Living in the eastern half of the United States, we have become spoiled by the rich culture of music communities down the coast. Between the indie roots of Brooklyn, N.Y. and the vibrant bluegrass and Americana tones of Nashville, Tenn. the array of sounds expand to cover a wide assortment of musicians that bring these sounds all over the globe.
However, for Swear and Shake, a folk band out of Brooklyn, the sounds of both Nashville and New York City compact themselves into one cohesive unit that has launched the trio of Kari Spieler, Adam McHeffey and Shaun Savage into a sphere of popularity. Initially starting out in Brooklyn over seven years ago, the trio moved down to Nashville last year to record their sophomore album, “The Sound of Letting Go,” which was released on June 2.
When contemplating the influence of Nashville, Spieler noted a strong communal aspect amongst musicians in the Nashville music circuit. “That [the communal aspect] had a tremendous effect on our approach to recording the record,” said Spieler. “You’ll notice too that we brought on a few writers to collaborate with on one or two of the songs, and that is a big change from years past.”
On “The Sound of Letting Go,” the trio takes a mature approach to the stylings first exhibited in their 2012 release, “Maple Ridge,” while paying homage to the cities that helped bring them up. Songs like “Not For Nothing” and “Friendly Fire” usher in a sort of masterminded simplicity that adds a layer of thoughtful songwriting adorned by Spieler’s vocal prowess and geniously restrained instrumentals that allow the vocals to shine.
“After seven years of writing with one another and trying a lot of very different things, we finally figured out what works best for both of us,” said Spieler.
McHeffey added to that sentiment, saying, “We got to know ourselves as writers a lot more closely. We were really speaking the same language when it came time to make this record and because of that, there is a really cohesive story, song-to-song, on this record.”
“That is something I really love about it,” remarked McHeffey.
Remarkably, the album was mostly family, friend and fan funded through the site, PledgeMusic. By offering items such as signed records and a full band concert in your living room, fans had the opportunity to donate money to ensure that the record would meet completion. “The validation is the most important thing to me,” said McHeffey. “Just that we’re making something that people want, fueled us through the entire recording process.”
With the record now completed, Swear and Shake will hit the road for a series of shows that will be an entirely new experience every night. “When we were writing, we decided to strip down and tour as a trio,” said McHeffey. “[But] when we come back around this time, we will have our full band.”
Swear and Shake will play at StageOne in downtown Fairfield on Friday, June 23 at 7 p.m.
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