Sean Koch

Current Swell’s popularity has certainly swelled ever since the release of their 5 song ep back in 2004. The Vancouver based band in a general sense is an indie rock band, but they incorporate all styles of music into their style including blues, folk, reggae, ska, and roots.

Current Swell have a great chemistry during their live performances. Their shows have a loose element about them that makes their music seem natural and sincere. Their music is very polyphonic and intertwined, and has a strong sense of grit and soul to it. The band primarily uses acoustic instruments, even though they have an electric sound to their music. The band takes their acoustic guitars and runs them through distorted effects to get a rough, bluesy sound. Their acoustic guitars run through distortion also gives the music a loud, hollow sound that reverberates throughout the venue conveying a vintage vibe. The band also flips their guitars over on their side and use a slide to play it like an old timey blues slide guitar. The members in the band also provide vocal harmonies that add a quality of beauty to the music.

Current Swell can crank out fast paced blues rumps that will have the audience moving on their feet just as well as they can serenade the audience with a soft ballad like, “Long Time Ago”. The band has the characteristic of being true Northwesterners with their plaid shirts, rugged beards, and trucker hats. Current Swell plays a wide variety of their songs live and travel all over the world to deliver their raw, energetic music. They have a huge following in Brazil and have headlined several sold-out shows in the region. Well accomplished musical acts also have Current Swell on their radar, and such artists as The Beach Boys and Dispatch have asked Current Swell to open up for them for some of their shows. Current Swell is winning the hearts of their audience with their blues based music and if you get a chance to catch one of their shows live they will be bound to have you hooked on their music.