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Sir Richard Bishop

Booking Agent | Europe + UK:
Afonso Simões - afonso@filhounico.com

Richard Bishop is an experimental guitarist whose improvisations and compositions often reflect the shadow worlds of India, the Middle East, North Africa, and other points along the Gypsy trail.
Richard is perhaps best known as a founding member (along with brother Alan Bishop) of experimental ethnic-improv pioneers and underground tricksters Sun City Girls, who for nearly 30 years have produced an extensive discography of over 50 full length albums, 20 one-hour cassettes and a dozen 7” records. Sun City Girls formed in 1981 after the Bishop brothers' stint in the group Paris 1942 which also featured J. Akkari and former Velvet Underground drummer Moe Tucker.
Richard's first solo record, Salvador Kali, was released by John Fahey's esteemed Revenant label in 1998 under the moniker Sir Richard Bishop (the name stuck). The album showcases Bishop's own particular obsessions and roots, drawing from a variety of worldwide sources. Locust Music issued his second record, Improvika, in 2004. This release consists of nine extemporaneous and free-flowing pieces for solo acoustic guitar.
In 2005, Bishop began performing relentlessly as a solo artist, playing throughout Europe, Australia, and the United States. He has not stopped since.
2006 saw four different SRB projects manifest. Fingering the Devil, which was recorded at an impromptu studio session in London on a day off during the 2005 European tour, was released on LP and CD by Southern Records in the UK. Mostly improvised, It beautifully captures the music Bishop was playing on stage during this time. This was followed by two more releases from Locust: Elektronika Demonika, a record of ear-splitting, creepy electronics, containing no guitar whatsoever; and While My Guitar Violently Bleeds, which is made up of three extended compositions for acoustic and electric guitar. Richard's 30-minute film God Damn Religion, a trance-inducing, relentless barrage of seizure-causing imagery, was unleashed on DVD by Locust on 06/06/06.
In 2007 the album Polytheistic Fragments was released on the Drag City Label. It includes works for acoustic, electric and lapsteel guitar, plus two piano compositions. Next up was The Freak of Araby (Drag City, 2009). This was the first Sir Richard Bishop album to feature a full band of supporting musicians. The record stands as a heart-felt tribute to late Egyptian guitarist Omar Khorshid as well as to the enduring spirit of Middle Eastern music.
In May of 2010, Drag City released the album False Flag by Rangda, a new group featuring Bishop, Ben Chasny (Six Organs of Admittance, Comets on Fire), and Chris Corsano (Flower-Corsano Duo, Flaherty/Corsano, Jandek, Bjork, etc).
Richard was also a co-founder of the Sublime Frequencies label (with Alan Bishop and Hisham Mayet). The label, whose mission is dedicated to acquiring and releasing obscure sights and sounds from Africa, India, S.E. Asia and beyond, began in 2003 and currently has over 65 releases to its credit.
from Sir Richard Bishop's website

Official site
Drag City (label
Sun City Girls Official Site

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Selected Discography

"Oneiric Formulary" (Drag City, 2020)
"Tangier Sessions" (Drag City, 2015)
"Intermezzo" (Self-released/Ideologic Organ, 2011/2012)
"Graviton Polarity Generator" (Social Music Records, 2010)
"The Freak Of Araby" (Drag City, 2009)
"God Damn Religion" (Locust Music, 2008)
"Polytheistic Fragments" (Drag City, 2007)
"While My Guitar Violently Bleeds" (Locust Music, 2007)
"Fingering The Devil" (Latitudes, 2006)
"Improvika" (Locust, 2004)
"Salvador Kali" (Revenant, 1998)

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Press
Sir Richard Bishop's interviews and articles

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Audio/Video

Live in Italy, Tarcento, Villa Moretti 10/05/2014

"Safe House"

Live at Cafe Oto, April 2012

"Space Prophet Dogon" (live in Paris)

"Cross My Palm With Silver"

"The Vinegar Stroke" (live in Chicago)

"God Damn Religion"

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Photos
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Sir Richard Bishop