Interview with Pete Devine of Pete’s Rock News and Views (https://petesrocknewsandviews.com)
C – Chris, D – Dan, RC – Rory
NB: Bassist, Owain was unable to attend the interview due to an unfortunately timed dune buggy accident.
PD: How would you describe yourself or your band as an artist?
D – Swan Hill started from a shared passion for noisy 90s indie bands like Pavement, Guided By Voices and Weezer. But we don’t want to make music that looks backwards. We’re all music lovers, and we hope that our shared influences and interests come across in our sound.
RC: I suppose it depends on who you speak to; someone who knows music well I’d probably say 90s garage-y stuff that is itself a bit of a ripoff of 60s rock. On the other hand, if you’re a drunken Irish couple on Womanby Street who only knows the Foo 
Fighters, I’d say we sound like the Foo Fighters (from experience)
C – A sort of cosmic gumbo of gratuitous fuzzed out rock music and hooky little power pop numbers. Big 80s US indie vibes are the goal. I’d love to sound like a band that could have signed to SST in the mid 80s and played with The Meat Puppets or something.
PD: Can you tell us briefly about your background – i.e. where you’re from, how you came to make music, etc.
D – I started playing covers with friends in college, eventually forming a band and making a lot of noise in pubs around Swansea. After that, I sort of fell out of the Swansea music scene for a while, but making original music was always a goal of mine. I connected with Chris over lockdown and we started sharing ideas in GarageBand, and gradually we’ve become a real band!
RC: I suppose the only thing I can add here is that I’ve known Owain for ages and when we were looking for a bass player, he was the last name on the list after everyone else was too busy.
C – I’ve been writing and performing music in Swansea for a good decade plus now under various guises, Tusk, Zed Motel, solo projects and more. Swan Hill started as a COVID song writing project with Dan and then grew into what it is now when we made it into a real life band.
PD: Who and what inspires you to make music, both in terms of musical and other influences? What do you like to write about in your songs?
D – I’m a big fan of unorthodox guitar players, who maybe aren’t always the most technically proficient, but can create amazing sounds and melodies. I try and bring this vibe to Swan Hill by making loud noises that are occasionally in tune.
RC: I think I’m a bit different to Chris in that I can only finish a song in one go really; its probably laziness but if I start playing around with chords or a lyric I really like, it has to go straight into the computer or my phone immediately and I’ll follow the thread as far as a I can. If I put it down, 9 times out of 10 I can’t pick it up again.
C – I tend to come up with most of my song ideas when I’m walking up a hill, driving or generally nowhere near a guitar, and then I have to frantically try and remember it. Lyrically, I have no idea what most of the songs I write are actually about. Sports teams? Public transport? The tax threshold for child benefit?
PD: What are your aspirations as an artist?
D – For me, the most enjoyable thing is the process. I mainly want to create music that I would want to listen to. If other people like it, that’s a bonus! We’ve been working on a new batch of songs recently, and I’d love to release an album and get the chance to play some interesting venues.
RC: I just want people to enjoy the art I make
C – To create something that I enjoy and other people do too. And to win an Oscar.
PD: What is the proudest moment in your music career so far?
D – Getting the chance to play at Clwb Ifor Bach, which is such an iconic venue where so many amazing artists have played was an absolute highlight.
C – Yep, playing Clwb was a big one. We’ve had a few occasions now where there’s been people in the crowd at gigs singing our songs back at us, which is nice, fulfilling and terrifying equally.
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?
D – It’s difficult, because even though it’s more possible than ever for artists to achieve recognition without needing a record label, it’s also more difficult. After all, there are quite simply so many people making good music, and only so much music people can pay attention to.
RC: You just have to embrace it. God knows we wouldn’t be where we are without the internet.
C – It’s tough. There is a supersaturation of music out there that makes even the local scene so competitive. I think PR is a concept that is kind of opposed to being an artist. We just want to make songs in a room somewhere and not have to worry about it as much as we inevitably do.
PD: And how do you book and promote your live shows and tours? Any performances coming up?
D – Frankly, the act of booking a live show remains somewhat of a mystery to me. Thankfully, my bandmates seem to be quite good at it! We’re currently working on some recording, and then we’ll look at setting up some gigs this Spring/Summer.
RC: I gotta admit, that’s all on Chris
C – I deal with venues and promoters entirely via anonymous fax messages. It’s worked reasonably well so far.
PD: What do you think about downloading music online? What about streaming sites like Spotify?
D – I have mixed views – on the one hand they make it so much easier to be exposed to great music, but from an ethical point of view they are making massive profit which frankly isn’t getting reflected back onto those who put their music on Spotify.
RC: Tough toss up – anything that gets the music into the people’s hands is important, and there’s no way we could have people from Slovenia or Argentina listening to us without being able to upload to Spotify. But they should pay their artists more.
C – Being able to access an unlimited pool of music at any time is a glorious thing. But also, please Spotify, give us more money.
PD: What song do you wish you’d written and why?
D – Tomorrow Never Knows by The Beatles, because it’s so far ahead of its time.
RC: Anything with wonderful lyrics. All Things Must Pass, Black Oak by SBD, The Blower’s Daughter. Its something I am quite insecure about personally, and when you get a song that really resonates with you lyrically it can make all the difference. I also like Cheeseburger In Paradise.
C – The Theme to Black Beauty. What a truly magnificent, emotive and inspirational piece of music. Also, all the lyrical work of David Berman.
PD: Is there anything you don’t like about the music industry, which you would change if you could?
D – Lots of things – but it’s better to focus on the things I like, which is the opportunity to work with and meet people who have a shared passion.
RC: Pay to play gigs. Get in the bin.
C – Steep and multiple flights of stairs at music venues.
PD: So, what are you working on at the moment?
D – We’re currently working on an EP, which we’re all very excited about. We’re hoping to be able to share more in the next couple of months.
RC: We have an EP coming out that we’re finishing up. Big Things Coming Soon as they say.
C – An EP. A 5 a side football match. A mini UK tour. An action figure range. A signature scent. Some of these things are true.
PD: Where can we learn more about you and buy your music/merch online?
You can find us on Bandcamp (https://swanhill.bandcamp.com), where we occasionally sell some limited runs of tees and caps, plus on all good social networks (and some bad ones) as ‘swanhillband’.
Swan Hill links:
Band/Artist location – Swansea Wales
Facebook – You Tube – Soundcloud – Bandcamp – Merch –
Twitter – Instagram – Apple – Spotify – Amazon – Deezer – LinkTree –
Check our page for SWAN HILL
