| Swirlies | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Boston, Massachusetts |
| Genres | Indie rock,[1] lo-fi, chimp rock, shoegazing |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Labels | Taang!, Bubblecore, Slumberland, Sneaky Flute Empire |
Swirlies is an indie rock band from Boston that formed in 1990.[1] They have often been compared to My Bloody Valentine, and are sometimes referred to as shoegaze musicians.
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Guitarists Seana Carmody and Damon Tutunjian were introduced by native Bostonian punk icon/filmmaker Rusty Nails who was recruiting members for a Go-Go's cover band. Nails, Tutunjian, Carmody, and drummer Jason Fitzpatrick learned two songs before abandoning their original objective in favor of writing originals. Under the name Raspberry Bang, the group released one song on a 7" compilation. Shortly afterwards, Carmody and Tutunjian parted ways with the group and began focusing on their own material, inspired in part by the newly emerging shoegaze movement in England.
Tutunjian's high school friend Andy Bernick was enlisted to play bass and an M.I.T. student named Ben Drucker was recruited on the drums. The band began writing and recording songs characterized by shifting tempos, loud vibrato guitars played through numerous effects pedals, Tutunjian and Carmody's melodic vocal interplay, and occasional bursts of screaming and other noise. Some of their 1991 home recordings saw issue as the band's first single "Didn't Understand," which was self-released as a cassette and then as a 7" record by the Slumberland label.
In 1992 the band signed to the Boston hardcore label Taang! records and released the seven-song EP What To Do About Them culled from previously released and unreleased home and studio recordings. The album featured cover art by cartoonist Ron Regé who also contributed lo-fi recordings that were incorporated in the record's sequence. The band also set to work recording their first LP, around which time shifts in the Swirlies' personnel began to occur. Bernick departed to pursue ornithology for the academic year and was replaced by Morgan Andrews on bass guitar and other noises. After a year of birding, Bernick returned and Swirlies enjoyed a brief period of performing as a quintet made up of two guitars, two bass guitars and a drum kit. Andrews left in mid-1993 to become a radio DJ, and Ben Drucker was replaced by Anthony DeLuca soon thereafter. A year later Carmody left to lead Syrup USA, and Christina Files took over guitar and vocal parts. DeLuca departed in late 1995, and Gavin McCarthy manned the drum kit for two U.S. tours and then moved on to work in his own group Karate. Swirlies briefly played as a trio before Adam Pierce stepped in to play drums. Files left Swirlies to play with Victory at Sea and was eventually replaced by guitarist Rob Laakso.
Since 1997, Swirlies have more or less maintained the Damon-Rob-Andy-Adam arrangement, while also taking on various guest members. The group, though sometimes sparse in regards to output, has never officially disbanded. In January 2009, the latest iteration of the Swirlies (Damon, Andy, Adam and Rob, joined by Deborah Warfield) played three shows in the northeastern U.S. with Gregory and The Hawk and others.
Swirlies released four albums and two EPs on the Taang! label before moving on to Bubblecore Records for 2003's Cats of the Wild Volume 2. Singles have also been released by Slumberland, Pop Narcotic, Simple Machines, and Nervous Records, among others. In addition, the band has produced a number of cassingles, CDs, and free, downloadable albums on its own Sneaky Flute Empire label, including a rock opera addressing harbored feelings of enmity towards Meg Zamula, a former writer for Pitchfork.com. Bass player and keyboardist Andy Bernick releases Swirlies-related and other material on the Richmond County Archives un-label, whose guiding principle is the collection and presentation of free music in its natural, chaotic state (NOT to be confused with "lounge music"[1]).
Swirlies offshoot The Yes Girls (the current lineup but with Lavender Diamond's Ron Regé on drums) toured the U.S. with Timonium and Denmark as an opener for Mew on their Half the World is Watching Me tour; endeavors which culminated in the release of both a limited edition album on Sneaky Flute Empire/Pehr and a limited edition live album on Sneaky Flute Empire. Singer/guitarist Damon Tutunjian produced Mew's debut album and has performed in some capacity on all of their albums.
Bernick and Tutunjian have been with the group for its entire duration. Numerous other members have come and gone.