West By Swan

The Federated States of Micronesia are a tiny chain of remote islands waaaay out in the South Pacific Ocean. The exotic lakes of minute territories such as Yap and Palau are home to isolated and unique species of sea life, scores of which are jellyfish. Matchless and beautiful, many of these genera may never be fully known to the rest of the world. This same status of anonymity — and forgive me for being whimsical — has been held by local indie gurus West By Swan.

Gestation of the group began more than four-and-a-half years ago with the demise of North Magnetic, a band which featured Dan Greenfield (guitar, vocals) and Conrad Nystrom (bass). In the effort of putting together a new project, Greenfield’s brother Dave jumped in the mix, contributing a second guitar. The frequently arduous task of searching for a drummer then proved to be much more elementary than usual. Daniel Taylor recalls his recruiting with fond humor.

“When they called me to see if I was interested in playing drums, I was scared shitless because I hadn’t played in like two years,” he begins. “I didn’t own a drum set, so I borrowed Spencer [Teilmann]’s drums, which if you’ve ever seen is basically like pots and pans and Oscar the Grouch’s garbage can. They seriously suck. I just kinda chopped through it and they were like, ‘You wanna join the band?’”

“We liked him ‘cause he didn’t play much,” interjects Dave with a laugh.

Since that point West By Swan has cultivated a sound and style that is very much rooted in post-punk and post-rock, and could be easily identified with groups such as Fugazi and Slint. 2006 saw the release of Swan’s debut self-titled album; eight cuts of noise-bent power which are only enhanced in a live setting, as the quartet will blow volume doors on just about anyone in town. Shots like “Wrecking Ball” and “Assassination Enthusiast” (a personal favorite) set the group apart from any other gig in Chico, as they meld seamlessly with a genre that most will fall short in recreating. West By Swan is currently in the process of witling and mixing their second full-length record, with Dan at the helm and in full “mad scientist” mode.  

But despite the undeniable sum of talent, West By Swan has appeared just a small handful of times outside of our cozy hideaway city.

“We’ve been a band for four-and-a-half years and we’ve only played out of Chico twice in Redding,” states Taylor, to which Dan quickly adds, “Three times. We gotta get that accurate.” Jellyfish, case in point.

But this lack of outside exposure is in no way a model of failed objectives or laziness. West By Swan simply does what they feel. All four members have enjoyed extensive touring with various groups in the past, and at this point, the constant grind of the road is not a necessity in their lives. In many ways, Swan functions on a level of enjoyment revolving around the essence of any band: practice. You know, when you lock yourself in a room for hours on end with close friends and forget about everything else on your plate. Conrad clarifies:  

“If you have zero ambition, then why are you doing it? Well, you can do it for the love. But also maybe the ambition is to get better at what you do, even if it only is in that shed and never leaves that shed.”



There also happens to be matters of family at hand, the balance of which is important and understood by each member in the bigger picture.

“It won’t ever be like that Bryan Adams song, ‘Summer of ’69,’ begins Taylor. “You know, ‘Jimmy quit, Jody got married.’ Conrad just had his first baby, which is badass, and we’re gonna practice less, but that’s not going to put a damper on the longterm.”

As it stands, West By Swan will enjoy their first “circumference” trip in the near future. June 26th and 29th will find the gang in Reno and Sacramento, respectively, hitching up with old friends from San Francisco, Calling All Monsters.

“We don’t want to make it sound like we don’t care enough to get our ass in the car,” tells Dave. “We’re going to play out if we’re gonna enjoy playing out. Usually we play shows because we’re playing with people we like and we’re going to have a good time and it’s just like playing in the practice space.”

The notion of quality over quantity has held true for the bunch, as evident by the select show bills they do happen to share, i.e. with LA’s Health at a recent Crux gig. The reality of embarking on a longer trek, though, may be a ways off — considering the affordable price of gas — but it’s certainly not out of the question down the line.

With a smile lurking beneath a thriving beard, Dan pops, “We’ve thrown the idea around of Japan, right guys?”

But Taylor sets his bar at a slightly different level. “We hope by our 10-year mark that we can make it up to Portland, maybe.”

Whether the vast scope of musical society ever gets a full dose of West By Swan or not, you can rest assured that here in Chico, we will always be privy to the experience yielded by this exclusive species.    

 

Bookmark:

Comments down for maintenance.