The Swellers.
The Swellers are the epitome of Rock ‘n’ Roll – constantly on the road, sleeping on floors, eating peanut butter and jelly, androcking the crowd every night. Straight out of Flint, Michigan, brothers Jonathan and Nick Diener, Ryan Collins, and Anto Boros, are no strangers to the tough life of being a rock star. Nonstop touring has allowed The Swellers to travel the world and grow as a band, as individuals, and grow a solid fan base. With the support of their label, Fueled By Ramen, they realize that they don’t have to walk the long hard road alone.
Lead singer/guitarist, Nick, was nice enough to answer some questions for OCMM. So, sit back, relax, watch some vids, and read some commentary by the man himself as we get to know a little more about The Swellers.
1st Single from the new album, Ups and Downsizing, “Fire Away.”
Laura: GREAT song. Absolutely love the music video. Who directed it? Came up w/the concept? Tell me about the process of making the video; what was it like for you guys?
Nick: The video was directed by Anthony Garth, who is known for doing a few videos for the White Stripes and most recently, the “Pure Michigan” commercials. Really cinematic and well-shot. That mix of music and landscape made us realize he’d do a great job, and he did. His vision for the video was great and matched what we wanted to do quite well. Our good friend, Mike Berlucchi (who also did our TV Movie News series on tour), was the director of photography for the video and shot the whole thing. Always a blast working with him. It was pretty buggy, pretty smokey (lots of road flares during our performance scene) but we did it all in one day. Amazed as how it turned out for being so low-budget.
Laura: One thing I really like about your songs are the lyrics. They have substance and really speak to the listener. Lines like “abandon ship/fend for yourself/you’ve got that sinking feeling/and nothing else” from “Fire Away,” and “if you don’t keep me happy, someone will; I’ll be alright” + “I can’t believe I used to like losing to you” from “2009” speak to me personally. What is the band’s writing process?
Nick: Thank you! Both myself and my brother (Jonathan, our drummer) write lyrics as well as music. I’m generally the music and arrangement guy, and he always has a ton of ideas for lyrics, but we go back and forth. For Ups and Downsizing, we had pretty much all of the music written first, and then put lyrics into place where they fit. We made sure that the mood of the music fit the subject matter, and it all worked out pretty well.
Laura: There is definitely more to you guys than being just another cookie cutter pop punk band. Have you guys found it hard to get past that stereotype, and actually LISTEN to what you guys are doing?
Nick: Absolutely. Sometimes people stop at our band name and don’t listen to our music because they assume we’re a ska band or a surf rock band. Other people know the types of bands we have toured with, and just assume we sound just like them. Sometimes we’re too wussy for the hardcore kids, and too intense for the pop kids. We got luckuy though and have a really cool, diverse fanbase. Good to see so many different types of people at our shows.
“2009” (acoustic) performed at Fueled By Ramen Studios
Laura: Great YouTube video! Gives the song a COMPLETELY different sound and vibe altogether. I love it. You took the song down to the bare minimum and it sounded amazing – great way to pick a GOOD song out from the rest. What were your thoughts on trying to play songs this way? Uncomfortable at all? Should’ve hooked Anto up w/a tambourine, or something.
Nick: Sometimes we hate playing acoustic. We are a loud rock and roll band. We never practiced playing acoustic in the past, so we just went for it. I’ve always said that a good song can be played in ANY style, and it still will be a good song, so I’m glad our songs (or at least some of them) translate well. Very uncomfortable, but it’s good to keep us in check and break up the routine.
Laura: I probably spent hours watching your YouTube videos. So hilarious. This one is definitely my favorite (though, I realize it’s outdated, as far as band members go). Good stuff, regardless. It really shows that you are just a bunch of fun guys having a good time – living in the moment and taking it all in.
Nick: Our YouTube videos are some of my favorite things in the world. Home movies, and America’s Funniest Home Videos are the best, and these all involve our band, so it brings my two favorite forms of entertainment together. Not saying I think I’m super funny or anything, but they’re great for the memories, too.
Laura: Seems to me that your albums, specifically My Everest and Ups and Downsizing, show the serious side of you guys as musicians and songwriters, and then you watch your TV Movies and see the goofball side. You are real and relatable to the fans. Makes you more likable. Personally, the more I listen to your music and watch vids, the more I like you guys. I love Jonathan’s quote from MySpace regarding the lifestyle you guys have become accustomed to: “If the venue has peanut butter and jelly it’s the best day of your life.” Says it all. Got anymore sage-like advice or Confucian-esque proverbs for starving musicians?
Nick: If you’re a musician, and starving.. I recommend eating something.
The Swellers Sign on with Fueled By Ramen!
Laura: In this video, you mention a lot of bands that you guys like. Who are your major influences, as individual musicians? And also as a collective band? Who have been your biggest supporters? (Again, individually and as a band?)
Nick: Nirvana was huge for us all getting into music in the first place. From there, Ryan got heavy into Green Day, I got really into Weezer, Anto is into Brand New, and Jonathan really digs Millencolin. All of these bands are influences to our development as well as our sound. Two bands that have taught us a TON about the music industry, from two entirely different spectrums, are A Wilhelm Scream and Paramore.
Laura: You are actually getting to tour w/Andrew! How does it feel to have that dream come true?
Nick: Unreal. Even if I don’t get to meet him or hang out with him, I’ll make sure I see him live almost every day if I can. Hoping we can hang, though!
Laura: Did Jonathan ever get his free chocolate?
Nick: Europe actually gave us lots of free chocolate. I especially dug the vegan pudding they had at a few shows. But Jonathan still mostly pays for his chocolate fix.
Laura: How have things changed (in any capacity) since signing w/FBR?
Nick: I just feel like we have more people working with us. That makes us work even harder. So things that have changed.. not much.. just MORE of everything. More touring. More press. More fun!
Laura: Non-stop touring is a great idea. Meeting new people, getting the music to all different audiences. Where’s the coolest place you’ve played? Coolest people you’ve met? What are your pros and cons of living that way?
Nick: One of our favorite places to play so far was in Zurich, Switzerland. There and all over the UK. Met so many good people and we really felt loved and supported by our fans there. Playing Groezrock festival in Belgium was also life changing for all of us. Got to meet the guys from Millencolin, Lit, and some other bands we grew up listening to. The pros of touring are pretty self explanatory: getting to make money playing with your toys (guitars, drums), seeing friends all over the world, and visiting new places. The cons of touring? Not getting to live a “normal” life anymore. Relationships suffer on and off the road. You miss home. Sometimes I forget what my house is like. That’s not even a joke.
Laura: What is next up for the band? Touring and more touring? More sleeping on floors? Or will you guys be able to settle down anytime soon?
Nick: More touring! All Summer, all Fall, and then working on more music, but probably not taking a break from touring. Busy. We like to take a bit of time off over the winter since driving is so crappy. Maybe I can pay for cable and Internet for a month or two at my house. I’m never there.
Be sure to check out The Sweller’s YouTube Channel and their MySpace page.
A special Thank You to Nick Diener for taking the time to entertain OCMM and THE WORLD, and thank you the rest of The Swellers for loaning him out! And a big Thanks to Ross Anderson of Atlantic Records for being amazing to us!
