Old Town Crier - June 2004
Gigs & Digs
by Chris Sky Shaw and Spencer Hill
Michelle Swan - Music to Soften the Soul

Frederick native, Michelle Swan released her second solo CD 'What I Got' in March, '04. Her first, 'Whistling in the Dark' (released May, 2000) was nominated for 'Best Debut Recording' at the Washington Area Music Association's award ceremonies in 2000. She has been nominated in other WAMA categories over the past several years - 'Best New Artist' ('98), as well as 'Songwriter of the Year' and 'Best Contemporary Folk Vocalist' (in 2002). If her past success is any indication, 'What I Got' will no doubt add to her list of devoted followers and hopefully to more awards at the Wammies this year.

Like so many musicians, Michelle Swan was born into a musical family. Her father was a singer-songwriter who for a period of time had gone to Nashville in the hopes of starting his own musical career, but amid the enormous competition had not found the success he'd wished for. But perhaps, through daughter Michelle, he can take some pride through her success. Given her first acoustic guitar by her father at age 9, she began to sense her musical calling. For a time she seriously dedicated herself to the clarinet, having studied classical music and clarinet performance at Towson State University with aspirations of one day earning a seat in a symphony orchestra. But, in her own words, 'That was the dream, but the competition is brutal. You have to live, eat and sleep the clarinet, and I didn't have that dedication.' Perhaps it is best that she didn't pursue that course, since so much song writing and singing talent may never have come to fruition.

While stylistically, her music vacillates between folk and country, labeling it as such risks trivializing it. Her melodies are uniquely her own; her lyrics are deeply personal, and compellingly sensitive. Most notable is the absence of cliche in either her lyrical or melodic composition. Michelle is an intuitive creator of highly original, and exceptionally musical inspiration. 'I was fortunate to live in a very musical home' says Swan. 'My parents listened to classical, gospel, pop, bluegrass and rock and roll.' This diverse range of musical influences seems to have given her a pallette of many colors from which to pick and choose; and has enabled her to simply be creative without restrictions, or the tendency to sound like anyone other than herself.

Unlike many singer/songwriters who tend to be more one than the other, Swan is master of both. Vocally she is simply awesome - able to effortlessly sing both the touchingly gentle and the emotionally volitive. Her songs are exceptionally original in their construction, with melodies that could only have been conceived by a highly conceptual, musical mind. Swan is also an inspiring acoustic guitarist, with not only excellent technique but a superior touch. She is impressive from every angle, and is gifted as few are.

'What I Got', features 11 new songs. Every one is brilliantly arranged, and executed. While Michelle Swan often plays with little or no accompaniment, on several of the cuts she is joined by drums, bass, fiddle, cello, electric guitar, keyboards, and backing vocals. This is the type of CD you'll want to play over and over, every time you play it you'll pick up on subtleties that escaped your focus the time before. There's a lot going on here. It's very therapeutic listening - it'll help to remove any unhealthy emotional blockages you may unknowingly be afflicted by. Lots of raw inspiration here!

Listing the many places she's performed in the past is hardly worth the effort, but a few might give you an idea what she's been up to. The Cherry Blossom Festival at the Tidal Basin, DC, any number of folk and jazz festivals, as well as the Kennedy Center! In June she'll be appearing at Jammin' Java (Vienna, Va..) on the 8th, Willow Garden Theater (Bethesda, Md.) on the 9th, Focus Benefit Concert (Rockville, Md.) on the 12th, Fete de la Musique (D.C.) on the 18th, etc. For more info on her appearance schedule, visit her web site - www.michelleswan.com. You can also listen to some cuts from her CD or order a CD (or two) - it's a very cool site.

Gigs & Digs gives her all thumbs up on this, her latest CD - 'What I Got'. It's time for the rest of us to find out just what it is she's got! We wish her the best of luck in the future, and we'll keep our fingers crossed for even greater success at this year's WAMMIES. For booking information, contact Michelle at (703) 237-5873 or P.O. Box 7181, Arlington, VA 22207.


CD Review
By Sharon Schmitt of Northern Lights, Inc.
What I Got (Overview)
What I Got is the latest CD from Washington area singer/songwriter Michelle Swan. Sophisticated songwriting, superb musicianship, and a polished performance are all valid reasons to shove it into your CD player. But it's Swan's passionate, vivid rendering of adult emotions that will make you want to listen to it again and again. What I Got offers the work of a songwriter and performer at the height of her power. The tracks present an unblinking, unapologetic look at a grown-up life - by no means perfect or without regret - but filled with desire, dreams, longing and the certain knowledge of what really counts. Swan's intuitive feel for what touches hearts and shapes lives, her ability to tell stories both personal and timeless, make her a regional treasure. Even before you listen to the track "Waiting to Arrive" you'll understand Swan very definitely has. What I Got elevates her hardwon experience into art and bestows a great gift to anyone lucky enough to get a listen.

"What I Got" - The Songs

What I Got
The title track sets the tone for the CD. A sassy, witty, worldly self-assessment, What I Got could be an anthem for anyone who lacks gobs of disposable income and a spot on the A-list - and is wise enough to know it doesn't matter. With a teasing, tantalizing defiance, What I Got reminds us . "it's all inside - and that's the best."

Not That I'd Know
Remember that moment when the possibility of a great love hovered before you, just out of reach - too real to let you sleep, too elusive to trust to anything but the deepest recesses of your heart? Not That I'd Know perfectly recreates the aching sweetness of anticipation made more delicious by the vividness of the songwriter's imagination. Swan's lovely, crystal clear vocals hit just the right tone to convey longing that is both tender and fierce - and an invitation that would require a heart of stone to refuse.

Out of the Blue
No snob about who can catch a lover's eye, Out of the Blue takes the listener on a wild, raucous ride. The song romps through the vividness of a crush - the mindless attraction to a casual acquaintance. From rehearsing clever lines to buying gas she doesn't need, Out of the Blue rocks out on a joy well beyond the limits of logic.

Madwoman
Madwoman is a subtle, nuanced rendering of an emotion so powerful it creates a kind of delightful madness, a madness the lover in the song gladly accepts as fair trade. In the form of a musing, reflective dialog with herself, Madwoman admits distraction, a blurring of the world around her, but doesn't mind the lack of order. There are worse things than the dizzying confusion of passion. "Let them say I'm crazy, acting like a fool. They're not me, being loved . loved by you." Swan makes a compelling case for an insanity plea.

Time of My Life
Swan's personal homage to "the greatest generation," Time of My Life is a granddaughter's gracious salute to her grandmother and to the beliefs and social mores of another era. Loving in tone, the song is filled with admiration, but is never maudlin or sentimental. There is a place for duty, for fulfilling promises, but however much it respects the past, Time of My Life also celebrates a new chapter in a long life. More than just surviving, the grandmother of Time of My Life has found fresh reasons to live. What better legacy could any generation pass along?
Whistling In The Dark Nominated by
The Washington Area Music Association for "Best Debut Recording!"



"Whistling in the Dark is an excellent debut and shows a remarkable talent. Swan's words reach out and grab her audience. You should reach out and grab this CD."
-- Melanie H. Akers, Women's Monthly (WOMO)


October 2000
By Cliff Johns
Whistling In The Dark

The CD for this edition of the Old Town Crier is whistling in the dark by Michelle Swan. (Thanks again to Allison and Peter Lattu for introductions.) Michelle, who will play St. Elmo's gigs into late October, recorded her CD with the ubiquitous Marco Delmar at the Recording Arts Studio in Fairfax, VA. She and collaborators have created a nice record, indeed.

The strummy, jangly opener, "I Remember Your Eyes," speaks of transitory love in an up-beat number of sophisticated song-craft. "Love Mirage" sports a neat soprano sax lead that complements Michelle's disciplined vocals and that song-craftsmanship that impresses the listener the more one listens. The instrumentation of this record is superb; it also rolls along on several tracks with the purposefulness of a sports car on the highway with plenty of room to wind it out. "Lifespell" brings the tempo down, and the thoughtfulness forward, with sobering cello by Fred Lieder, but all driven and orchestrated by Michelle: "don't want to wake up in my eighties and say/ I've got it all figured out now . Would I start this life over again?" Nice guitar-picking, too, on this profound track!

And Lisa Moscatiello, once reviewed in these pages, plays a nice penny whistle and harmonizes neatly on the title track - one of the CD's most compelling and appealing. Swan's confessional singer-songwriter modalities occasionally rise to the anthemic level. Apparent Sapphic nspiration does not limit the applicability of the wisdom, passion, and drive of Michelle's songs. Art does transcend boundaries, as this excellent record demonstrates. Michelle's insistence that we follow our "conviction" bucks anyone up. This is a brave and fine local musical artist worth listening to!



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