Pitchfork

Olga Sarantos, grandmother of Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger of the Fiery Furnaces, has passed away, according to the Chicago Tribune (via BrooklynVegan).

Pitchfork readers will remember Sarantos (maiden name, Kokoris) as the voice of the Furnaces' 2005 album Rehearsing My Choir, which featured Sarantos recounting tales of her youth to the musical accompaniment of her grandchildren.

According to the Tribune, Sarantos began performing music at the age of 12, playing organ at Rock Island, Illinois' St. George Greek Orthodox Church. She remained active in music for much of her life, directing the choir at Chicago's Assumption Greek Orthodox Church for more than four decades. Her work on Rehearsing My Choir was highly divisive amongst Fiery Furnaces fans, but one thing was never in doubt: Sarantos spun a hell of a good yarn.

The Fiery Furnaces' winter tour kicks off January 17 in Hoboken.

Fiery Furnaces:

01-17 Hoboken, NJ - Maxwell's
01-18 South Burlington, VT - Higher Ground
01-19 Portland, ME - Space Gallery
01-21 Rochester, NY - Bug Jar
01-22 Buffalo, NY - The Tralf
01-23 State College, PA - Lulu's
01-24 Columbus, OH - The Basement Nightclub
01-25 Baltimore, MD - Ottobar
01-26 Charlottesville, VA - Satellite Ballroom
01-27 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club *
01-29 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle *
01-30 Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse *
01-31 New Orleans, LA - The Republic *
02-01 Dallas, TX - Granada Theatre *
02-02 Houston, TX - The Proletariat
02-04 Memphis, TN - Hi Tone
02-05 Oxford, MS - Proud Larry's
02-06 Nashville, TN - Exit / In
02-07 Birmingham, AL - Bottletree
02-08 Ashville, NC - Grey Eagle Tavern
02-09 Knoxville, TN - Pilot Light

* with Super Furry Animals, Holy Fuck