swear
2
songs
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Sitting in a cold rehearsal studio in Whittier, California, four guys who call themselves Swear are preparing to get back to the stage after more than six months of writing, rehearsing, and recording -- but not for long. As lead guitarist Victor Guillen states, "After being in the studio for so long we really have the urge to go out and play, but we still want to do some first-rate recording before we go out there non-stop." This ardent work ethic has propelled this promising young group since they first emerged in 1998. Formerly known as Bill Skins Fifth, the band developed an enthusiastic following with their fierce live shows and melodically driven, hard-edge sound. As I listen to them run through their play list, their music resonates with the richly textured, brooding quality of Tool and the aggression of Deftones fused with their own powerful, dreamlike peculiarities. As bassist Robert Corella explains, "Everything we play has a lot of emotions; a lot of feelings behind the music. We're all pushing our emotions together to create something and that's often a hard, moody vibe." Victor echoes that sentiment: "I write a lot of gloomy-sounding stuff even though I'm a happy person. I don't know if it's subconscious, but the dark melancholy music is what catches my ear. I can't play happy-go-lucky chords." Having gone through three different lead singers, Victor, Robert, and drummer George Lopez (who declares, "every song we play is one huge climax") continued writing and tightening their act until finding a permanent vocalist in Tony Adame. A seasoned songwriter who can go from a roar to a whisper in a second, the guys were instantly impressed. As George recalls, "With Tony we just knew it was right. He was what we needed." As Victor reveals, "The good thing about us four is that we each write music and therefore, each of us is equally vital to the group. With Tony we've all gotten more serious as far as realizing what it takes to be a band. Before we were like, 'Hey, let's write a couple of songs so we can go out and play and have fun.' Now we're each a lot more determined to get our sound as strong as possible before going out there and touring." Carefully considering their options before signing with any label, the band is currently planning an expanded Southern California tour for the coming months. "As long as we're given the chance to prove ourselves, someone will realize that if we can create what we do while still having full-time jobs, then imagine what we could do if we could focus on making music all day long," asserts Tony. " I know we've got what it takes to go somewhere."Contact
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