The Jimmy Swift Band
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The Jimmy Swift Band

Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada | INDIE | AFM

Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada | INDIE | AFM
Band Rock EDM

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This band has not uploaded any videos

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"DVD Release 2009 - The Jimmy Swift Band!"

The Jimmy Swift Band Release New Live Concert DVD - Live Review
w/ Scientists of Sound

Live At The El Mocambo, Toronto ON January 23

The Jimmy Swift Band, or JSB as they are commonly called, delivered an intense, powerful and dynamic performance at Toronto’s legendary El Mocambo for their DVD-release party. The show got started when Scientists of Sound took the stage in their white rabbit costumes complete with masks and face paint.

Made up of two members from JSB, they rocked the stage with their blend of electronic, rock, jam and techno. Various effects were used, which resulted in many interesting sounds including the vocals sounding like a moose being put through a garbage disposal at times.

As the people came milling in from outside, the ones already inside were busting a move to the upbeat show. After a half-hour set, Scientists of Sound packed up and the wait for JSB began.

By this point the place was packed and most people were pretty wasted so when JSB took the stage, the crowd were more than enthusiastic. Their enthusiasm was not in vain however, and JSB put on a strong and passionate performance. The first song was instrumental and the crowd were bopping along to the electronically-tinged rock.

By the second song the techno had kicked in to the point where the electronic was more than overpowering the rock. And when lead singer Craig Mercer burst into song the crowd went crazy and the bopping turned into an all-out dance party which lasted until the end of the night.

Most people inside the Elmo seemed to be very familiar with JSB and when the band played their hits, almost everyone was singing right along with them. It was a mixture of old and new and they played a few songs from their upcoming CD due out in spring 2009.

The band and audience fed off of each other throughout the night making for many dramatic and climactic points. It was high-intensity and JSB never let their energy level drop. By the end of the show the crowd were throwing their arms in the air and you could tell by the dance moves that all inhibitions had been lost. The encore lasted for a half-hour and it was clear that JSB have live shows like no other.

By Andrea Cranfield
Exclaim Magzine
- Exclaim Magzine


"JSB Live Show Review"

"...something amazing is happening right in front of you and you can only define it by that great feeling you get when leaving the show."
- Umbrella Music.com


"JSB Live Show Review 2"

"With their funky keyboards, catchy guitar riffs and insane basslines (dude plays a seven stringer, and uses every single fret!), they pump out some serious ear candy.”

- ChartAttack.com


"Craig Mercer"

“(Mercer) has one of the best rock voices in the country.”
- The Daily News, Halifax


"Live Show 3"

"...catalysts of the live music community... the Jimmy Swift Band intermingle tightly composed rock with intense, spacey jamtronica... an orgasm of the senses. When they want to rock, they rock, and when they want to jam, they tear the roof off... the Jimmy Swift Band kicks your ass, plain and simple... watch out for JSB and wear protection when they come to town."
- Jambase


"On JSB's sound"

"...with quick pulsing bass and feel good swipes of guitar strums. Their heavy jam sounds combine what is best about jam music in general - overriding the overdone folky Dead-style jams by taking funk and slight traditional rural choruses along with late '70s disco keyboards, then futuristically adding a unique techno-dance approach... There is much promise to this increasingly popular band - their music acts like a vehicle - driving upwards and gliding in high gear and on cue at any given moment, they turn on the thrusters and explode into uncharted musical territory."
- Exclaim Magazine


"Album Review- Weight of the World"

In an interview just after this album was released, JSB singer Craig Mercer told me he believed with Weight of the World, The Jimmy Swift Band had finally merged their two sounds - rock and electronica/dance - together. I'd have to agree. Whereas on previous albums, some tunes would be catchy pop rockers and others would be moody, trippy electronic tracks, this album indeed mixes the two seemlessly. Thick, guitar-based rockers can have a weird vocal effect or trippy electronic sounds on top and it mixes wonderfully. And if nothing else, on this record, The Jimmy Swift Band shows it can really rock.

Track "Onward Through The Fog" starts with rock vocals chanting at you, a heavy, distorted guitar riff and a pulsing drumbeat before giving way to a bass- driven verse you could dance to all night. Then the band drives it home again with a heavy, catchy chorus.

There are some purely electronic moments on this though, like the spacey, dreamy "Exploration," which could be the soundtrack to a sci-fi nightmare. It has a very eerie feel.

First single "Turnaround" has a cinematic sort of feel, building up from a cool keyboard introthat sounds ripped from an early-'90s computer game into a blaring rock chorus.

This is a great rock album from the Halifax band. JSB's electronic elements really set the band apart from its peers. JSB has made a name for itself across the country and this album should solidify that reputation and bring in many more fans.

- Moncton Times & Transcript


Discography

* JSB Live At The Marquee - Live Concert DVD and CD - 2009
* Weight Of The World - 2007
* The Rebirth of Hooch - 2005
* Onward Through The Fog - 2003
* Now They Will Know We Were Here - 2001

New double album coming summer 2010!

Photos

Bio

The Jimmy Swift Band’s sound is a fusion of the best in both rock and electronic music. The result is the creation of something different than anything else, a style uniquely JSB. Their live show is a frenzy of sweat, blood, dancing, and thrashing – all to hypnotic rhythms and an unrelenting energy that is both addictive and unstoppable.

"By the end of the show the crowd were throwing their arms in the air and you could tell by the dance moves that all inhibitions had been lost. The encore lasted for a half-hour and it was clear that JSB have live shows like no other. "
Exclaim Magazine '09

"...something amazing is happening right in front of you and you can only define it by that great feeling you get when leaving the show."
-Umbrella Music.com '08

The JSB are currently touring across Canada in support of their newly released Live concert DVD - 'JSB Live At The Marquee'. Filmed at the Marquee Club in Halifax, this DVD is a definitive snap shot of what the JSB is all about (see the sample inside the video section above)

JSB's fourth studio release is scheduled for the summer of 2010. For this project the band has embraced even further the electronic elements that have always been a big part of their live show's popularity while holding strong to their love of dirty rock and roll - its Daft Punk on Jaggermeister – Iron Maiden on Ecstasy…

The Jimmy Swift Band is truly an anomaly within the Canadian music industry - they are unsigned yet have made a living playing music, a success story made possible by the actions of their fans and one clearly judged on the strength of their music alone. On stage JSB’s energy has always been focused on the audience – on turning a Saturday night concert into an unforgettable experience. You will likely never see or hear anything like the Jimmy Swift Band anywhere else, and you will never walk away from another show feeling like you did the last time you saw the JSB.

“…their music acts like a vehicle - driving upwards and gliding in high gear and on cue at any given moment, they turn on the thrusters and explode into uncharted musical territory."
-Exclaim Magazine '08