TRANSFORMERS Hope you come down: And god oh god, hope I don't do this: posted by eric :: October 28 2006

Bazooka Slow The way the Acid Tests went down across the pond posted by eric :: August 28 2006

HOLY COW! posted by eric :: July 20 2006

Not only does the camera add 10 lbs.... ....it pitch-shifts so that everything's out of tune just-ever-so. So, in response to my stealing the solo for Maggot Brain for my prior entry, Austin has subjected me to this: I mean, shit, it could be worse...but it could be better, too. I'll blame it on the crappy camera microphone. Good hair, though, huh? posted by eric :: June 20 2006

Tiding Over It ain't us, but it's something I'd like to thank my old and dearly missed friend Austin for having this in a place I could steal it from..... Yeah, so, anyway, until there's a fog-ladden video of me totally shredding the solo of Good Medicine, this'll have to do: posted by eric :: June 16 2006

Guilt virus I feel equally guilty for my paucity. Here is a little proof that we have been hard at work...Almost too busy for blogging. posted by jeremy :: April 19 2006

Friday I'm a dumb sap and I feel kind of horrible for being so negligent on this blog. But here it is, a quickie. Take note, Boeing. Take heed, Lockhead! Or just come, Grumman, and check us out. posted by eric :: April 17 2006

The Human Beatles In my 15 years playing music w/ people i have never really learned a Beatles tune. Until recently, Swale has taken on the task/pleasure for our 1/2 bar show tonight. They just seemed to know how to really hit a song. I know that the Beatles were human , but i can't think of any band like that since. And its not that they had a different formula. It was how they approached the songs maybe. Ringo in all his understatedness and hair...Maybe it was the hair. posted by jeremy :: February 14 2006

SWALE rhymes with WIDE WAIL and FREE SHOW rhymes with WE KNOW ALREADY, JEEZ, STOP REMINDING US I think that about covers it....oh no, wait: RED SQUARE ryhmes with HEAD THERE BURLINGTON rhymes with GIRLINGTON VERMONT rhymes with DO WHAT YOU WANT EIGHT TO ELEVEN rhymes with ESCAPE TO HEAVEN posted by eric :: January 18 2006

Apollo 13 stage Had a good show last-night at the 1/2 bar. A little tight but we kinba like that. Eric did a couple songs alone. "Ludlow" being one of my favorite's. The vintage equipment gave us a little trouble ,but Amanda dealt with grace. We were well received...especially the Stooges ["be your dog"] tune in which Alex Toth ,on trumpet, slayed us all. posted by jeremy :: January 11 2006

One whole Year Too many shows to count. Lots of laughing ,some crying. Many new songs. Many new friends. Minor spiritual epiphanies. Dogmatic proclamations. Lotsa love. Bizaare weather. Brand new healthy babies. New roofs to call our own. No ball grabs. And a bunch of new bands. posted by jeremy :: December 31 2005

Happy Season Great show last night at The Red Square. Lots of nice people, friends and fam. The sound was decent too. Aside from Amanda's keyboard{wurlitzer} taking a turn. We had ourselves a very nice holiday event. posted by jeremy :: December 24 2005

Weekend wind-up and down Quick notes.... 1. Great time at Pearls on Saturday evening with Carrigan and the Ryan Power Trio. Great, great music. Those boys (and one missing girl) are really something. 2. We're included in Heavy Syrup's new podcast (Episode 4). Check it out at www.heavysyrup.net. 3. The Once and Future Ubu starts its run on Wednesday evening. Keep abreast at www.thenewubu.com. We're all in it, Swale is. 4. Good night. posted by eric :: December 4 2005

Cafe Band? We played at the Langdon Street Cafe on Friday to a small group of nice/considerate listeners. The place has low ceilings with a carpeted basement feel. Throw rug on the stage made the bass drum sound huge. Eric's Amp sounded especially warm. As did Amanda's vocal chords. We began the evening with some outward sound and into Waterlanding. The sets had their usual PA issues [common with most smaller venues]. The vocals often sounded like we were singing through a sock. This particular issue has made me wonder if it would be worth playing with a pre-recorded vocal track. You know like that whole Saturday Night Live thang. Except we won't get caught. posted by jeremy :: November 14 2005

An article in Performer Magazine Not too accurate nor correct, but like Oscar Wilde said... ...I don't care what they're saying about me, so long as they're saying something. Yes, so we got a glowing review of a September show of ours at Opus. We're grateful for whatever anyone says out there in the Nebulous-Yet-Ubiquitous Press and Media Ether, but we'd like to play a game here. We'll include the whole article here (which can also be found at the Perfomer Mag website), and we'd like to give you, the Reader, an opportunity to point out 10 Things Inaccurate About the Article ... or its presentation. (And no, this doesn't include disagreements of a subjective opinion. For instance, if #7 of your List of 10 Things Inaccurate About the Article states that "...Olsen's rusty voice matched the five o'clock shadow on his cheeks..." is incorrect, well that's your opinion, and you're welcome to it, but it will not count towards one of the 10 Things Inaccurate About the Article, and you will not qualify.) Please send your lists to contest@swalesong.com before midnight of Sunday, November 20, 2005. Winners will be entered into a drawing for something really good. Here it is: Swale at Opus - Burlington, VT September 16, 2005 As the ship of Friday night closed within two hours of the iceberg of Saturday, the crowd at Opus showed no sign of slowing down. The freshmen -class of nightclubbers was heavily represented. The young men had thick mop tops and wore untucked fresh-pressed button-ups and crisp pants, some with Buddy Holly-esque glasses;, and the girls made dressing informally a veritable competition. The three-year-old Burlington-based band, Swale, took the stage at 10:30PM after gifted piano player Marie Claire. Owing to the size of the stage, the band brought a scaled- down version of their set. Eric Olsen (guitar) had a Fender Tweed half stack and eight pedals, one of which was tremolo, his signature sound. He also used delays and loops. Amanda Gustafson played a grand piano and later switched to synthesizer with a unique triangular amplifier. Jeremy Frederick (drums), who played with Gustafson for ten years in Wide Wail, worked on a trimmed-down kit with only five pieces. With no cover charge, a friendly staff, and a crisp interior, Opus is an appealing place to huddle around a table and chat with friends, but it is less appealing as a musical venue. The stage is tucked in a corner, and it opens width-wise to a narrow cross-section of the restaurant and bar, instead of length-wise. Swale compounded the limited spatial interaction with the audience by closing the tight boundaries of their stage, with their interlocking gazes. On several songs, the degree of eye contact between Olsen, Gustafson, and Frederick increased, and their heavily syncopated rhythms improved proportionately. Aside from a signal to the bar for which Olsen received a cheer, the band never really ushered in the participation of the audience. Nevertheless, the emotive use of their rhythms and melodies mirrored the tension conveyed by their downcast eyes. Perhaps the essence of Swale's sound comes from their brooding inward focus. Most of their songs leaned toward the slow side, and the trio members skipped like a stone over the surface of the music. The third song of their first set showcased their ability to create melodic tension and relieve it. The song began with the tonic chord, which descended a chromatic half-step and just as abruptly stepped back up. Then, like a cycle on the washing machine, the chord changed into a minor chord and progressed through two more changes until arriving back at home, thus scratching the itch caused by the initial hesitation. Rhythmically, Swale is dynamic, and even avant-garde in an age of metronome music. Half of the songs they played had unconventional rhythms. In at least one song, Swale routinely alternated between a standard- time signature and that of a waltz. The spacing of the lyrics relative to the chord progressions often seemed free from pattern. Within a verse, the first word of each line could begin irregularly like a book in which some of the words are flush with left side of the page and others start in the middle. The music would often swell in the gaps between lyrical stanzas. Due to the acoustics, it was hard to understand the lyrics, but the format of music certainly makes it possible for Swale to emphasize the meaning of their words over their function as melody carriages. Gustafson has a strong lead voice which neatly fits with the band’s solemn intensity. Occasionally she harmonized with Olsen, whose rusty voice matched the five o’clock shadow on his cheeks. Jeremy Frederick writes most of the band’s songs, but this night he sang only one. His voluble-yet-dissonant voice sounded so good that it’s hard to imagine why he doesn’t sing more. -Dean Powers Photos – unknown www.swalesong.com Good luck. May the best people win. posted by eric :: November 12 2005

New York State (of mind) we're there, come see us So, this Friday (11.04.05) we'll be at the Monopole in Plattsburgh, NY sharing the stage with Resonator. We play from 10:45pm-12am, then Resonator closes the night. There might be an opener from 10-10:30, I don't know yet. The Monopole 7 Protection Ave Plattsburgh NY 12901 - Google map 518-563-2222 And then, on Sunday (11.06.05), we're at the Mercury Lounge in NYC, playing first at 7:30 (yes, 7:30pm, as in seven thirty ... which makes it nice on a school night, yeah?), followed by Heloise & The Savior-Faire at 8:30, The Will at 9:30, and Daniel Marr at 10:30. The Mercury Lounge 217 East Houston Street NYC, NY - Google map 212-260-4700 Bring posses! The family, the kids, call up acquaintences you've been meaning to go get a drink with for years now.... have a high school reunion at the shows ... gather the blind and the deaf, have them describe it to one another ... bring my blind-deaf mother, and no shit, she'll describe it to all of you ... posted by eric :: November 1 2005

1 a.m. Came home last night to 6 inches of snow, and trees snapping everywhere. The Lady and I hiked the quarter mile , pushing through downed trees , to our especially strong looking house. One tree had leaned/draped itself over the Beetle (5 year restoration project)... So, 1am ,slinging chainsaw with a head lamp on that could barely stay lit due to dying batteries. And then to bed until the next day which would bring something...else. We have no control. posted by jeremy :: October 26 2005

Toelining for the Headliner Opened for Lou Barlow last night. It was a real treat indeed...Lou's set made me want to write one hundred songs right then and there. posted by jeremy :: October 8 2005

The Horns Blow or, What A Spaghetti Meal Will Get You Here in Box, kids sitting in a circle, blowing their respective horns, or licorice sticks, or what have you, getting ready to put down the tasty end bits on Eric's tune, and all for the price of homemade meatballs and a big jug of wine. And Guinness. And Cranberry juice. They make an amazing racket, really, and have an uncanny ability to tune each other out as they wrap their lips around they one they love. Eric just said he could listen to them all day, and I would agree, as long as I didn't have to do anything else, like turn four pairs of headphones into five, or find enough unbroken chairs. A woman's work is never done, and tonight we are running as close to even in the battle of the sexes as this room has ever seen. And I provided MEAT! which is like a person, really, so let's call it even, Steven. posted by amanda :: September 22 2005

BeneFete a feat of feet Or whatever. Just a small babble to introduce the idea of hauling ass down to Battery Park tonight (5-11pm) where a host of locals big and small are performing to raise some scratch for the Gulf Coast region. We play at 6pm and have some special plans for horns and whatnot. Guess the whole thing is looking like this: 5:00 Anna Pardenek 5:25 Juliet McVicker trio 5:50 Swale (horn parade at end) 6:30 Starline Rhythm Boys 7:05 Tammy Fletcher, with Stacy Starkweather and Bob Hill 7:20 Sandra Wright Band 7:45 Michael Chorney (solo) 8:00 Manifest Next To Me 8:30 Mayor Clavelle/Alan 8:45 Chip Wilson 9:05 Chrome Cowboys 9:40 All-Star BeneFete Band: Russ Lawton, Mark Ransom,Page McConnell, Bill Mullins, Chuck Eller, Brett Hughes, Michael Chorney, Jennifer Hartswick, Andrew Moroz, Patrick Ross, Steve Hadeka Guess if it rains, it'll be at Memorial Auditorium. Nice bounce-around sound, all that. Afterwards, we play (as well as Marie Claire) at Opus. Check the poster. Bye. posted by eric :: September 16 2005

Half Way Took a crack at recording more vocals last night...I wonder if there is a word for not quite translating the melody in the head to an audible format. In my case that melody is there but the transfer sometimes falls short. Although maybe that very word also describes that accidental collision of character and performance. One single moment when you think "ok screw that other idea, i just found something much more on the mark". posted by jeremy :: September 14 2005

Saint Daryl the Favorite Yes, Daryl is indeed a saint.Working with him is kind of like having your cake and eating it too. Swale has had the good fortune of experiencing several engineering styles. And Daryl ranks up there with the favorites. posted by jeremy :: August 31 2005

Daryl, you are a saint This is my official thank you for humoring my dork behavior regarding waveforms and their correct positioning. You humour me, and good thing, because I was right. haha Thanks - I know I am a righteous pain in the ass, and you are cute and talented, which is a winning combination, and much preferred. Enjoying every minute, amazingly. posted by amanda :: August 30 2005

Summer dwindling You feel it most, maybe, as you watch the Fair close for the evening. Lots of lights, people rushing around to find anything that's open, parts of the park going dark. Last night we did the Awesome Zone at the Fair, a band called Pretty & Nice opened up for us. Basically, a little cube building that was hot as shit. Yes, hot shit. I sweat through my shirt til it looked like I had pulled it out of the washer....I could've wrung it dry. Before you know it, it will be September. We start again tonight on the record, maybe some vocals, need to get some piano and bass, and a few other things....tubas, cellos, static samples from a Russian talk radio program. posted by eric :: August 30 2005

Artistically Sound Today we put down some meanass tambourine on Edible and Electable. As well as various other percussion on other songs. I have blisters...from swinging a tambourine made to be mounted on a cymbol stand and not swung....Whole new respect for the Tambo players out there. It made me think back to my college audition where i was expected to know allot more than i had prepared for .And in the end made me realize that there are two kinds of musicians. One who studies to improve ones knowledge. The perfection of the craft of music. And then there is the musician who bases most of his/her playing on life experience. Which is a different kind of craft all together. It is equally important to be artistically sound. Daryl called me a hippie today. posted by jeremy :: August 23 2005

Disappointment and Redemption So, a long strange day with WAAAAAAYYYY too much deep thinking on the part of some of my co-workers, resulting in my late return home, only to find that our last recording session had been attacked by some cruel and mischievous gremlins(see Eric's Journal entry at Icebox Records) destined to make me play tracks over again that were performed with magic and ennui on Friday (see jeremy's entry below). And I am helpless in these situations, though always grateful to be attached to one Mr Olsen, who posesses such ghetto brilliance in all things computer. Daryl ain't so bad, himself. Jeremy and i removed our somewhat useless selves to a little Physics Club practice, where we were awestruck by the majesty of two new songs (one about chess and one about the history of computers) written by our bandmate, Adam. Practice was a little snagged when Adam couldn't find his keyboard plug, but after he called the west coast and we watched the cat in the sink for a while, he charged forward with a midi keyboard and some floppy discs, and three synths once again filled the air with their awesome, connective brilliance. We have a show Thursday, at the Metronome, with the Smittens. By the way, when we returned from practice, the boys had fixed everything. Sessions found. Packets restored. Rocking resumes. thank you, Daryl and Eric, for being patient and working so hard, even if you did have to drink 6 beers each to do it. posted by amanda :: August 21 2005

Objective reporting Swale has made major headway with the recording since beginning about a week ago. It sounds great . .. Daryl has got some skills. Last night we did a live recording of "Middlesex" . I was in the bathroom, playing the tamborine. Eric and Amanda were out in the room with Daryl and his command center. Three microphones and it sounds really nice. Live yet preserved. posted by jeremy :: August 20 2005

Ok I exaggerate. Seems to be a hereditary disposition. Let's talk about my new sneakers - they kind of look like this picture. My mom and I went out together and bought sneakers, and she promptly put them to use during a brisk jog the following morning. This is two weeks ago, and I took them out of the box last night for the first time, putting them to use by modelling them for Eric in the living room, while we watched "Panic in Needle Park". Can we talk about this movie? Actually, never mind. Eric put it best: those poor people. Lucky us, though, very lucky. posted by amanda :: August 17 2005

Clarification That bottom drumhead that Amanda references is in fact the head that Pop put on the drum 20 years ago. Structurally it is all there.But thats not why I have kept it on the 36 year old snare drum.That drumhead has potentially extreme goodluck infused within it. As far as tuning goes,,,we got better at it by day three. We are a patient band. posted by jeremy :: August 16 2005

Frank Ran into our neighbor, Frank today, me walking while reading, he talking on cell phone. I looked up from the book to see him laughing, fantasizing about our potential collision. That Frank, and Marie, greatest neighbors on the planet. I look down on them now, from my perch in Box, listening to Frank and drums. The yard's looking great, buddy. We'll have that record for you soon. posted by amanda :: August 16 2005

Let's do it Together After an hour of watching Jeremy tune his snare drum to a dubious Farfisa (didn't you see me shaking my head at you yesterday when you were tuning that way?), three takes into a song, and the listening session reveals an uncomfortable ring from said snare. We sit, together, me holding the snares up off the head, tapping the Wurlitzer C, C, C, C, C, CCCCCCC C, C, C, and we communicate with eyes, eyebrows, sharp, flat, hi, low, sing the note, let me tap, is that the harmonic? A whole step flat, that's the culprit, and maybe the 25 year old head on the bottom of the drum, signed "Paul Frederick", Jer's dad. We wait, now, for coffee. We will work until we are tired, or until our engineer tells us to drive him home. posted by amanda :: August 15 2005

Ear Sweat So we got all of the tempos for the songs... Now the fun begins.Meeting up with Daryl at The Box on sunday to begin recording the first full length. Im actually looking forward to "sweating headphones" and multiple takes.Its so good to work with the people you trust. posted by jeremy :: August 12 2005

Slow Run Today i walked the dogs in the most violent lightning/thunder/rain/hail storm i have seen in a while. That kind of flash photo lightning that precedes the high, high pitch ring that the dogs seemed to lower their heads to....Looking back at me ever time another crash came.As if to ask "are you sure we should be out here?" I,a picture of security, speed walking. posted by jeremy :: August 10 2005

Playing the Fair Get sick on the Zipper, then come to us Looks like we're playing some stage somewhere in the Champlain Valley Fair on Monday the 29th (August, yes). Should be interesting.... posted by eric :: August 10 2005

Whatever Swale played at the Rock Camp on Monday...Truly an expierience to be had. All those teenagers doing that teenage thing.You know the " yeah this band is allright i guess" thing...But i think that they dug it. Check out the Rock Camp concert at Memorial Auditorium tonight 4pm-7pm. posted by jeremy :: August 5 2005

Ima door Amanda and I hung a door the other day and it looks so pro. It took about 10 hours all together... posted by jeremy :: August 2 2005

Myspace Actually, it would be OUR space, but check it out: www.myspace.com/swale. We've started branching out. go there, Chris, and make stuff happen. GOOD BLOGS JUST FADE AWAY, by the way.... posted by eric :: July 27 2005

BLOGS DONT DIE Our friend Chris complained to me that the blog is dead on our site....Not true friend Chris.WE ARE too busy getting mentally prepped to record an enormous amount of music... The mental prep work is never done in this band.....dont fret, more banter is coming. posted by jeremy :: July 27 2005

D-Rail and the Contrarian back on board August will be an august month for Swale Guess we get down to recording 10 or so songs at BOX starting in August, and we're trying to get the majority of the album done that month.... f'n a, good to be working with them boys again. posted by eric :: July 1 2005

Playing tonight, and made the Days School Bus' performance puts Swale on the map We played at Radio Bean last Saturday (this is the poster) and despite the fact that Bradie almost died from some rotting sushi within her, 3 fine sets were played (ahhh, 3 appears all over, huh?)....much longer than the 35 minutes (which we stretched into 48) we had the next night at the MMJ show. But the middle one was actually a School Bus set that we played backing band and he closed his set with...well, you can read about it at the Seven Days website or pick up this week's ish. We play tonight at Red Square at 8pm....squeezing in appropriate covers to lead into the 80s Night DJing that starts at 11pm. Some key, rich dishes for sure. posted by eric :: June 29 2005

Indeed a great band "Trinity of Power"...The band that slayed all in its path. posted by jeremy :: June 27 2005

Patience, power, perspire Playing with MMJ tonight. Wish us luck. Should be a full show, those guys pack em in at Higher Ground. Joey Bag O Donuts is even flying in for the show, was in LA this morning, decided over brunch. He's a pilot, he can do that. It's hot, not as bad as yesterday when it felt like suffocating in the intestines of a burning buffalo, but hot, and exaserbated by waiting around. I started reading As I Lay Dying again, and that's not helping I think. Here's the Trinity of Power Jer was last discussing. posted by eric :: June 26 2005

Wattage Voltage is the pressure of electrons in an electrical circuit. And electrons are particles associated with the elementary charge of negative electricity. Protons being the posotive equivalent. Amperage is the measure of the flow of electrons in the electrical circuit.And Wattage is the amount of energy or "power" in the electrical circuit, determined by multipyling the voltage by the amperage.....Now repeat ten times. posted by jeremy :: June 20 2005

Band Seen Chatting on Area Porch Usually, about an hour of chit chat, and often a burrito, preceeds...whatever you want to call it. posted by amanda :: June 14 2005

Practice or Rehearse? Does Swale "practice" or "rehearse"? This question has come up many times throughout our existence. If one were to say, "I'm off to PRACTICE with my rock band", this would imply habitual repetition of individual songs, ideas, concepts. Whereas, "I have a REHEARSAL with my rock band", suggests preparation in private for a more formal and/or public affair. So, practice precedes rehearsal. Or does rehearsal precede practice? posted by jeremy :: June 13 2005

Bassist Tyler Bolles Attacked on Area Porch Upcoming summer blockbuster crushes his head Tyler, who we've had the pleasure of playing with for the past few years in the Speilpalast Orchestra and who has also sat in with us on several occasions, most noteably a 25 minute version of Miles Davis' Rightoff that had such self-consciousness that it could not be recorded (3 minidisc recorders failed) had his head crushed by the Thing this evening.... ....which was a far better fate than some that could've befallen him. posted by eric :: June 11 2005

Trumpeter Alex Toth Spotted on Area Porch ...despite his best attempts to camouflage himself. posted by amanda :: June 10 2005

Swale is approved for The Jacket! This was the subject line for the email we just received regarding our opening slot for MMJ. We're real excited, to say the least. The rest of the email? We're good to go. June 26 - all ages. Doors 7pm, Show 8pm, Swale 8-8:35pm. Well, all right.... posted by eric :: June 9 2005

Might be opening for MMJ eo will need to get his Univox EC80s fixed by them in order to jive despite the drippy nature of the entries here thus far, this will also be the spot for up-to-date latest news blast flurries, or whatever you'd call em. but seriously, looks like we may be opening for My Morning Jacket on June 26th. It's a Sunday, and it'll be a warm reverbed evening for sure. Don't forget: next week this time (06.16.05), you should be at One Half Lounge in downtown Burlington, Vermont for some stripped down and fragile Swale, and the week after (06.25.05) we'll be playing with School Bus again...psyched to see what he plans on doing. Could be hella riffing, or could be one note stretched over and hour. Either way, it's sure to dazzle. posted by eric :: June 9 2005

Reminds of days gone by, Jerry, when we first started playing together. You with your corn rows, me doing lots of smoking and shouting. Goodness, it's been ten years. Nice to know there's always new stuff to try. posted by amanda :: June 9 2005

Blog On My very first time. posted by jeremy :: June 8 2005