Sway
Still gaze-y after all these years
By Chris Jay 12/20/2007
Hard to believe it now, but as little as five years ago, Ventura was in the midst of a local music renaissance. Bands in a host of genres were starting to tour regionally and nationally, there were multiple all-age venues, and live music could still draw crowds at bars. Then, just as suddenly as things got hot, they got cold. All-age venue closures hit like the plague, bars sadly and understandably realized DJs outdrew bands, and a number of promising acts called it quits. One of those too-soon-gone bands was the county’s gift to the shoegazing world, Sway.
In their prime, Sway — singer-guitarist Andy Saks, guitarist Vince Altorre, bassist Amber Carlson and drummer Seth Eubanks — played locally constantly, toured regionally and released a tremendous EP that garnered attention from dream-pop enthusiasts nationally and internationally. Then, without much ado or announcement, Sway disbanded. No nasty break-ups were to blame, just a simple matter of multiple band members needing to relocate for school and work. After the split, Saks and Eubanks got back together and formed the Northern Two, focusing on a more electronic sound a la the Postal Service. As the duo’s music developed, and with Altorre and Carlson recently moving back to the area, the band decided it was time to resurrect Sway, with a slightly new feel.
As Eubanks explains, “The break was good. I think we actually grew as musicians and got to do a little experimenting. I always felt there was a little something missing from Sway. Now I feel we are really able to do what we always wanted to do with the band.”
And for Eubanks, there has been quite a change: The band has ditched the live drums in favor of pre-programmed beats, enabling Eubanks to play keyboards, making Sway’s dreamy vibe even more atmospheric.
Old fans of their ambient power-pop need not worry, though. The band hasn’t totally morphed into full-blown electronica, and Eubanks insists, “We’re still very much an indie rock band. We’re still doing the shoegazer sound that we were known for.”
Though the band’s instrumentation has changed, their goals remain what they were a few years back.
“We’re planning on playing more in L.A., because we have a lot of connections down there and there’s more similar artists, but we’ll still be playing all the places in Ventura — at least, the ones that are left,” Eubanks says. “We plan on releasing a full-length early next year and hopefully find a supportive indie label to put it out. We’re just all excited to be playing together again. I think now more than last time, we’re doing this because we have to.”
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