The Charlie Swiggs Band:

Multicultural Rock

By Roane Beard

It’s hard to pin down the appeal of the Charlie Swiggs Band. Not in a bad way; it’s just that there’s so much there. The band’s sound is driven by your traditional trio of guitar, base and drums, but the sound slides around somewhere between jazz-fusion and good old rock n’ roll. The clarinet, keyboard, and sax that work their way into the mix give the sound a twist, and the lyrics add a final element. From the hipster diatribe of "Walkin' the Dog" to "Barstool's" blues lament, the lyrics are the core of the band's sound, and they’re decidedly dark. Exploring the emotional tribulations of the betrayed and the lonely, they're a reflection of the band's experiences playing in Taiwan for the last six years.

"It's really hard to be an original musician in Southern Taiwan," says Axel Schunn, the band's lead guitarist and singer. "You have to be either really into music or out of your mind to play here."

The band’s history reflects that. Since their inception, the band has gone through numerous changes in line-up and sound, as band members leave and new ones are added. Even the name has changed, from Charlie Swiggs and the Worms to the current tag, The Charlie Swiggs Band.

"You've got to say it's a new band. Lot's of new members. We're adding a pianist, and losing our rhythm guitar player to the Army," says Axel. "It keeps us dynamic, which is how we like it. We sing in Taiwanese, Chinese, German, and English. We have all these talents and want to exploit them." He tries not to worry too much about how it impacts the audience, believing that if the music is good, people will enjoy it.

"We're just so annoyingly out there. There's nobody else around, so the bar is lower. That's why a bum like me can do something here."

But why is he doing it?

“In the beginning, having a social experience with foreigners was really important,” Axel says. “But as time went by, the music became more important. Now, after playing out here for eight, nine years I'd like a little recognition for what we've been doing." What they've been doing, he believes, is helping to create a scene where picking up a guitar and performing your own music is a regular part of people's lives, something he feels is strikingly lacking in Taiwan.

"There is some original music being produced, now that things have opened up some," says Axel. "It's definitely a reflection of Taiwanese cultural norms and social problems facing young Taiwanese. A lot of the frustration felt by the younger generations is more and more often being expressed musically. It's similar to Germany, with social pressure influencing the musical style. The fact that a lot of the original music being produced is very loud, aggressive heavy-metal style music is an indicator of some of the frustrations felt in Taiwan. Turn on the radio and you get pop songs. Go to the real stuff and it's all metal."

The Charlie Swiggs Band is neither pop nor metal, but they’re a definite original. Their current CD, "Should I Stay?", is being sold directly by the band. Contact the band for information about the CD, or for play times in venues around the island.

The Charlie Swiggs Band

Fu Hwa 7th St. Lane 32 9F-1

Yong Kang City, 710,

Tainan County

phone: (06) 2015744

email: [email protected]