The Jimmy Swift Band returns
The Jimmy Swift Band will bring their rocktronica sound to the Salt Lounge this Friday
They've shared the stage with bands like Broken Social Scene, Mobile and Pilate Speed. They've toured North America, Europe and even Mainland, China. Still, they're barely known to audiences in London.
Sometime in the last school year, a free show was held in Forwell Hall. Among the performers were Mad Mak, Shad, and the focus of this article, The Jimmy Swift Band. It was an odd billing, no doubt, as Mad Mak and Shad attracted much more of an urban audience, but those who were willing to stick around after the exemplary display of London hip-hop were most pleasantly surprised.
Craig Mercer, Aaron Collier, Mike MacDougall and Nick Wombolt, the four members who make up The Jimmy Swift Band approached the stage as a four-piece: guitar, bass, drums and keyboards. In all honesty, their set-up was not unlike thousands of other bands. It was their music, however, that set them apart.
Apparent from the first note of their set was The Jimmy Swift Band's unique song construction. Heavy distorted guitar, “groove” bass, keyboard melodies and dance-beat drums all formed in a unique way to create something rock-based, but still very danceable. This style of music has been since dubbed by many as “rocktronica.”
Although the name pretty much says it all, this rocktronica genre has come from the culmination of influence from many bands and styles over recent decades. The band even states that they listen to anything “from Daft Punk to Pink Floyd.” Interestingly enough, the guys in the band have been able to transform these influences into something of their own. It is heavily beat-oriented, but it is not drab, and it most definitely has enough going on to keep rock fans interested as well.
The Jimmy Swift Band have received much acclaim for this ingenuity, and with a touring schedule that is almost always packed (be it North America, Europe or Asia), the guys in the band have been consistently playing shows since the 2006 release of Weight of the World.
Either way, The Jimmy Swift Band is making some of the most exciting music in both the indie rock and dance streams of music, and they are definitely worth the trek down to The Salt Lounge on October 26, when they take to the stage again in London. After all, Jack's and Jim Bob's will always be around, but it might be a while before you get the chance to see such an impressive live show again.
The Jimmy Swift Band will be performing at The Salt Lounge on Friday, October 26. Their MySpace link is www.myspace.com/tjsb, but trust me, the songs don't even compare to the live versions.
They've shared the stage with bands like Broken Social Scene, Mobile and Pilate Speed. They've toured North America, Europe and even Mainland, China. Still, they're barely known to audiences in London.
Sometime in the last school year, a free show was held in Forwell Hall. Among the performers were Mad Mak, Shad, and the focus of this article, The Jimmy Swift Band. It was an odd billing, no doubt, as Mad Mak and Shad attracted much more of an urban audience, but those who were willing to stick around after the exemplary display of London hip-hop were most pleasantly surprised.
Craig Mercer, Aaron Collier, Mike MacDougall and Nick Wombolt, the four members who make up The Jimmy Swift Band approached the stage as a four-piece: guitar, bass, drums and keyboards. In all honesty, their set-up was not unlike thousands of other bands. It was their music, however, that set them apart.
Apparent from the first note of their set was The Jimmy Swift Band's unique song construction. Heavy distorted guitar, “groove” bass, keyboard melodies and dance-beat drums all formed in a unique way to create something rock-based, but still very danceable. This style of music has been since dubbed by many as “rocktronica.”
Although the name pretty much says it all, this rocktronica genre has come from the culmination of influence from many bands and styles over recent decades. The band even states that they listen to anything “from Daft Punk to Pink Floyd.” Interestingly enough, the guys in the band have been able to transform these influences into something of their own. It is heavily beat-oriented, but it is not drab, and it most definitely has enough going on to keep rock fans interested as well.
The Jimmy Swift Band have received much acclaim for this ingenuity, and with a touring schedule that is almost always packed (be it North America, Europe or Asia), the guys in the band have been consistently playing shows since the 2006 release of Weight of the World.
Either way, The Jimmy Swift Band is making some of the most exciting music in both the indie rock and dance streams of music, and they are definitely worth the trek down to The Salt Lounge on October 26, when they take to the stage again in London. After all, Jack's and Jim Bob's will always be around, but it might be a while before you get the chance to see such an impressive live show again.
The Jimmy Swift Band will be performing at The Salt Lounge on Friday, October 26. Their MySpace link is www.myspace.com/tjsb, but trust me, the songs don't even compare to the live versions.
