The Sway Machinery

For those who have seen The Sway Machinery live, there is little to no explanation. The band’s mix of powerful folklore and rhythmic power takes no prisoners. The energy of submerged realms is brought out onto the stage. The band’s focus is on Cantorial music history, which is a lost world. The Sway Machinery’s music invites listeners to be like children who wander in the forest and discover something magical and mythic. Jeremiah Lockwood’s personal history is the foundation of the band’s sound. He was a singer in the choir of Cantor Jacob Konigsberg, and spent over ten years playing in New York City subways with Carolina Slim, Piedmont Blues legend. Lockwood’s vision of two worlds colliding through the experience of an individual was supported and encouraged by his band mates. John Bollinger of Barbez, drummer, is the most prominent member of the group of talented musicians. Many illustrious alumni of Antibalas helped to found the group. They also make up the touring band, which includes trumpeter Jordan McLean and Nikhil Yerawadekar, guitarist Timothy Allen, and bass player Nikhil Yerawadekar. Arcade Fire’s Matt Bauder plays tenor saxophone in the band. The collective has had several members in the past, including Colin Stetson (bass saxophonist), Brian Chase (drummer), Tomer Tzur (Israeli percussionist), Stuart Bogie (saxophonist) and Tomer Tzur (percussionist). The Sway Machinery performed at the Festival of the Desert in Mali in January 2010. The group also recorded their second full-length album, The House of Friendly Ghosts Vol.1, while in Africa. It was released on JDub Records March 2011. This record featured collaborations between luminaries in Malian music such as Vieux Farka Toure, Khaira Arby, and others. Khaira Arby was also a frequent guest on tours across Europe and the country in support of the album. The Sway Machinery was a dance party band that lit up festival stages and dance floors all over the globe in 2012. They made debuts in Australia and Israel, Warsaw, and at the prestigious Roskilde and Roskilde festivals in Denmark. The band released an EP of brand new songs, Monsters of the Ancient World in 2013. It was available as a free download from the band’s website. The Sway Machinery will be releasing their third album, Purity and Danger on 3rd Generation Recordings in March 2015. The band explores dialogue with ghosts, saints, and juxtaposes songs about the subway with dead lovers, and 200-year-old Cantorial melodyes that are being performed for the first times in generations. The band’s original foundational concept is reaffirmed in this new album, which is both driven and tender, ecstatically serene. It will be a hit worldwide. from www.swaymachinery.com

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