California rockers Swirl have kicked off the new year with a new song called The Lift which has reached #1 on Indie rock radio in the US and #4 on Banks Radio Australia in just the first two weeks of 2018. The Lift comes to you fresh on the heels of a very successful 2017 campaign for the band`s 7 song EP titled SWIRL, of which the band has 3 songs featured in the award winning movie ‘Ditch Day’. This film stars Emmy Award winning actor Bill Oberst Jr. This film took home the ‘Best Feature Film’ Award at the Burbank International Film Festival.The songs are Rise Up, We Are Alive and Spell. Since the release of their SWIRL EP, Swirl the band has been the support act on several North American tours for many established rock artists including RATT, Extreme, Cinderella, Slaughter, LA Guns, Souls of We, Red Dragon Cartel, Skid Row and more or they have headlined shows in Southern California.
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. With the release of The Lift press is now coming in from all over the globe. In addition to North America, there is a significant rise in global presence for Swirl in the form of reviews, interviews, airplay and ‘Band of the Day/ Week/ Month’ honors. Japan, Greece, Germany, The Netherlands, Canada, France, The UK, Bangalore, Italy, Saudi Arabia and more are all favorably picking up on the Swirl sound. Check out The Lift below!
We managed to catch up with Swirl as they talk about their latest release and more!
So how has your latest album/EP gone so far with fans then?
The latest EP is the much celebrated self-titled ‘SWIRL’ release. It not only went over well with the fans and we had 3 songs from it licensed into a full length, two-time award winning horror film. The film is called ‘Ditch Day’ (http://thefilmditch.com/music-artists/) and stars Emmy award winner Bill Oberst Jr. It really helped to catapult the status of the ‘SWIRL’ EP and pushed the awareness of the band to a new global audience. ‘Ditch Day’ is now available in 6 countries (Germany, Italy, Korea, France, The United Kingdom and United States).
Tell us something about the release no one knows?
We are not done with the licensing deals for the ‘SWIRL’ EP! By summer 2018 we expect ALL of the songs on it will be in either film or television. This puts Swirl in very rare territory as an unsigned and self- managed band to have 100% of the music on their release licensed into published film or television. We didn`t write for any specific release. We just created the songs we wanted to hear and together with the virtually unknown co-producer James Rieger we seem to have made history in doing so. If someone can point out another unsigned, self-managed artist with a release in ANY genre where they had ALL of their songs placed into published, full length feature films or television as an independent we can`t find them. Whether you are talking about Michael Jackson, Led Zeppelin, Katy Perry, Madonna, The Rolling Stones, Metallica, The Beatles- the biggest names in the music industry, not just rock n roll, can`t make the same claim. They all had known producers with successful track records, record labels involved in either making or distributing their release or wrote their songs specifically for movie or tv.
If you could work with any band on a new song, who would it be and why?
That is easily the most divisive question you could ask the four members of Swirl. Brian, Alffred, Shane and I (DT) are very different in our musical tastes with a sample of our influences ranging from Rush, to David Bowie, Korn and Jake E Lee era Ozzy.
How has your latest single been received?
“The Lift” is by far the best single song release of our career to date. It has reached #1 on multiple internet radio stations in the US and #4 on Banks Radio Australia. The song is being added daily to both internet and FM radio in several countries. The crowds at Swirl shows are definitely bigger and more engaged as people are singing along with that song in particular every time we play it.
Can you tell us about the meaning behind the track?
What “The Lift” means to me is that we all need help sometimes, be it an emotional lift or a physical lift. We shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help when we need it. We also shouldn’t be afraid to offer to help when were able to. We are all on this planet together and we are all connected, so let’s help one another.
My personal Lift was given to me by “The Minor Goddess” who lifted me out of a depressed and stressed out anxious time in my life. Thank you MG! “Your words will always stay with me”- Alfred Ramirez
What tours do you have coming up, and what can you tell us about them?
The success of “The Lift” and the fact that we spent all of 2017 working with the movie producer of ‘Ditch Day’ on promotion means we have no less than 8 countries presently where Swirl has increased presence either through the ‘Ditch Day’ movie or our song “The Lift”. We will see what happens with the other licensing deals we are working on and where those productions are distributed. We are currently in negotiations with promoters in Japan, Australia, Canada,The United Kingdom and of course here in the US.
The last time Swirl toured in the US we were out with very well established hard rock acts like RATT, Extreme, Poison, Skid Row, Slaughter, Lynch Mob, Red Dragon Cartel and LA Guns just to name a few. George Lynch called us “road dogs” which is a badge we wear proudly.
What venue are you most looking forward to playing the most, and why?
We have a saying in Swirl that “all we need is electricity and interest”. We are looking forward to playing anywhere and everywhere for anyone and everyone who wants to see us. We are currently doing dates in Southern California while looking for festivals and touring partners.
What else can we expect from Swirl in 2018?
We are writing more songs and prepared to go into the studio to record them with Emad Alaeddin of Granted Records. He is the one who convinced us to try “crowd funding” and that is how we were able to record “The Lift”. Our fan base,(“The Swirl Society” ) donated the funds needed for us to record and promote “The Lift”. They are our “record company” and as such we have told them that how much and how fast we get new music out to them is in part up to their direct support. It is NOT an exclusive club with new people coming on board the Swirl train daily. All are welcome and a donation is not required by anyone, but of course anything helps and is appreciated. The Go Fund Me link is – https://www.gofundme.com/launch-new-music-by-swirl-the-band
So in short, expect more licensing deals, tour dates and new music from Swirl.