Posted on January 13, 2010 - by Editor

Thinking Back And Looking Forward: Sounds Of Swami

All words & photo by Emma Stone.
Sounds of Swami answered by guitarist and vocalist Kurt Wood

Emma: You recently recorded your new album this year?  Were there any trials or tribulations to overcome in the process?

Kurt: Well we’ve actually been busy recording two things in 2009 – we recorded and released our second EP “Halcyon Days” and also started recording our debut full length album. Recording “Halcyon Days” was pretty straight forward and fun; probably because we did it all ourselves in our practice room, living rooms and bedrooms. The only problem we had was getting the songs short enough to fit six songs on a 7” vinyl. I don’t think the words “play it faster!” have ever been used as much as they were during the recording of that! The album recording is going really well. We’re taking a break from touring to take our time working on it.

Emma: You brought out a vinyl copy of the EP.  How’s that been selling considering vinyl has seen a resurgence of late?

Kurt: The EP came out on exclusively on vinyl originally and it’s been selling really well. There’s been quite a large resurgence in popularity with vinyl in the mainstream but has remained just as popular in the punk community as it ever was. It’s every punks dream to have their own vinyl record out. We’re really proud of ours! We’ll hopefully getting the album pressed on 12” vinyl. That’s a punks wet dream.

Emma: You embarked on your first headline tour a couple of weeks ago.  Did that go as well as you’d hoped?

Kurt: Well we’ve been on six or seven UK tours since we started but we’ve never supported a band for a whole tour or headlined one – we organise all our own gigs so it’s a mix-up always. The tour went really well. There were a couple of lousy empty shows but we made an effort to play a lot of places we’d never visited before to get our foot in the door. It’s obviously a bit of a gamble but it has to be done. I can say it was definitely our most fun and rewarding tour so far. We met some really amazing people and enjoyed everywhere we visited.

Emma: Who would be your ideal band to provide support for?

Kurt: Fugazi reunion tour 2010. Keep them there fingers crossed! But highly unlikely. We’d really like to tour with Reuben if they ever come out of their hiatus. We’re all really into “In Nothing We Trust”. It’s amazing. I should probably name a band that are still together just in case. The Bronx probably. We could do our acoustic side project Foxes Faux when they do their Mariachi El Bronx set. It’s meant to be!

Emma: What tours do you have planned in 2010?

Kurt: We’re laying low for a few months now in terms of touring. We’re focused on finishing the album and jamming in the practice room more. We’ve got to a point where we want to write some more music and play localish gigs for a while. We’ve been averaging at almost 100 gigs a year since 2007 and run the set into the ground. Our new songs are heads and tails far better than the songs on the EP’s so we’re looking forward to seeing what we can create in the coming months. There are jobs to find and degrees to finish in the meantime so we’re probably looking at the Summer now for another UK tour.

Emma: Who are the biggest musical influences for Swami?

Kurt: Musically we’re into a lot of different things. The way we become inspired a lot of the time is when one of us really gets into an album and it becomes a resident in the vans CD changer. We travel around a lot so we all get into it and end up making a song or two sounding like that album. This happened with The Bronx, Gorilla Biscuits and Mastodon. However, the main few bands that always have an influence on us are Fugazi, At The Drive-In, Hot Snakes and Propaghandi.

Emma: Ideally, where do you hope to see yourselves this time next year?

Kurt: Hopefully with a well known debut album and a hand full of demos for the next one. We’re not thinking too far ahead; we have a problem with looking too far on and getting a bit overwhelmed. We have a lot to work on right now so we’re keeping our eyes on the present.

Emma: What were your favourite records of 2009?

Kurt: Polvo – “In Prism”, Mastodon – “Crack the Skye”, Them Crooked Vultures – “S/T”, Tabasco Fiasco – “EP One”, Crazyarm – “Born To Ruin”, Alt Track – “A Nation Is On Fire”, Revenge of the Psychotronic Man – “Make Pigs Smoke”.

Emma: With all the reunions and reformations in the past few years, is there anyone in particular you’d like to see?

Kurt: Fugazi and Reuben! Though to be honest, reunions aren’t always a good idea. Especially when bands replace members purely to tour. The reformed Misfits and Dead Kennedys with new members are terrible. Bands do have shelf lives and it’s rarely a good result when bands come out of retirement. Although I would have done anything to see the Zep reformation!

Emma: How bright does the independent music scene look for bands such as yourselves?

Kurt: There’s so much going on underground. Lots of bands are staying independent because it’s so much easier to have total control these days. It’s so inspiring to see people who aren’t musicians themselves getting involved with organising gigs, putting up bands, starting zines etc. It’s reassuring to know that it’s not only bands and artists who are willing the put the elbow grease in. With people like them and bands themselves pitching in, so much is being accomplished.