Current Swell

What is so special about being positive? What made an entire generation go nuts and just decide to let their hair grow and get stoned? Then again, what is so great about being miserable? Again, entire generations of people used music to let out their misery as an art form. When you get past all of that though, what are you left to feel? There gets a point in your life where you get tired of hearing people complain about how bad life is, or how happy they are to be, or maybe that's just me. Sometimes the mellow vibe goes across so much better than those of an overly positive or negative song. This is where my personal interest in a lot of surf based acoustic music stems from. The reflective aspect of it just creates that real depth that isn't necessarily conveyed from it's lyrics or often simple musical basis. Current Swell is no different in this sense, with their melancholy reflections and harmonies mirroring most of the current acts in the style. When I was first handed a ripped copy of this tape, I wasn't sure what to expect. Sure, I'd listened to acts like The John Butler Trio and Xavier Rudd, but I was a major metalhead at the time. Still, the CD found it's way into my battered player and I sat down and was taken aback by the easiness of the music. Yes, in no way couyld it compare to the technicalities of metal, nor did it have the aggression of the punk acts I was into at the time, but it just had a hold. The solos were simplistic, but more emotional than any 515 note-a-minute solo and the vocals just felt that bit more authentic. You could hear the fact that there was feeling behind the lyrics, no matter how repetitive they were or how often they were said. It reminded me of days as a kid, sitting on the beach whilst the sky was overcast and waves crashed.

The acoustic aspect, which is present for most of the record really builds that laid back vibe that so many surfers try to explain to everyone around them. There's the connection to the environment, shown in songs like For The Land or the genuine outlook on life shown in songs like Honest Man which relays the age old tale of a person being convicted on false grounds, but when finally released is so institutionalised that he can't cope with the world that has changed so much from the one he left, and ends up committing a crime to return to the safety of the walls. I wasn't blown away with this, I mean, I'd heard much the same long before I heard this record. However, it was the execution that made this so intriguing.

Instrumentally, this took me aback. I'd gone from Necrophagist and Napalm Death to a band that had barely any drums, light guitar and an actually audible bass, not to mention the various miscellaneous instruments featured throughout the record. Harmonicas and tambourines were quite the dynamic change, hand claps contrasting the blast beats. But for all the minimal aspects, the instruments were well put together. You can actually hear definite dynamic changes from a low laid back to a building positive vibe. There is no focus on one particular area, rather producing a well rounded sound which is demonstrative of all the members of the band.

It's been a few months since I first was handed that battered CD and I don't regret listening to it. Whilst it wasn't the most original acoustic record, nor the most creative, it had that genuine energy which made it seem like such a real record, not one made to just fit under a particular genre banner or stylistic form.

La da da da - Sputnik Music

What is so special about being positive? What made an entire generation go nuts and just decide to let their hair grow and get stoned? Then again, what is so great about being miserable? Again, entire generations of people used music to let out their misery as an art form. When you get past all of that though, what are you left to feel? There gets a point in your life where you get tired of hearing people complain about how bad life is, or how happy they are to be, or maybe that's just me. Sometimes the mellow vibe goes across so much better than those of an overly positive or negative song. This is where my personal interest in a lot of surf based acoustic music stems from. The reflective aspect of it just creates that real depth that isn't necessarily conveyed from it's lyrics or often simple musical basis. Current Swell is no different in this sense, with their melancholy reflections and harmonies mirroring most of the current acts in the style. When I was first handed a ripped copy of this tape, I wasn't sure what to expect. Sure, I'd listened to acts like The John Butler Trio and Xavier Rudd, but I was a major metalhead at the time. Still, the CD found it's way into my battered player and I sat down and was taken aback by the easiness of the music. Yes, in no way couyld it compare to the technicalities of metal, nor did it have the aggression of the punk acts I was into at the time, but it just had a hold. The solos were simplistic, but more emotional than any 515 note-a-minute solo and the vocals just felt that bit more authentic. You could hear the fact that there was feeling behind the lyrics, no matter how repetitive they were or how often they were said. It reminded me of days as a kid, sitting on the beach whilst the sky was overcast and waves crashed.

The acoustic aspect, which is present for most of the record really builds that laid back vibe that so many surfers try to explain to everyone around them. There's the connection to the environment, shown in songs like For The Land or the genuine outlook on life shown in songs like Honest Man which relays the age old tale of a person being convicted on false grounds, but when finally released is so institutionalised that he can't cope with the world that has changed so much from the one he left, and ends up committing a crime to return to the safety of the walls. I wasn't blown away with this, I mean, I'd heard much the same long before I heard this record. However, it was the execution that made this so intriguing.

Instrumentally, this took me aback. I'd gone from Necrophagist and Napalm Death to a band that had barely any drums, light guitar and an actually audible bass, not to mention the various miscellaneous instruments featured throughout the record. Harmonicas and tambourines were quite the dynamic change, hand claps contrasting the blast beats. But for all the minimal aspects, the instruments were well put together. You can actually hear definite dynamic changes from a low laid back to a building positive vibe. There is no focus on one particular area, rather producing a well rounded sound which is demonstrative of all the members of the band.

It's been a few months since I first was handed that battered CD and I don't regret listening to it. Whilst it wasn't the most original acoustic record, nor the most creative, it had that genuine energy which made it seem like such a real record, not one made to just fit under a particular genre banner or stylistic form.

La da da da - Sputnik Music

By: Mike Devlin

January 6, 2013

Current Swell grabbed two Times Colonist Music Awards this year, winning Breakout Artist or Band and Best Live
Performer.

For the third consecutive year, a hand-picked jury convened shortly before Christmas with a single goodwill goal in mind: To shine a spotlight on the brightest the local musical community has to offer.
The results today make up the third annual Times Colonist Music Awards, a juried list of the top acts currently based in Greater Victoria.
We flipped the format for the third consecutive year, in part to keep things fresh, but the mandate reamins the same. Only the best of the best were up for inclusion.

Last year’s awards were separated into seven genre-specific catgeories, which meant an inordinate amount of work for all involved. We narrowed the criteria this time around, out of respect for the judges. But we didn’t skimp on the attention to detail, out of respect for the bands.
As with previous years, the process was tremendously illuminating. Favourites emerged in each category, and while there was some overlap, it was often a race to the finish as far as vote totals were concerned. In each of the five catgeories this year, roughly 30 artists/bands drew votes from our panel, but with only five spots on each ballot, only the strongest survived.

The most popular band in Victoria — on stage or in the studio — is Current Swell. Without question. The quartet has held the mantle for years, from its days as a learning-on-the-fly indie act to its status as a group with international appeal. The group’s popularity rose even further in 2012, thanks to some key concerts and the continued success of their 2011 recording, Long Time Ago.
The best part? Current Swell hasn’t stopped its pursuit of being one of the best live bands in this or any other country. “They are honestly playing for fun, and it’s evident in their music,” Current Swell manager Stephen Franke said. “There is no posing going on. They are a sincere band, and that comes across in their show. There’s no BS. That’s the
best way of putting it. They love performing live, and put 100 per cent into everything they do.”

The group, which rang in the new year alongside the John Butler Trio and Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings at a festival in Australia, also toured Brazil for the first time in 2012. The band was aware of its fans there, but not until this maiden voyage did bandmates discover the depths of their South American audience. “It turns out the band can headline 2,000 people a show in six or eight cities,” Franke said.
Singer-guitarists Scott Stanton and Dave Lang, drummer Chris Petersen and bassist Ghosty plan to return in 2013. Up first, however, is another Australian run in March that will see the group play alongside Wilco, Ben Harper and Santana at the Byron Bay Bluesfest.
Current Swell had a spectacular 2011, during which they won $100,500 and top spot at Vancouver’s Peak Performance Project. Backed by a tour schedule that topped 60 dates, the vibe in 2012 was even more positive, Franke said.
They encountered successes in Toronto, including a “killer” show at the Horseshoe Tavern, and sold out shows
throughout Quebec and Ontario, he said. “This was a great year for realizing what’s in store for the future. A big thing was watching audiences grow internationally and seeing it really take hold outside of British Columbia, both nationally and internationally, for the first time.”
Current Swell also played on two separate concert bills with the Tragically Hip this year. Another highlight was signing a contract with Vancouver’s Nettwerk Records, which re-released Long Time Ago in October and marked the group’s debut on U.S. record store shelves. - Time Colonist

By: Chris Parker

Canadian quartet Current Swell are surfer/snowboarder types who pretty much fell into music by mistake. So it's that much sweeter they won Vancouver's 2011 PEAK Performance Project, a kind of
battle of the bands with a $100,000 prize.
The band started in Dave Lang's Vancouver Island, B.C. living room, where fellow guitarist/school chum Scott Stanton crashed on vacation and wouldn't leave.
"We were prairie boys and we just kind of got into surfing," recalls Lang. "We were always heavily into skateboarding and snowboarding. It was like bro-ing it out with each other and playing guitar
together. He just abandoned his plane ticket home."
The crashing continued for a full six weeks ("eventually we had to kick him off the couch"), but the music and friendship carried on.
Current Swell's earliest musical forays mixed country-folk and surf/reggae, a combination that found a rabid audience among their 'boarding compatriots. While they didn't initially pursue a music
career, they soon embraced the DIY ethos and found a willing audience within the jam circuit.
Still, their sound's not so easily confined. The band's fourth album, 2011's Long Time Ago, turned up the amps on tracks like the Neil Young-ish, "Honest Man," tightened their mix of roots and pop
on tracks like the pretty banjo-driven devotional "For the Land," and explored the darker side on "Brad's Song," about an outspoken, whiskey-drinking wheelchair-bound friend.
"A lot of our more popular songs are on the lighter side," Lang admits. "['Brad's Song'] has a more somber feel and it's about a friend of mine that passed away. It was the first time I was able to write
about something like that. I wouldn't write about something like that unless I knew it. So it's awesome to kind of be growing with age and your songwriting kind of following you."
There's an unvarnished plainspoken charm to Current Swell's sound, which is also reflected in the musicians' genial, unassuming natures. So it's not so surprising why they balked at the idea of
entering the radio station-sponsored PEAK Performance Project until their manager finally convinced them to do it.
"We're like, fuck no. It isn't our style to compete. Plus you really put yourself out there and set yourself up to be crushed if they don't pick you to be in the top 20," says Lang.
Their manager successfully appealed to their business side — "we're cash poor and a pile of money would really help" — and they ultimately won the several month-long competition.
They received the news at the final show of their CD release tour for Long Time Ago, after which good tidings just kept coming. Nettwerk, one of Canada's biggest labels, signed them a couple
months later, re-released the album and proceeded to send them around the world in support of it for the past year. In June they return home to start work on the follow-up.
Ultimately, they feel they've paid enough dues to justify their recent fortune.
"We've definitely been the broke band for a long time," figures Lang. "Even when we go on tour now we split one hotel room for the four of us."
As to what the future holds, Lang admits he's no soothsayer. "It's fun because there are no rules in music," he says. "You can try whatever you want." - Colorado Springs Independent

October 25, 2011

Swells and peaks

A long time ago, Scott Stanton and Dave Lang used to live in Edmonton. One after another, the two friends, musicians and surfers moved to Victoria, where they formed a roots-rock band, Current Swell. Six years after the release of their debut, So I Say, things are still going swell for the Edmonton expats.

Their fourth album, Long Time Ago, is now in stores, and on Wednesday, the musicians will find out if they made it to the semifinals in a lucrative talent contest sponsored by a Vancouver radio station.
Twenty artists are competing for five semifinal spots in the Peak Performance Project. The grand prize, which is tentatively scheduled to be announced on Thursday, Nov. 17, is $100,500. (The second-and third-place prizes aren't too shabby either - $75,000 and $50,000, respectively.)

Before then, Current Swell will make a quick trip to their former stomping grounds on Friday, Nov. 11, at the Pawn Shop. Tickets are $20 plus service charges at yeglive.ca.
- By Sandra Sperounes, The Edmonton Journal

An all-star local lineup is about to take to the stage at the McPherson Playhouse Friday.
Roots rockers Current Swell are kicking off their tour in Victoria promoting the four-piece's fourth LP, Long Time Ago, officially being released Oct. 25. They'll be serenading the crowds at the McPherson for their first time alongside singer-songwriters Aidan Knight and Jon Middleton (of Jon & Roy).
Long Time Ago has a noticeably darker feel than Current Swell's past works, but not intentionally, says frontman Scott Stanton.
“I think sometimes we get pigeon-holed as a happy-go-lucky band,” says Stanton. “I don't know if we were necessarily going for a different sound. Some things happened to us over the last year with a close friend passing away, and it just turned out to be a bit of a darker record. We demoed 25 or 30 songs, then sat down and said regardless of how good some of them are, we just wanted to go with a cohesive record. We're not looking for a radio hit, if it happens that's great.”
Long Time Ago is the first album with bassist Ghosty, who joined the band almost three years ago. It also ventures into some uncharted territory for the band— the synthesizer. Stanton equates the opening of “For the Land” to Dr. Dre's signature style in 2001.
“I listen to tons of different music,” says Stanton. “The band bought a synth to play around with and that line just came out. Every time we played live people were into it, so we decided to go for it. When we were recording, we muted that track and the song sounded bare so we decided to go with it. Before it was just a folk song, now it's more.”
“Brad's Song” is a heart-wrenching tune dedicated to the memory of Brad Shuttleworth, a longtime friend of the band who passed away in 2009. They recently filmed an acoustic live version that can be found on YouTube and the band's website.
After the Victoria show Current Swell is hitting the open road for a North American tour, with stops in the U.S. And their first shows in the Maritimes.
They're also hoping to eventually play some shows in Brazil, where support for their music is surging.
“None of the band members speak Portuguese,” says Stanton, “But our following is bigger there than it is in Canada. I won't say it's happening until we're on the plane, but it's one of our biggest goals.”
Current Swell (Scott Stanton, Dave Lang, Ghosty, Chris Petersen) is also a Top 20 finalist in the Peak Performance Project alongside a slew of other Victoria talents including Acres of Lions, Ashleigh Eymann, Avairis, Lindsay Bryan, Maurice and Rococode. M
- By Mary Ellen Green - Monday Magazine

VICTORIA – The popular Vancouver Island band Current Swell is in the midst of a unique physical experience.

They just finished recording their fourth album. Now the musicians are switching gears, set to perform the new songs live on a national tour.

Current Swell did three weeks worth of 16 hour days to record their 4th album ‘Long Time Ago.’ It’s a collection of 10 new songs. Although the mood is more serious than their previous work, the goal of the live shows remains the same.

The album will be released on Tuesday October 26, 2011. Details are available at http://www.currentswell.com - By Adam Sawatsky - CTV Victoria

Current Swell steadied itself for a sea change on its fourth album, Long Time Ago.

The talented four-piece from Victoria designed its fourth record to be a step up in every way possible.

And true to their vision, everything about the record, which is set for an Oct. 25 release through Blue Heron/Warner Music Canada, bears the mark of a band that has found firm footing, arguably for the very first time.

It was time to shake the foundations, says singerguitarist Scott Stanton. "We wanted to make a very serious record," he said.
"It was tugging and pulling at us. I think we have a reputation for being a fun, summery band. To me, after the record was done, it sounded more serious than our records have been in the past."

Stanton, singer-guitarist Dave Lang, drummer Chris Petersen and bassist Ghosty Boy purposely left some great songs off the album, in an effort to create a cohesive, mature-sounding effort. Among the leftovers were a handful that have already become live favourites, which made the decision even more difficult, Stanton says.

Current Swell stayed firm in its new direction, however. In the past, the group often set its lyrics to addictive surf-friendly folk or rock-inspired reggae. For the purpose of Long Time Ago, the quartet wanted the focus to be on pure musicianship and more meaningful topics.
"We wanted to call it People Not Places," Stanton says, "because on this record we wrote mostly about people in our lives."

The record's standout is Brad's Song, a heartbreaking ode to Stanton and Lang's former Dallas Road roommate Bradford Shuttleworth, who died in late 2009 following a difficult, four-year battle with symptoms stemming from Quadriplegia.

Shuttleworth grew up with Stanton and Lang in St. Albert, Alta., near Edmonton. He suffered an accident in Australia after jumping into a shallow river, Stanton says, which rendered him a quadriplegic and cut short at 30 a life that was electric.

"He changed mine and Dave's lives for the better. He got us into surfing and was really into music, and got us into travelling. He was an ideas guy."

Current Swell first performed the song before a sold-out audience at Victoria's Alix Goolden Performance Hall on Dec. 13, 2009, just two days after Shuttleworth's death. It was an emotional moment for everyone on stage, and for those assembled in the audience as well.
"We played that as our last song that night," Stanton said. "We knew how heavy the song was, but when we walked out to the lobby afterwards, tonnes of people were crying. It touched everybody, even if they didn't know us or Brad. It is just one of those songs that hits you."
The lyrics make reference to Shuttleworth's memorial service, which saw a group of his family and close friends, including Stanton and Lang, surf out to Tofino's Cox Bay to spread his ashes. During a post-ceremony drinking session with Shuttleworth's family, Lang pulled out a guitar and played Brad's Song for his father.

The emotional impact of Current Swell has arms that reach across the world. Reams of fan mail, even YouTube tributes in Portuguese, have filtered in from Brazil, which is now officially the band's top territory.
The band is touring Hawaii in February and Australia in March, but a series of dates scheduled for the largest country in South America in April has the group excited about the possibilities.

The tour will see Current Swell play mostly 1,000-to 2,000-seat venues, huge rooms considering it will be the group's first tour of Brazil.
The Brazil buzz started slowly, Stanton says. "We'd get an email here and there, 'Please come to Brazil, I'm a huge fan,' which was hilarious to read. But then we'd go on YouTube and there was a bunch of Brazilian people covering our songs. Someone even covered our music video, lip-synching all our lyrics."
In an effort to test the waters, the group put a message on Facebook in Portuguese, asking fans to suggest cities for them to play during their maiden tour of Brazil. "Within two days, there was over 600 comments," Stanton said. "I don't think we've written anything in English that got even 100 comments."
The success is startling. Current Swell has no overseas distribution, which leads Stanton to believe that the worldwide surf culture had a part to play.

"I definitely think it is a surf culture thing. We get pigeonholed as a surf band because of our name, because we've written songs about surfing, and because a couple of guys in our band surf. But it's also got to be a lot of luck. Other than that, I have no idea."

mdevlin@timescolonist.com © Copyright (c) The Victoria Times Colonist
- By Mike Devlin, Times Colonist October 20, 2011

Arts and Entertainment - Current Swell
by Anuhea Yagi
February 02, 2011

Oh, Canada. Known for its maple syrup, ice hockey, lumberjacks and surf. OK, Canada isn't exactly known for its surf, but it does have surf—the best of which can be found around Vancouver Island off the coast of British Columbia, the country's westernmost province.

Hailing from this wintry isle—and immersed in its burgeoning surf scene—is the emerging indie rock band Current Swell. Their solid songcraft has been making waves up north and in the five short years since their formation, they've produced three studio albums, opened for the likes of The Beach Boys, Xavier Rudd and The Beautiful Girls, and have gigged at venues like the Ottawa Blues Festival and 2010 Winter Olympics. Recently returned from touring Australia with Ash Grunwald, the band again heads for warmer waters with a special six-show stint on the Valley Isle. It'll be the band's first time in Hawaii, and they're naturally looking forward to jumping in the water during their downtime.

"The scene [in British Columbia] is actually pretty big, with respect to the challenges," says Current Swell frontman Scott Stanton. "For us, going for a surf is an all-day venture. We have to drive for two hours and hike for half an hour just to get there. Then, we have to get into a big suit of rubber—5mm wet suits, 7mm hoods and gloves. Even then, you can only surf for two hours before your limbs start to go numb."

It's an enthusiasts-only lifestyle, and one Stanton says has informed the band's songwriting. Being a group of good-looking blonde boys brandishing surf boards alongside their instruments (be-sweatered though they may be) has led to their music generally being labeled as "surf rock."

"We never called ourselves surf rock, other people did," says Stanton, adding that no single genre encompasses the band's broadly sourced style. "But it's flattering we've been accepted into that circle—especially being from Canada."

What then, if not surf rock? "Folk, rock, blues and reggae," says Stanton. If that sounds like the ingredients of surf rock to you, a quick listen to their music—especially their latest album, Protect Your Own—shows a clear emphasis on folk and blues. Employing harmonica, banjo and trumpet (for the reggae bits), they've devised a modern sound infused with a country keen en homage to fellow Canadian Neil Young. Songs like "Cursed" and "Nail'em Up" have infectious, twanging syncopation, with metal-esque riffs ripped on hallow bodies and a speed like the fast tangle of a bucket of springs. They slow it down with dewy songs like "Wishing Well" or the more-mainstream "Young and Able," the music video for the latter visually chronicling their beloved Northern surfers' life.

Despite obvious cold-weather obstacles, surfing Canada "is absolutely stunning," says Stanton. He effuses about how the hikes to favorite surf spots take them through old-growth forests (Vancouver Island is largely protected parkland), and of the camaraderie forged among surf mates during the long commutes and while warming-up between sessions with bonfires and cups of coffee on the beach.

The video for "Young and Able," feels kind of like Ben Harper's "Diamonds on the Inside" styled by an Anthropologie catalogue for boys—and its charms have swept Current Swell on a riptide of popularity. It's a popularity they didn't see coming.

"The whole band, in a way, was kind of a fluke," Stanton says. "It's cool how it all fell together so nicely for us." In fact, the band didn't even have a name by the time the local press started ringing for interviews, and it was a computer-savvy friend's quick insert on their Web site—instead of "Band Name Here"—that stuck.

"Me and Davers [Dave Lang], the other songwriter in the band, met and started playing songs. He'd learn my songs, I'd learn his," Stanton says. Upon hearing the pair, other musicians quickly approached them to join ranks, soon followed by booking agents and mangers. "We're a weird bunch of guys to be playing music together, but I wouldn't have it any other way," Stanton says of the current lineup: co-founder Lang, drummer Chris "Crispy" Petersen and bassist Aaron "Ghosty" Wright.

"We're a diverse bunch of cats who love having a good time onstage, offstage, all the time," Stanton continues. "We've really constructed our lives on that. There's no long-term plan. I have goals and everything, but basically the goal is to have fun. If success comes our way, cool." Spoken like a true surfer. - Maui Times - Anuhea Yagi

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