Swinger Eight - the best no act in town

TV Guide often throws some bad show on it's cover with a slogan like: "The best show that you're not watching." I've seen it. We all have. It's what gave me the idea for this piece. More than half the time the program that they promote is just some inflated show that's being force fed down the throats of the American populace. Just something to make ratings, sell products, and more importantly, keep the status quo moving steadily along.

Sadly, I've found the same false advertising when following the buzz that gets generated around different local NYC bands. With carbon copied press pictures featuring three or four guys, standing in some urban environment, more often than not, showing the Manhattan skyline blurred in the distance behind them. Followed by a rehashed show, of early 90's tunes, being re-used in a new time, with the pretense that no one has ever heard this before.

It gets tiring seeing the same crop of people, aging, and standing loosely through a crowd. Occasionally looking up to watch the band that's distracting them from their conversations. Usually leaving me to walk out, and go home through the East Village, wondering what all the buzz was about.

But on June 25th, I went out with a friend to see a local band play at the Elbow Room, and became generally surprised, for the first time in several years by what I saw. I'm not going to throw inflated gestures or words around stating that this group has changed my life in any way. I'm only going to say that I witnessed a rock band that was honestly doing something new.

The name of the group is Swinger Eight. A Brooklyn based three piece which I found out, upon interviewing them, are all actually from New York.

"Yeah, it's kind of funny. Ten years ago when I was eighteen I was like the only long haired guy walking in Williamsburg...now I don't even feel like I fit in around here anymore." said Chris Mis, the groups singer and only guitarist. Who I also found out, has lived his entire life in the Greenpoint/ Williamsburg area. The same being true for the bands Bassist, Christopher Medrano. While Ozzie Martinez, the groups drummer, completes the circle by having the NYC credit of growing up in the South Bronx.

The show that I saw, and the reason that I wanted to write this piece, was that for the first time in a very long time, I witnessed the crowd struck silent, and hanging onto every word that the band said through their songs. Reminding me of stories, about how in the early days of Pink Floyd, it became so quiet between songs that a person could hear someone's order come clearly from the bar. That everyone there, waited silently because of the intensity of the music. It was the same that night.

The band spent the better part of an hour creating a one song set, connected through interwoven musical ambient sounds that ran between each song break. Somehow casting a digital rock sound, while using only real instruments, followed by a guitar rock ending that would have made Neal Young proud.

I came up to them and questioned the group as to why they were excluded from the recent limelight of the new NYC wave of music that has been rushing through the radio and print. To which I got "Cause we're ugly." as a response, followed by; "I don't know? We grew up here, so we're kind of used to being overlooked by someone else...I feel like we're the mutt's of the town, and that we're always gonna be seen that way. It's like we have to much neighborhood in us." With a; "Yeah, we're the guys that everybody sees, but nobody knows."

But after seeing the show that they pulled off, I felt like I wanted the rest of the music scene to drink down some of that neighborhood too.

The music that the band makes is a combination of different rock and roll sounds, mixed in with the tales of the urban environment in which they've lived. They were described to me as the last true New York City band that is playing in the scene. Not just coming to the city and using it as a backdrop, but since living, growing, and working in the area, they have managed to comprise the feeling of it's streets and avenues into their story telling and songs. Leaving the listener with the sound of a true urban tale, not colored by fantasy, as much as seen through the eyes of a black and white picture. The songs that they write tend to show this through broken jangly chords, with the vocals sounding out about the different wrongs, rights, and broken hearts of a local story. Leaving their shows, and all listeners to be blown back by the intensity, and pure honesty, that this band exudes.

I stood there being taken aback by the act that they were doing. Realizing halfway through, that this was no act. That there was something humble that came out of each of them, which somehow connected with each person that was there. Even with words exchanged with the sound person, and a guitar bashing fit of anger at the end, they still managed to be connected to the crowd. Walking off the stage, more like professionals, than any indie band that I've ever seen.

Their next show is at the Elbow Room, Thursday, August 8th, at 10 PM. 144 bleeker street. They have a six song ep out which is being sold locally at Beacons Closet, with a full length due to follow at the end of the year. And just to sum things up, "They are the best, no act, real band, that you are not going to see." So there, thank you TV Guide.