September 2018 - Turn it Up: Swingin' Utters

If t

he name alone doesn’t grab you, nothing will. Swingin’ Utters oozes uniqueness, but it doesn’t end there. Their music speaks for itself - offering the traditional punk feel while providing a fresh roll and rock, sometimes a ska feel. Many got to catch their set at The Launchpad on August 30th, but we wanted to learn more about the band beyond their one-night gig.

It’s easy to say you’re punk. How would you describe your music?

Our music is a showcase of all the different music we listen to. Punk is what everyone wants to call it, so who are we to argue?

Would you say Peace And Love is a labor of love?

I would say that. We just want to create a record that’s different from the last. Music is definitely a labor of love for every band member. On “P&L” you can hear that love. Well, I can.

Where did the inspiration for this album come from?

Peace And Love is our most political album to date. Sexism and racism have been around since the beginning of time. When it’s in the White House, it gives these fuckers a voice. Peace And Love is our reaction. We’ll lose fans, but only the hateful.

There are three different songwriters - three different minds working on this album. How was the camaraderie?

I feel 5 different minds created this album. We all love each other, and it makes the process so much easier. The more we create together with love, the more confident, familiar and open we are with each other.

“Undertaker, Undertake.” When I listen, it has a great mix of punk and a little ska. What was the feeling you were going for? What inspired it?

Ska? I don’t think so, but all our songs are open for interpretation. Jack sent me the music and the first thing I came up with was singing “Undertaker, undertake” in Lemmy/Frankie Stubbs voice. It’s about depression and suicide. Writing songs like this one is therapeutic for me and my battles with my demons.

You'll be finishing a gig here in Albuquerque at the time of this article. What are your future plans? It took four years for Peace And Love - working on that next album?

We’ll tour for this record and then get back to work.

It didn’t take 4 years to write Peace And Love, but it took that long because Miles (Peck) bowed out amicably and we searched for a bass player. Tony hooked up with us and we got the ball rolling. I wrote a lot of songs over that time and Darius put out a solo record. Jack and Darius have a lot songs written as well, so it won’t take 4 years for our next one. Finding time to do this is difficult. We all have family and jobs that we plan time around.