Red Swill

The one constant with this band is that we need to play! We rarely miss a Tuesday session, running through many songs over several hours. We have a long songlist from which to select music that will compel the audience to dance and have a good time. We feature time honored songs by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Seger, Steely Dan, Doobie Brothers, Motown Greats, Allman Brothers, Delbert McClinton, CCR, Tom Petty, Kinks, Animals, Doors, Joe Cocker, Free, Who, Edgar Winter, Van Morrison, Neil Young, John Hiatt, Cream, Steve Miller, Wyman Tisdale, and Chicago Blues standards like 'Tore Down', 'Crossroads' and many more...

Gary Williamson, soulful lead singer of Red Swill, is probably the hardest working member of the band. First to arrive and last to leave, he is truly dedicated to playing music. He trained as a youngster on coronet and was a member of the All City Chorus performing pop, gospel, and movie tracks. He regularly sat in with groups at Knights of Columbus & school dances, and started his first band, Sour Gouge, at age 13. He next did a decade long stint in Firehouse, where he began playing harmonica. Playing with Lily White, Special Guest, Satin Sheets, Our Dawg, & PG13 followed. He also led First Friday/Second Saturday's open jams at Griff Griffins A3 Radio Studios for over fifteen years, where several Red Swill members first met.

Mike Pallin (aka DaddyO) has been a 15 time finalist, and winner of the Chicago Fest For Beatles Fans Soundalike, and Battle of the Bands contests; a Favorite Male Performance winner on the Folk It Radio program on Ann Arbor Alive radio; and a regular at The Ark and local Ann Arbor acoustic jams since 1991. Born in New York City and raised in Western New York, Mike's deepest influences include all things British invasion, Steely Dan, & the great American songbook. He plays bass and sings second vocals for Red Swill. He has also performed with The Bent Back Tulips, The Shoes, The People Under The Stairs, Backbeat, Derek and the DaddyO, Give Us A Kiss, & The Huckleberries.

Kip Godwin formally trained from an early age in piano/organ, guitar, orchestral percussion, and also studied jazz theory and performance (guitar) with Cory Mullen/Cory C., continuing with over the years with Paul Sihon, Barton Polot, John E. Lawrence, and Steve Somers. Past band highlights are Silent Radio, Mr Largebeat, Rhone Avielle and the Freedom Band, Labor of Love, Steve Somers Band, Billy King and The Idylls, & Blacktrain, in venues ranging from The Latin Quarter, St Andrews Hall, AA Top of the Park, the AA Art Fairs, Pontiac Arts Beats and Eats, Ypsilanti Freight House, Ypsilanti Summer Festival, as well as a parade of smaller venues, festivals and smoke-filled dives across Michigan, Ohio and the city of Chicago. Besides Red Swill, current bands include Team Love, Johnny Walker and The Spare Parts, Blammo!, Los Dingos Del Norte, & Maison Bleue.

Mark Couling hails from England & spent much of his youth playing "blue eyed soul" in Greater London pubs and clubs. Couling was a member of "The Riot Brothers," an 11 piece soul band that covered the tunes of Motown and Stax artists, Average White Band, Q-tips, Joe Jackson, and ironically, Mitch Ryder. "That band lasted lasted 7 years but, with 11 people in the band, we were lucky to cover the gas money." "However, I loved every moment of it," says Couling. A couple of members of the band went on to very successful musical careers (perhaps not surprising as some of the horn players came from London's prestigious Royal School of Music). Upon emigrating in 1988, Mark has been involved with many musical projects around the metro Detroit area. As a footnote, readers may think that the name "The Riot Brothers" sounds familiar. At middle school in 2007, his son, JP, revived the Riot Brothers name "primarily because we still had the stencil to make T-shirts," Couling notes. In 2008 the Riot Brothers, along with the "old man", were invited to rehearse and play at a charitable event with Mitch Ryder. "How cool was that?", Couling exclaims, grinning like the Cheshire cat himself. Discography? "Many old demo tapes, no hit records...yet," Couling laughs.

Mark Wight played his first professional gig at age of 12. He toured Michigan playing venues ranging from high school dances, teen clubs, and college and university events, & opened for such artists as Bob Seger, Ted Nugent, The Frost, Grand Funk, and SRC. He also toured the Mid-West club circuit for several years in a disco band named Dynamo Humm. Mark moved to Los Angeles after college, played with a merengue band, and worked with a member of the Sylvers. More recently, Mark has played in Southeast Michigan, doing session work with Coyote Bone, and gigs with The Enablers and Red Swill.

Charles 'Reverend Earl' Dayringer likes to play music. He toured in 1970 with the Musical Youth International - playing 48 concerts in 6 weeks across England, Scotland, Wales, win