Band members:
Alfred Ramirez- Lead Vocals
Duane T. Jones- Guitar
Shane Carlson- Bass
Brian Jones- Drums
“Swirl is the new age of rock”
Swirl was formed by guitarist Duane “DT” Jones in Washington State. The earliest version of the band scheduled a recording session in Southern California, but due to a scheduling conflict the original drummer was a last minute cancellation. One brief phone call later brother Brian “Bam Bam” Jones was brought in to record drums and became a permanent member of the band. Swirl went on to release their debut CD ‘Out Of Nowhere’. The disc was produced by Carlos Cavazo (RATT/ Quiet Riot) and Matt Thorr (Rough Cutt/ Jailhouse). Swirl toured the United States and Japan in the early 2000’s and achieved moderate success.
In 2008 “DT” entered the recording studio of Cinderella drummer Fred Coury with vocalist Alfred Ramirez. That session gave birth to the songs “Adrenaline” and “Sleepwalker” (both songs were produced by Fred who also played drums on the tracks) and reignited Swirl. The two songs led to management interest and tour offers. “DT”, Brian and Al recruited bassist Shane Carlson to finalize the new touring lineup for Swirl which began criss-crossing the US several times (to the tune of 50,000 miles) as the support act for the bands RATT, Extreme, Slaughter, George Lynch and others in 2008-2010.
Between 2011- 2012 Swirl had a musical makeover and began writing and recording new music. The band removed themselves from the LA area to record at Baxter Rd studios in Wildomar, California. The members of Swirl decided to use the lessons learned from previous recording session mentors to self produce the new material with post production and mastering done in Lake Elsinore, California with James Rieger.
Released on March 25, 2013 worldwide via iTunes, the new hard rock disc, ‘SWIRL’ demonstrates the same strong, powerful, hook laden, song writing that is synonymous with Swirl music, yet captured in a modern sound and production style that creates instantly memorable, emotionally impactful songs. Their songs are crisp and full of emotion. They are also catchy tunes with sustainability. They are full of radio friendly tunes, thick with rhythmic movements and hooks. “Fourth of July”, “Rise Up” and “Message” were instant hits with the bands rapidly expanding fan base, known as the “Swirl Society”. Members of the Swirl Society cast their votes in a month long ,worldwide, online campaign and selected “Rise Up” as the first single off the 2013 release, ‘SWIRL’.
According to Swirl, the “Message” behind the music has to do with standing up for what you believe in – not giving up and going for what you want in the face of those who put road blocks in front of you, it’s staying the course, staying focused and not giving an inch in any other direction, but the road you have carved out for yourself. Sometimes you will fall down, sometimes you will lose your way, but in the end the only way to win is you have to get back on your feet, dust yourself off and carry on so are you ready to “Rise Up”? Indeed, this group has quite a determination and a sound that captures that emotion. With every song, there is a personal experience that backs it up. You can feel those stories right through to your very core.
Swirl has developed a strong online presence through the various social networking sites available today as well as the bands official website Check out www.swirltheband.com
“…an interesting and diverse band to check out, as they combine the best of the past 20 years of American Rock/Hardrock”- STRUTTER..ZINE
“SWIRL has an exciting new sound with great songs”- Carlos Cavazo (RATT/ Quiet Riot)
“…ample ammo for a wildly enjoyable party of pop metal fare.”
“…and high energy live show is gaining the band a large following and getting the band a lot of attention in a very short time.”
“I’m expecting big things from this band”- Susan Myers (Sony Music TN)
“Big Hit Potential”- Bobby Blotzer (RATT)
“Swirl is the new age of rock”- Grace A&R Select
Find out more about SWIRL
SWIRL website- http://www.swirltheband.com/
SWIRL EPK- http://ue3promotions.com/swirlepk/
SWIRL Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/swirltheband
SWIRL Soundcloud- https://soundcloud.com/swirl-dt
'SWIRL' on iTunes- https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/swirl/id627466984
SWIRL "Rise Up" Lyric Video- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JVm9uFo9Eo
SWIRL Reverbnation- http://www.reverbnation.com/socalswirl
SWIRL YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/swirlgtr
SWIRL Instagram- swirltheband
SWIRL Twitter- @Swirltheband
Reviews
SWIRL (2013)
SWIRL - [self-titled]
01: Fourth of July
02: Spell
03: Rise Up
04: We are Alive
05: Message
06: Time to Fly (Adrenaline)
07: Mad Disease (Sleepwalker)
SWIRL is a Washington/California based Hard Rock / Heavy Metal band that released a self-titled mini album via iTunes in 2013. It contains 7 groovy Rock Songs that give you a pretty good impression over what these guys are all about.
First off, we got the opening track 'Fourth of July' which combines banging riffs with a driving groove and funky nuances in the vocals and bridge of the song. This song kind of gives you an Alice in Chains-ish feeling from time to time which, of course, is really nice!
The album sticks to the general sound of 'Fourth of July' for most of the time. Some songs are faster ('Spell', 'Time to Fly') and some put more emphasis on Groove ('Message'). Every once in a while you get to hear a solo that reminds you that these guys are skilled, committed and devoted to heavy music.
SWIRL are in no way content with cookie-cutter melodies and idiot-proof, sing-along hymns which, on one hand, certainly earns them a lot of credit but then again, it's a risky thing to do and it doesn't always pay off. Particularly some of the vocal lines during choruses just won't quite fit and sound a bit off.
Another thing you could critisize is the overly distorted and way too present sound of the bass guitar, especially in combination with the guitar that's definitely not loud and thick enough. Please note that all of that is still a matter of taste though.
Another song worth labeling a highlight of the album is 'Rise Up'. If you can look past the production which isn't 100% professional, polished stuff, you can recognize this one as a kickass live tune. The same is true for 'We are Alive' which offers some pretty sick guitar parts as well.
Every last song on SWIRLS self-titled album is highly worth checking out. The whole release manages to stay above average if you don't let the production phase you. However, if you happen to be a diehard fan of oldschool mixing, it becomes another huge plus. SWIRL's sound is a bit dusty and may even feel dated but it's also very honest and 100% free of gimicks and overproduced bullcrap. Charming, to say the least.
Please note that most of the things criticized here are either plain matters of personal taste or could easily be fixed with a higher budget for recording. SWIRL's self-titled album is a sweet deal of heavy music that certainly makes you wish for more!
Highlights:
- 'Fourth of July'
- 'Rise Up'
- 'We are Alive'
- 'Time to Fly'
Text: Richard Metzler