SwiftDog Returns to the Stage!

  • This message board permanently closed on June 30th, 2020 at 4PM EDT and is no longer accepting new members.

swiftdog2.0

I tell you one and one makes three...
Mar 16, 2010
7,095
35,344
Macroverse
What genre would you describe your own band’s music as swiftdog? I assume it’s rock but isn’t it like alternative, progressive, jazz, or some other subgenre of rock?

That's a great question and one that we always had trouble answering. The musical tastes of everyone that was in my last band (Coaster Thieves) were eclectic and diverse. We had elements of progressive (on our 2nd album anyway), alternative / punk, metal, hard rock, and blues all with a classic rock undertone. That was all melded into our songs as we wrote primarily as a group. Typically, someone would bring in an idea and we would play around with it until we made it into something we liked or found that it didn't work for us.

For example, there is a song on our second album called State of Silence that started out as a pretty basic heavy 3 note guitar riff that I brought to practice one day. My Dream Theater and Rush obsessed band mates took that and incorporated into a complex, time signature shifting, 8 1/2 minute marathon.

So to answer your question, I guess you could call us hard classic prog rock punk blues!

Our stuff is on Spotify if you want to check out the tunes or you can private message me with your address and I will send you copies of both albums. No cost to you for the CDs. The band is defunct and I have plenty of extra copies hanging around.
 

swiftdog2.0

I tell you one and one makes three...
Mar 16, 2010
7,095
35,344
Macroverse
swiftdog2.0 when did you start learning how to play guitar? I tried to learn it for about a year and a half but I was struggling with it and my parents had to cancel the lessons because it was too expensive to keep up with and didn’t line up with my school’s active hours at all

I first started tinkering around with the guitar when I was 12. I didn't really start taking it seriously until I was 15 after my sister paid for my first lessons as a Christmas gift (SwiftSis is cool like that). I got my first good electric guitar for my 16th birthday from SwiftMom and SwiftDad. SwiftSis gave me a small Peavey practice amp for my birthday that year as well (I told you she was good like that!). This was followed by many years of SwiftDad yelling "Turn that fu****g thing down!!" o_O

Anyway, that guitar was a cream colored Fender Standard Stratocaster. This was back when Fender was making the Standard series guitars in Japan.They made Charvel's there too after Fender bought them out. That factory is somewhere in the Pacific ocean now as a result of the 2011 Tsunami :(

I still have and play that guitar often 30 years later. It was my main guitar for a long time.

She's been modified many times over the years. The only thing original left on it is the body. Aside from a few dings and scratches and a little paint fade it still looks almost new. It's currently sporting a Fender custom shop neck with a rosewood fretboard (the original neck got severely warped after it fell and hit the corner of my amp on the way down back in the late 90's), Seymour Duncan '59 pickup in the neck. Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge, graphite string saddles, and a custom Xenomorph pickguard I had Greasy Groove make for me. It also only has a single volume control and no tone control like EVH had on his original Frankenstrat. She is basically a Charvel clone at this point. I did all that work before I bought my current Charvels. I posted a pic below.

IMG_0390.jpg

If you want to go back and try playing again there are plenty of free lessons on YouTube. It can de difficult. I've been playing for over 30 years and there is plenty that I can't do (hello bridge to Cult of Personality) and so much still to learn . I still take lessons myself occasionally. It is fun, though. Even if you are just making a racket in your bedroom. It's a good stress reliever as well. I always feel better after playing \w/ \w/
 

Wayoftheredpanda

Flaming Wonder Telepath
May 15, 2018
4,907
22,094
20
I first started tinkering around with the guitar when I was 12. I didn't really start taking it seriously until I was 15 after my sister paid for my first lessons as a Christmas gift (SwiftSis is cool like that). I got my first good electric guitar for my 16th birthday from SwiftMom and SwiftDad. SwiftSis gave me a small Peavey practice amp for my birthday that year as well (I told you she was good like that!). This was followed by many years of SwiftDad yelling "Turn that fu****g thing down!!" o_O

Anyway, that guitar was a cream colored Fender Standard Stratocaster. This was back when Fender was making the Standard series guitars in Japan.They made Charvel's there too after Fender bought them out. That factory is somewhere in the Pacific ocean now as a result of the 2011 Tsunami :(

I still have and play that guitar often 30 years later. It was my main guitar for a long time.

She's been modified many times over the years. The only thing original left on it is the body. Aside from a few dings and scratches and a little paint fade it still looks almost new. It's currently sporting a Fender custom shop neck with a rosewood fretboard (the original neck got severely warped after it fell and hit the corner of my amp on the way down back in the late 90's), Seymour Duncan '59 pickup in the neck. Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge, graphite string saddles, and a custom Xenomorph pickguard I had Greasy Groove make for me. It also only has a single volume control and no tone control like EVH had on his original Frankenstrat. She is basically a Charvel clone at this point. I did all that work before I bought my current Charvels. I posted a pic below.

View attachment 31358

If you want to go back and try playing again there are plenty of free lessons on YouTube. It can de difficult. I've been playing for over 30 years and there is plenty that I can't do (hello bridge to Cult of Personality) and so much still to learn . I still take lessons myself occasionally. It is fun, though. Even if you are just making a racket in your bedroom. It's a good stress reliever as well. I always feel better after playing \w/ \w/
Lol, I started with a cheap beginners guitar but eventually my parents got me a more intermediate guitar, but now the poor thing just sits unplayabled because my parents stopped paying for lessons long ago. I heard Jimi Hendrix started to take it seriously when he was 16-17, so to quote Mr. Incredible, “
 

swiftdog2.0

I tell you one and one makes three...
Mar 16, 2010
7,095
35,344
Macroverse
Lol, I started with a cheap beginners guitar but eventually my parents got me a more intermediate guitar, but now the poor thing just sits unplayabled because my parents stopped paying for lessons long ago. I heard Jimi Hendrix started to take it seriously when he was 16-17, so to quote Mr. Incredible, “


It's never too late to pick it up.

I have friends who didn't start playing until their 40's!
 

swiftdog2.0

I tell you one and one makes three...
Mar 16, 2010
7,095
35,344
Macroverse
I'm trying to get some pics from the BBQ that I played in August. Played in two bands on that occasion. Played both bass and guitar in both bands. One band's set was a bit of a disaster (to me anyway) and the other went really well. That set was looong. About 2 hrs. worth of music.

I also had to run the sound system that day. First band had a sax player I wasn't told about until we were sound checking them. Had to scramble to deal with micing her up. Never miced a sax before that. It worked out pretty well.

So, Setting up for the day + playing in 2 bands + being SoundDog + helping with stage breakdown= One busy SwiftDog that had no time to eat or drink!

It was fun though!