This avant-chamber ensemble was formed by its namesake, polymath percussionist and instrument maker Thor Harris in the autumn of 2015, after Harris toured for five years as the percussionist of iconic avant-rock band Swans. The three core members of the band are Peggy Ghorbani on marimba; Sarah “Goat” Gautier on marimba, vibraphone, xylophone, organ, voice, mellotron and piano; and Harris on sundry percussion and wind instruments.

 

Their latest album, ‘The Subversive Nature of Kindness’ (Living Music Duplication, 2017), was produced by Jeremy Barnes from A Hawk & A Hacksaw and engineered by Jeremy and Deerhoof’s John Dietrich. The record’s main aim is to “ease some of the terror of living in these uncertain times”. Thor and Friends is intended as a vehicle for experimentation with the conceptual vocabulary of American Minimalism, and collaboration with a rotating cast of musicians from around the globe. The expanding & contracting ensemble performs within the flux of compositional & improvisational contexts wherein the range of tonal color depends on what instrumentalists are joining or absent from the process. The result ushers in a utopian optimism via the promise of improvising with neighbors & friends and utilizing what & who is around at any given moment.

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http://www.thorharris.org/