Jim White (drummer)

For other musicians of the same or similar name, see Jimmy White (singer) and Jim White (guitarist).

Jim White
White as a member of Tren Brothers, performing at Mercury Lounge, New York City, January 2008
Background information
Birth name	Jim Ronald White
Born	1962 (age 61–62) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Genres	Instrumental rock, noise rock
Occupation(s)	Drummer, songwriter, producer
Instrument(s)	Drums, percussion
Years active	1980–present
Labels	Bella Union, Anchor & Hope, Fat Cat, ABC Music
Website	anchorandhope.com

Jim Ronald White (born 1962) is an Australian drummer, songwriter, and producer. In 1992 he formed Dirty Three, an instrumental rock band, with fellow mainstays Warren Ellis on violin; and Mick Turner on guitar. In Dirty Three, White sometimes shares songwriting duties with Ellis and Turner.

White has also played with various other artists including PJ Harvey, Mark Kozelek, Bonnie Prince Billy, Cat Power, Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile, Smog, The Blackeyed Susans, Kim Salmon's STM, Venom P. Stinger, The Tren Brothers, and Nina Nastasia. More recently, White has recorded and performed with Xylouris White, a duo formed with Cretan lute player Giorgos Xylouris, and The Hard Quartet, an underground rock supergroup including Stephen Malkmus, Matt Sweeney, and Emmett Kelly (musician).

Early life

Jim Ronald White was born in 1962 and grew up in Clifton Hill, Victoria.^[1][2]

Career

In 1980, as a drummer, White formed Happy Orphans with Conway Savage on piano and backing vocals.^[3] Late the following year he replaced Peter Rippon on drums in a noise rock group, The People with Chairs up Their Noses, alongside Mark Barry on bass guitar, David Palliser on saxophone and lead vocals, and Jim Shugg on lead guitar.^[3][4][5] In 1982 they issued a split extended play on Au Go Go Records with their two tracks, "Road to Egg" and "The New Band", backed by a track from fellow Melbourne rockers Plays with Marionettes (see the Wreckery).^[5][6] When performing White provided percussion by using an "ironing board covered with letter boxes and other domestic detritus".^[7]

Also in 1982 White, with Shugg on lead guitar and lead vocals, rejoined Savage in a country rock group, Feral Dinosaurs.^[3][4][8] He sometimes played in both The People with Chairs up Their Noses and Feral Dinosours on the same night.^[4] Other founding members of Feral Dinosaurs were Nick Danyi on saxophone and David Last on double bass and vocals.^[8] By late 1983 The People with Chairs up Their Noses had disbanded and White continued with Feral Dinosaurs.^[3] In 1984 they provided a cover version of Don Gibson's 1958 hit, "Blue Day", on the various artist's compilation album, Asleep at the Wheel, for Au Go Go Records.^[8] Feral Dinosaurs released two singles, "Ramblin' Man" and "50 Miles from Home", followed by an EP in December 1985, You've All Got a Home to Go To, on the Major Records label before disbanding in 1986.^[8]

In 1985 White formed another band, Venom P. Stinger, as an avant-rock ensemble with Dugald Mackenzie on lead vocals (ex-Sick Things, Brainshack); Alan Secher-Jensen on bass guitar (Brainshack, Beachnuts); and Mick Turner on guitar (Sick Things, Fungus Brains, The Moodists).^[3][9] They issued their debut album, Meet My Friend Venom (1986), but disbanded in 1989 when Turner returned to Fungus Brains. White had drummed for Hessian Sax during 1988 to 1989 and for Conway Savage & the Deep South in 1989. Venom P. Stinger's second album, What's Yours Is Mine, was released in October 1990.^[3][9] The group reformed in 1991 with MacKenzie, Turner and White joined by Nick Palmer on lead vocals.^[3][9] In November they issued a four-track EP, Waiting Room.^[9] The group toured the United States and released a live album, Live (in Davis), in 1992.^[3][9] By the end of the year White and Turner had left Venom P. Stinger.^[3][9]

In 1992 White and Turner formed an instrumental rock group, Dirty Three, with Warren Ellis on violin (ex-These Future Kings).^[3][10] The trio recorded a cassette, Dirty Three, as a give-away at early gigs.^[11] In the same year White and Ellis were also working in the rock bands, The Blackeyed Susans,^[12] Kim Salmon's STM and Charles Marshall and the Body Electric.^[3][10] The following year White and Turner reformed Venom P. Stinger, and recorded another album, Tear Bucket, which appeared in 1996.^[3][9] In 1994 White and Ellis backed Tex, Don and Charlie on a national tour.^[10][12] In June that year Dirty Three issued their self-titled album on Torn & Frayed Records for which Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, praised White's "sympathetic drumming".^[10]

In November 1994 they released an album in the US, Sad & Dangerous, which included tracks from their 1992 give-away cassette.^[10] From March 1995 the trio toured the US and completed 200 gigs by year's end.^[10] In July Sad & Dangerous was issued in Australia.^[10] The group followed with further studio albums: Horse Stories (September 1996), Ocean Songs (March 1998), Whatever You Love, You Are (March 2000), She Has No Strings Apollo (February 2003), Cinder (October 2005) and Toward the Low Sun (February 2012).^[10][11] Almost all of Dirty Three's material is co-written by White with Ellis and Turner.^[13]

In mid-1998 White and Turner formed an instrumental duo, The Tren Brothers, and issued a five-track self-titled EP.^[14] Most of The Tren Brothers material is written by Turner alone or with White.^[15] In January 2000 White and Ellis backed Nick Cave on his tour of Australia.^[10]

In 2003 White backed Nina Nastasia and subsequently was recorded on her albums Run to Ruin (2003) and On Leaving (2006).^[12] On 28 May 2007 the pair released a collaborative album, You Follow Me.^[16] It was co-produced by White, Nastasia and Kennan Gudjonsson.^[17] AllMusic's Thom Jurek noted that White "is not an accompanist here, he is a collaborator, even though he didn't write the songs", with the production emphasising his "full of bassy tom toms and wispy brushwork" where White "floats, digs, sputters, halts, and pushes through the music, just as [Nastasia's] playing guitar and singing does".^[16]

In 2013 he started playing with Anderson Henderson White.^[18]

White formed Xylouris White in 2013, a collaboration with Greek singer and laouto player George Xylouris. The duo's music has been described as combining "free-jazz, avant-rock and ages-old Greek folk traditions." To date^[when?] they have released three albums, produced by Guy Picciotto (Fugazi), and undertaken numerous world tours.^{[citation needed]}

In collaboration Dan Luscombe and Gareth Liddiard wrote the score of Warwick Thornton's 2021/2 vampire TV series, Firebite; White joined them to perform the music for the series.^[19]

Personal life

When not performing or recording, as of 2012^[update], White was living in New York City.^[20]

Collaborations

Jim White has also played with a number of other artists, including:^[12][21][22]

• Boxhead Ensemble – musical collective including Scott Tuma, Jim O'Rourke, Will Oldham (aka Bonnie 'Prince' Billy)
• Will Oldham aka Bonnie 'Prince' Billy – on several albums
• Scott Tuma - On the album Hard Again Jim plays drums on a track titled 'Jim White' aka 'Baby'
• Cat Power – since 1996 on various albums and tours, then as member of the Dirty Delta Blues since 2007
• Beth Orton
• Daniel Blumberg
• Smog aka Bill Callahan
• White Magic – live drummer (periodically) with this New York based group, recorded on their debut release.
• Essie Jain, New York singer-songwriter – drummer on We Made This Ourselves (2007)
• PJ Harvey – White Chalk (2007)
• C. W. Stoneking – Jungle Blues (2008)
• Marianne Faithfull – Easy Come, Easy Go (2008)
• Nina Nastasia - on a number of albums, and as collaborator on You Follow Me (2007)
• Seeker Lover Keeper – producer and drummer.
• George Xylouris, Cretan laouto player, on three albums as Xylouris White.
• Sun Kil Moon - on the album I Also Want to Die in New Orleans (2019).
• Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile - Lotta Sea Lice (2017).^[23]
• Luluc on the album Sculptor (2018).
• Marisa Anderson – The Quickening (2020) and Swallowtail (2024)
• Myriam Gendron, Mayday, 2024

An October 2007 article in Time Out New York called him "indie rock's drummer of choice", saying, "Those who play with White speak of him with the ardor of religious converts."^[24]

References

1. Calkin, Jessamy (5 December 1998). "Flying on Instruments". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2013. Nowadays they all live in different cities: ... and White, 36, in San Francisco.
2. "Dirty Three – Chronology". From the Archives. 31 August 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
3. Jim White and related entries at Australian Rock Database:
   • Jim White: Holmgren, Magnus. "Jim White". Passage.se. Australian Rock Database. Passagen (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
   • Venom P. Stinger (1985–89,1991–92,1993–96): Holmgren, Magnus. "Venom P. Stinger". Passage.se. Australian Rock Database. Passagen (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 11 January 2004. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
   • Conway Savage and The Deep South (1989): Holmgren, Magnus. "Conway Savage". Passage.se. Australian Rock Database. Passagen (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 10 October 2012. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
   • The Blackeyed Susans (1992–93): Holmgren, Magnus; Skjefte, Morten. "The Blackeyed Susans". Passage.se. Australian Rock Database. Passagen (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 10 September 2012. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
   • Kim Salmon's STM (1992, 1994): Holmgren, Magnus; Miles, Richard. "Kim Salmon". Passage.se. Australian Rock Database. Passagen (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 27 May 2012. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
   • Dirty Three (1992–present): Holmgren, Magnus. "Dirty Three". Passage.se. Australian Rock Database. Passagen (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
   • Charles Marshall and The Body Electric (1993–95): Holmgren, Magnus. "Charles Marshall". Passage.se. Australian Rock Database. Passagen (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
4. "This Could Sound Like Nothing You've Heard". The Canberra Times. Australian Associated Press (AAP). 23 February 1983. p. 26.
5. Plays with Marionettes / People with Chairs up Their Noses (Media notes). Au Go Go Records. 1982. ANDA 21.
6. McFarlane, 'The Wreckery' entry. Archived from the original on 3 August 2004. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
7. Lee, Stewart (29 September 1996). "Dirty but Equal". The Sunday Times. News Corporation. Stewart Lee Official Website. Archived from the original on 17 May 2013. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
8. McFarlane, 'Feral Dinosaurs' entry. Archived from the original on 28 August 2004. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
9. McFarlane, 'Venom P. Stinger' entry. Archived from the original on 23 August 2004. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
10. McFarlane, 'Dirty Three' entry. Archived from the original on 7 August 2004. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
11. "Dirty Three – Discography". From the Archives. 31 August 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
12. "Jim White : Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
13. "'Alice Wading' at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 12 July 2013. Note: User may have to click on tab 'Search again' and then 'Enter a title:' or 'Performer:'. When 'Performer:' is selected enter artist: Dirty Three – to obtain a listing of 124 tracks with 113 co-written by White.
14. Tren Brothers (1998), Tren Brothers, Drag City. National Library of Australia, retrieved 11 July 2013
15. "'Kits Choice' at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 12 July 2013. Note: User may have to click on tab 'Search again' and then 'Enter a title:' or 'Performer:'. When 'Performer:' is selected enter artist: Tren Brothers – to obtain a listing of 15 tracks with 6 co-written by White and 6 by Turner alone.
16. Jurek, Thom. "You Follow Me – Nina Nastasia, Jim White : Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
17. "You Follow Me – Nina Nastasia, Jim White : Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
18. "An Electrifying, Psychedelic Debut by Anderson Henderson White". Lucid Culture. 30 June 2013.
19. "New TV Series To Showcase Aussie Artists To Millions Worldwide". The Music. 16 December 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
20. Teague, Marcus (20 February 2012). "Feature Album: Dirty Three Toward the Low Sun". TheVine. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 27 March 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
21. "Dirty Three Chronology I". fromthearchives.com. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
22. Ratliff, Ben (6 January 2007). "A Little Folk, a Little Rock and a Lot of Minimalism". The New York Times.
23. "Courtney Barnett And Kurt Vile - Lotta Sea Lice (Vinyl, LP, Album)". Discogs. 13 October 2017. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
24. Drumhead of the class, Jay Ruttenberg, Time Out New York, 3 October 2007

Further reading

• McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Whammo Homepage". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86508-072-1. Archived from the original on 5 April 2004. Retrieved 25 June 2013. Note: Archived [on-line] version has limited functionality.
• "Jim White (2) Discography at Discogs". Discogs. 17 November 2017.