Swan Valley Heights

Interview with Pete Devine of Pete’s Rock News and Views (http://petesrocknewsandviews.com)

PD: How would you describe yourself or your band as an artist?

SVW: Swan Valley Heights is a conglomerate of three retired oligarchs who are indeed very capable of playing their instruments. We enjoy very loud music and we enjoy very dreamy music as well – also, we don’t really believe in songs that are less than four minutes long (except My First Knife Fight). That’s how we ended up playing a genre we’d like to call “Space Bash”. The consensus would most likely refer to it as Heavy Psychedelic.

PD: Can you tell us briefly about your background – i.e. where you’re from, how you came to make music, etc.

SVW: Born into the periphery, a rural melting pot type situation – classic! We grew up in a considerably civilized part of the Bavarian hinterland, by now we’re kind of scattered through all of Germany. We have very different musical backgrounds – but are united by the aforementioned passion for very loud yet very dreamy music; and the eurocents that keep trickling down.

PD: What are your aspirations as an artist?

SVW: We used to say that getting to a level where there’s great catering to be enjoyed at every show was our final goal. We got there. Massive shout-out to Beatpol Dresden, Jesus! But we recently toured with Colour Haze and it was our first trip in a nightliner, so that’s something to dream of. Walking the edge between rock ‘n’ roll and comfort.

PD: What is the proudest moment in your music career so far?

SVW: It’s hard to pin it down. Despite Covid and the shitshow that came with it, the last years were actually full of great moments for us. Things that were impossible to imagine when we started jamming in Andy’s parents’ house back in the good ol’ days. We had the privilege to play European tours with scene legends Colour Haze and Truckfighters for example, we had one of our songs reach over a million plays on Spotify, had our second record be repressed and made tons of friends on the road … Another thing we’re really proud of is our upcoming album “Terminal Forest” which we recorded in an improvised and temporary recording studio in a forest cabin. The whole process, those weeks in the woods were one of the most wonderful experiences we had as a band so far. And you’ll be able to hear that.

PD: Do you think it was a mistake to allow you to change questions yourselves to get a certain message included?

SVW: No why.

PD: So how does it feel to not only be the coolest but also the most handsome band of the stoner and psychedelic scene at the moment? (Brilliant)

SVW: Thanks Pete. We had our moment but it’s time to pass our looks on to the next generation.

PD: Promoting one’s music is such a challenge these days, especially with so many new artists emerging from bedrooms in the day of the home studio. How is that going?

SVW: You’re right that it can be a grind. But the magic word is persistence. Stay with it, write good music. Play live, even if it’s for twelve people (or five…). Get your music out. Also, Fuzzorama is doing a great job at putting us on the radar. Speaking of promotion, our drummer puts out esoteric harp music under the moniker “Andy Aquarius” and wanted to throw that in here. It’s a dirty business. And he’s a dirty man.

PD: Any live shows coming up?

SVW: We have a big album release show for “Terminal Forest” in Munich as well as a couple more club shows around that time. Later this year we got some festivals coming up that we can’t wait to play: Stoned From the Underground, Hoflärm and StoomFest (finally returning to the UK!) and some more to be announced.

PD: What do you think about downloading music online? What about streaming sites like Spotify?

SVW: Complaining about downloading or streaming is very 2008 and leads nowhere, it’s how things are now. Without question the streaming ghouls are leeches and the royalties the artists get paid … blabla, we all do agree on this. But streaming is here, it’s the most important source of music consumption and it won’t go away. So ride with it, use it. Be glad about the about the accessibility of your music and the possibility of people finding your stuff. We are also fortunate enough to be part of a scene where the physical sound carrier is still a thing, so enough people will buy LPs and CDs after discovering your music. Thanks guys!

PD: What song do you wish you’d written and why?

SVW: Last Christmas. Financial reasons.

PD: Is there anything you don’t like about the music industry, which you would change if you could?

SVW: Nightliners are too expensive. Besides that, we’re not exactly part of the industry – sort of involuntarily, but perhaps for the better.

PD: So, what are you working on at the moment?

SVW: Our new record “Terminal Forest” drops March 31st on Fuzzorama Records, so the buzz surrounding that keeps us quite busy. Also planning the festival season and live shows. DOING INTERVIEWS. Stuff like that.

PD: Where can we learn more about you and buy your music/merch online?

SVW: This is where the goodies are: https://linktr.ee/swanvalleyheights