Swati

Folky New York rocker Swati was a classically trained trombonist before she picked up the guitar and started writing songs in her late teens. Her first demo was produced by Steve Lillywhite (U2, Peter Gabriel), and although it caused a buzz in New York´s competitive music scene, it took her...

By J. Poet

June 7, 2007

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Folky New York rocker Swati was a classically trained trombonist before she picked up the guitar and started writing songs in her late teens. Her first demo was produced by Steve Lillywhite (U2, Peter Gabriel), and although it caused a buzz in New York´s competitive music scene, it took her five years of relentless gigging around town, both solo and with a band, before she signed with Bluhammock for Small Gods. At this point, Swati calls herself an acoustic metal guitarist, which is a fitting description for her polyphonic sound. Drones, crashing chord clusters, and subtle melodic accents flow through her music to produce unexpected shifts in tone and tempo that add drama to her music. Her 12-string guitar has been restrung as an eight-string with doubled B and high E strings, and the sounds she wrings out of the instrument with the aid of a phalanx of effects pedals range from calming to calamitous. Ani DiFranco is the obvious inspiration here, but Swati´s confessional lyrics explore the darker corners of the psyche, delivering haunting tales of loneliness and alienation that will pique your emotions. Still, it´s her guitar-playing that makes her a talent to watch.

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