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Norman Westberg
Norman Westberg
	Westberg performing with Swans in 2014
Background information
Also known as	Norman Westberg
Born	June 27, 1958 (age 66); New York City, United States
Genres	Experimental rock; noise rock; experimental; post-punk;
Occupation	Musician
Instrument	Guitar
Years active	1982–present

Norman Westberg (born June 27, 1958) is a guitarist from Detroit best known for his work with Swans, joining the band for the recording of their 1983 debut album Filth and appearing on every album except the 1992 album Love of Life and the 2023 album The Beggar.^[1] Westberg became a full-time Swans member once again when Michael Gira reformed the group in 2010.^[2]

Career

Norman Westberg was born in Detroit, United States, and in 1980 his family moved New York City. He has older sisters and a brother, who turned him to music. Initially, Westberg was interested in playing drums, but "something about the guitar overshadowed that". Before joining Swans, Westberg started a band with a friend from a punk rock club, calling themselves "Bookies", and was a member of Carnival Crash.^[3]^[4]

Westberg became the member of Swans after meeting band's bass guitar Harry Crosby at a house party, where Westberg was playing with his band Carnival Crash. Crosby asked Westberg if he wanted to audition for his band, and Wesberg agreed, passing the audition.^[3]

In 2016, Swans announced a changed of the lineup, and Westberg was one of the people who left the band's consistent lineup, but continued collaborating with Swans.^[5] In February 2019, Swans recorded a new album later released as Leaving Meaning.^[6] Westberg played on "a couple of songs", including "Hums".^[3] Westberg played guitar on "Ebbing" from 2023 Swans album The Beggar.^[7]

Solo and collaborations

Westberg's guitar can be heard on many Swans side projects including The Body Haters and appeared on several solo albums by Jarboe. Westberg was for a short-time a member of The Heroine Sheiks with Shannon Selberg (ex-The Cows)^[8] as well as John Fell (ex-China Shop). Aside from the present incarnation of Swans he has been playing in the NYC bands NeVAh (with Vinnie Signorelli & Algis Kizys) and Five Dollar Priest (formerly Size Queens) (with Ron Ward of Speedball Baby & Bob Bert among others).^[9] Westberg also appeared (credited as Norman Westburg) in a short film The Right Side of My Brain (1985) directed by Richard Kern and starring Lydia Lunch.^[3]

Westberg made his first solo guitar performance in the 90s at The Cooler, but Westberg didn't like the way he played. Before he returned to solo recording, Westberg has been figuring out a way that would be enjoyable to him. He started "plugging all of his effects boxes into all of his tiny amps and let the guitar do what it wanted, only manipulating the boxes".^[4]

In 2011's Christmas, Westberg made a record for his father-in-law, a saxophone player in the Navy’s band and music teacher. Jennifer, Westberg's spouse, heard the recordings and encouraged him to sell them as limited edition custom made CDs.^[4] On February 25, 2012, Westberg released the recordings as two albums: Plough and Limited Edition of 75.^[10] Plough is a four-track EP recorded from 2006 to 2009 and features Westberg coupling guitar with banjo and DX drum machine. Limited Edition of 75, a one fifteen-minute-long ambient piece, pressed onto a disc decorated with an MRI pattern taken from the CD with Westberg's MRI scan.^[11] Both CD-Rs are packaged in handmade sleeves: Plough with a signed inner and Limited Edition of 75 signed and numbered on the disk itself.

In February 2014 Westberg released a third limited edition solo CD entitled 13, which was then reissued through the ROOM40 record label on November 13, 2015.^[12]

In 2014,^[13] Westberg joined with Mark Shippy (U.S. Maple), Jim Sykes (Invisible Things), Matthew Wascovich (Scarcity Of Tanks), and Mike Watt (Minutemen) to form the art rock project band Hidden Rifles.^[14] Their debut album, Across The Neighborhoods, was released in October 2017.^[13]

Personal life

In 2006, Norman Westberg married to Jennifer Tull Westberg. Jennifer is a jeweler, and created the rings for their wedding. They have a daughter, Mina, born in 2009.^[15]^[4]

Influence

Westberg draws inspiration from blues guitarists, which include Mick Ronson, Jimi Hendrix, Steve Hunter, Dick Wagner, J. Geils, Ritchie Blackmore, Tony Iommi, Ron Asheton, James Williamson, Andy Gill, Rowland S. Howard, Stevie Shears, Keith Levene, Tom Verlaine, and Richard Lloyd.^[3]

Discography

Solo

Year	Title
2012	Plough
2014	Jasper Sits Out
2014	13
2015	Idling Live
2016	Not October
2016	MRI
2016	The All Most Quiet
2017	somewhere else
2017	The Chance To
2018	After Vacation (with Lawrence English)
2019	Bedroom Off
2021	First Man In The Moon (with Jacek Mazurkiewicz)
2021	Is It Safe Yet?
2022	Drag Acid #8
2023	Aftermath (with Luna Honey)

Swans

Year	Title
1983	Filth
1984	Cop
1986	Greed
1986	Holy Money
1987	Children of God
1989	The Burning World
1991	White Light from the Mouth of Infinity
1995	The Great Annihilator
2010	My Father Will Guide Me up a Rope to the Sky
2012	The Seer
2014	To Be Kind
2016	The Glowing Man
2019	Leaving Meaning