Current Swell is a Canadian

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

band from

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...

, Canada. The band has released seven albums; ''So I Say'', ''Trust Us Now'', ''Protect Your Own'', ''Long Time Ago'', ''Ulysses'', ''When to Talk and When to Listen'' and ''Buffalo''.

History

Originally a group of friends hanging out, jamming, and writing music, the band began performing in backyards and on beaches, and has gained popularity through its online presence and dedicated Internet fan base. The band has been noted for its authenticity and for remaining true to its upbeat folk roots. Current Swell sold out the very first show they played as a band. They had released a short, five-song EP on the internet that was discovered by northern Vancouver Island high school students. The band had booked a show at a local coffee shop in hopes of playing in front of a few people but ended up playing in front of a packed audience. The band credits much of their success to their fans, particularly the online community. Their song ''Young and Able'' (2009) became an Internet hit through its popularization on

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

. The Internet has contributed significantly to the Canadian west coast band's large following in South America, particularly Brazil, where it headlined in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

and

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

in 2012. Current Swell has opened for bands like

The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their f ...

Xavier Rudd Xavier Rudd (born 29 May 1978) is an Australian singer, songwriter, musician, and multi-instrumentalist. Several of Rudd's songs incorporate socially conscious themes, such as spirituality, humanity, environmentalism and the rights of Indigen ...

, Dispatch,

Bedouin Soundclash Bedouin Soundclash is a Canadian band based in Toronto and consisting of vocalist and guitarist Jay Malinowski, bass player Eon Sinclair, and various session musicians. Their sound has been described as a combination of reggae and ska. Bedouin ...

and

The Beautiful Girls The Beautiful Girls are an Australian Traditional music, roots music group founded in Sydney in 2001 by Mat McHugh, Clay MacDonald, and Mitchell Connelly. They have released three extended plays, ''Morning Sun (EP), Morning Sun'' (2002), ''Goo ...

, and has made appearances at the

2010 Winter Olympics The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games () and also known as Vancouver 2010 (), were an international winter multi-sport event held from February 12 to 28, 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with ...

and the

Ottawa Bluesfest The Ottawa Bluesfest (currently known as RBC Bluesfest under a naming rights sponsorship) is an annual outdoor music festival that takes place each July in downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. While the festival's lineup historically focused on b ...

. In 2011, Current Swell placed first at

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

Peak Performance Project The Peak Performance Project was a seven-year, $5.2 million music initiative funded by the Jim Pattison Group, to provide financial support to emerging Canadian artists in the British Columbia and Alberta markets. The $100,000 prize for the winner ...

, winning the $100,500 top prize. The band also played one of the largest concerts of its kind in Victoria at a Canada Day concert for 45,000 people at the B.C. Legislature. The band's sound combines the musical styles of

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

roots A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients. Root or roots may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusin ...

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

, and

ska Ska (; , ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a w ...

; it has also been described as "surf rock." In 2014, it was announced that the band would be releasing their fourth studio album on May 6, entitled ''Ulysses''. The album was produced by Nathan Sabatino (Dr. Dog, White Rabbits) at Vancouver's Greenhouse Studios. The first single was the third track on the album, called ''Rollin. Rollin' is also featured in the

Teton Gravity Research Teton Gravity Research (TGR) is an Extreme skiing, extreme sports media and apparel company based in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The company was founded in 1996 by brothers Steve and Todd Jones, as well as friends Dirk Collins, Rick Armstrong, and Cor ...

-Anthill Films 2015 film ''unReal''.

Influences

The band's albums ''So I Say'', ''Trust Us Now'', and ''Protect Your Own'' were inspired predominantly by their experiences traveling. However, the people in the band's life--friends, strangers, and fans who have been a part of their journey and development as artists, influenced the album ''Long Time Ago''.

Discography

Studio albums

*''So I Say'' (2005) *''Trust Us Now'' (2007) *''Protect Your Own'' (2009) *''Long Time Ago'' (2011) *''Ulysses'' (2014) *''When to Talk and When to Listen'' (2017) *''Buffalo'' (2019)

Extended plays

*''At Home'' (2004)

Compilation appearances

*''Vancouver 125'' (2011) Song: "Granville Town" *''Paste Holiday Sampler'' (2012) Song: "Christmas Alone" *''Isn't This World Enough - A Nettwerk Christmas'' (2012) Song: "Christmas Alone"

Personnel

*Scott Stanton – Vocals/lead guitar/slide guitar *Dave Lang – Vocals/guitar/harmonica *Louis Sadava – Bass/Vocals *Marcus Manhas - Drums *Phil Hamelin - Keys/Trumpet *Dave St. Jean - Trombone

Extended Family

*Evan Miller - Guitar Vocals *Marty Parr - Tour Manager Extraordinaire *Morgan Brooker - Management *Stephen Franke - Management

Previous Members

*Chris Petersen – Drums/Vocals *Mike Quirke - Drums *Ghosty Boy - Bass

References

{{Authority control Canadian indie rock groups Musical groups from Victoria, British Columbia Canadian indie folk groups Canadian folk rock groups Canadian musical quartets Musical groups established in 2005 2005 establishments in British Columbia Nettwerk Music Group artists