festival in Glasgow.

Selective list of bands

• The Gynecologists (1978)
• Information (1978)
• Red Transistor (1978)
• Teenage Jesus and the Jerks with Lydia Lunch (1978–79)
• Beirut Slump with Lydia Lunch (1978–79)
• 8 Eyed Spy with Lydia Lunch (1979)
• Devil Dogs (1980)
• Sonic Youth (1982)
• Tav Falco's Panther Burns (1983, 1993)
• Trigger & the Thrill Kings (1983–86)
• Congo Norvell (1990–1998)
• The Cramps (1991–92)
• Shotgun Wedding with Lydia Lunch and Rowland S. Howard (1992)
• Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (1994–present)
• The Gunga Din (1999–2000)
• The Vanity Set (2000–present)
• Grinderman (2006–2011, 2013)
• Silver Alert (2012–present)
• Nicole Atkins and Jim Sclavunos (2019 - present)

Selected producer credits

• Boss Hog – "Fear for You" (1999)
• Gogol Bordello – Voi-La Intruder (1999)
• Bellmer Dolls – The Big Cats Will Throw Themselves Over EP (2006)
• The Horrors – "Count in Fives" and "Gloves" (2006), Strange House (2007)
• Beth Orton – "I Me Mine" (2010)
• David J. Roch – Skin & Bones (2011)
• The Jim Jones Revue – Burning Your House Down (2010), The Savage Heart (2012)
• Black Moth – The Killing Jar (2012), Condemned to Hope (2014)
• Freshkills – Raise Up the Sheets (2012)
• The Callas – Am I Vertical (2013), Half Kiss Half Pain (2016)
• Fat White Family - I Am Mark E Smith (2014)
• Lola Colt – Away From the Water (2014)
• Du Blonde – Welcome Back to Milk (2015)
• The Wytches - All Your Happy Life (2016)
• Dolls - Armchair Psychiatrist (2017)

Selected remix credits as Silver Alert

• Grinderman – "Evil ('Silver Alert' Remix)" featuring Matt Berninger of the National (2011)
• S.C.U.M. – "Faith Unfolds (Silver Alert Remix)" (2011)
• Philip Glass – "Etoile Polaire: Little Dipper" – Silver Alert remix on REWORK_Philip Glass Remixed (2012)

Selected remix credits as Jim Sclavunos

• Breathless – "Next Time You Fall (Jim Sclavunos Remix)" (2013)
• Depeche Mode – "Should Be Higher (Jim Sclavunos from Grinderman Remix)" (2013)
• Warhaus - Beaches (Jim Sclavunos Remix)" (2017)

External links

• Full Discography

Other:

• Even Better Than The Real Thing – Reality & Audio Production (2013) at Jack Move Magazine and Relic Zine
• Jim Sclavunos Talks Faustian Pact (2012)
• Another thing I wanted to Tell You: Jim Sclavunos on Mo Tucker (2011)
• In Conversation: Jim Sclavunos & The Jim Jones Revue (2010)
• What’s Wrong With Being Sexy? Nick Cave & Jim Sclavunos Of Grinderman Interviewed (2010)
• Lux Interior Obituary (2009)
• Twenty Minutes in Manhattan by Michael Sorkin (review) (2009)
• So good, they made it illegal – The Guardian (2004)