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The
Swamis had something, and that something was hard to describe. Jangly,
mostly on-key, the
Swamis brandished a new style of pop music that ranged across '60s
mod-pop ("Al Capone"),
semi-Californian psychedelia ("Phallocratic Campfire Song"),
country romps ("Mother in Law"), funk ("Hefty
Cleft"), sick-in-the-head weirdness ("Ice Cream Man"),
even spoken word ("God's Green Elves").
Along with Smokin' Dave and the
Taoist Cowboys, the Swamis formed a new wave in garage rock that one
local music critic
fruitlessly tried to dub "hightop rock," after their
preferred footwear.
"The Swamis weren't the first band fueled by cheap beer, bad
food, and the need to have something do besides sit around in their
filthy apartments, but they were one of them," says Lee Gardner,
now music editor of Baltimore's City Paper. "Whenever the Swamis
were having a good night at Gryphon's, they were undoubtedly the best
rock band for several blocks in any direction. They usually had the
Gryphon's regulars in their pocket like a pint bottle of peach
schnapps."
Both Swamis' albums are free to download - the
songs and the artwork. Right click on the song or the album and use the
"save target as" selection to get the files.
Swamis singer/bassist current project, Vacationist
League, info here.
Swamis singer/guitarist blog here.
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