Interview: Current Swell
MYATS: Current Swell are originally from Victoria, BC. You first got recognition from the “surf-rock” community before getting mainstream attention, and even got to share stage with the Beach Boys. Do you feel your music is reminiscent of the West Coast culture ?
Dave: Our music is unintentionally reminiscent of the West Coast and surf culture. I think people from all over the world can connect to some of the things we sing about, and the grooves we play– maybe people who live near the ocean can understand the messages easier… but yes, we have developed some mainstream attention with our new album Long Time Ago.
MYATS: Your music integrates blues and folk elements and incorporates sophisticated arrangements. Where do you get your inspiration from?
Dave: Although we draw a lot of inspiration from living on Vancouver island; musically, we draw inspiration from a lot of classic greats such as Bob Dylan, The Band, or Muddy Waters. The coast and the lifestyle you can live over here is a huge inspiration for the writing process. For me personally, I find my best work is done after a tour, once the ship issteared back west and we get home, it’s not a conscious thing, it just flows out of me at that time. We also owe it to our blossoming local scene over here with people such as Jon and Roy and Aidan Knight, and also to the places where we have toured, such as Australia. We have also been inspired by guys like Ash Grunwald or Kim Churchill. I think we used to write purely out of pleasure and for fun, and there was basically no plan of what type of music we did, or why, or how. Structures of songs were not something we cared about. The styles come from basically our love for great music. Having grown up as children of baby boomers you get influenced by some of the best music of the last 100 years weather you know it or not. We also went through a period where we listened to a lot of old reggae like Peter Tosh ad Bob Marley and Toots, We definitely loved that style during our first couple records.
MYATS: Current Swell has produced 3 full-length albums, which have brought the band to international recognition, and got you a pretty high place on the Canadian charts. How did you undertake the journey that lead you to such success?
Dave: Well, we just finished our 4th album, and we have found that every time we make an album, we work a little harder and fine tune all the aspects of our team to make sure that we make a good product and can put it out to the world in the right way. It is a big challenge to make a good recording that captures some real magic, and it can be a challenge to get the right people in place so when you put your record out there to the world it’s received and talked about and read about. Hopefully then we can come and play for the right people at the right time which is what its all about.
MYATS: What is the origin of the name of the band?
Dave: When the band first started we didn’t have much of a plan on doing anything except record some songs and go about our lives. Once our friends got a hold of our recordings and spread them around the internet, we knew we would need a name and a plan to start touring. Our website-making-bongo-player from our first demo decided “Current Swell” was a good name, as we were really into surfing and those words represent a big part of our connection to the water and living by the oceans and rivers of the west coast.
MYATS: What helps you guys get your creative juices going?
Dave: For me and Scott, I would say that besides living and surfing in BC which is amazing, my creative juices get flowing by allowing myself the time and space to let them come. If I come back from tour and get really busy doing other things, I will have blocked the moment, but if I take a day all to myself, its amazing what pours out.
MYATS: You have said that your newest album Long Time Ago, was a slight departure from the direction of the previous ones. In what ways would you say it was?
Dave: Long Time Ago sees our band taking a closer look at people as opposed to places. Some of the songs draw on a bit more of a human connection to people we have known or may have known, and some of those feelings. In the past we have not been too careful with our songwriting, and it was charming to have songs that were slapped together and about simple things, but we have found that on this album it was a bit more rewarding as songwriters to really get inside all aspects of our music, and explore some territory we haven’t been to yet. The album has been really well received so I think our fans are following us down this path with open arms and ears. On our new album, we have a more focused approach to what songs we want to put on a record. We love all our songs with a Roots rock and Folk rock sound, so those are what ended up making the record.
MYATS: You have been undertaking several tours across the country. What is your favorite city you have visited so far ?
Dave: I’m not lying when I say Montreal. It’s funny then that my second favourite is Wakefield or Ottawa. Montreal is such a beautiful place and the people can be really nice. Sitting in Schwartz’s Deli might be something that people from Montreal take for granted but we always look forward to touring and seeing the people and building an audience, almost as much as we look forward to the bagels and the smoked meat… (Laughs) Maybe I’m just hungry!
MYATS: If you had the opportunity to collaborate with one Canadian artist/band, who would it be?
Dave: In a dream it would be Neil Young, or maybe Feist. In reality it would be cool to work with Dan Mangan or Danny Michel.
MYATS: Are you excited to play in Montreal this week?
Dave: Of course! We love coming here and love to see our Montreal fan-base grow every time we come through. Le Divan Orange is a really cool smaller venue, and we can’t wait to play there next week.
-Interview conducted by Christelle St-Julien
We would like to thank Current Swell for taking the time to answer our questions! Don’t forget that the band is playing a show this coming Wednesday, at Le Divan Orange, with Ontario-natives, Michou. You can still get a hold of a few tickets, here.
