Patrick Sweany
Patrick Sweany likes the spaces in between.
On a given night he'll swing through blues, folk, soul, bluegrass, maybe some classic 50s rock, or a punk speedball. He's a musical omnivore, devouring every popular music sound of the last 70 years, and mixing 'em all together seamlessly into his own stew. Yet, the one thing that most people notice about Patrick isn't his ability to copy - it's his authenticity. Like his heroes, folks like Bobby "Blue" Bland, Eddie Hinton, Doug Sahm, Ray Charles, Patrick somehow manages to blend all of these influences into something all his own.
It's no wonder that as a kid he immersed himself in his dad's extensive record collection: 60s folk, vintage country, soul, and, of course, blues. Patrick spent hours teaching himself to fingerpick along to Leadbelly, Lightnin' Hopkins, and other folk-blues giants.
In his late teens, Patrick began playing the clubs and coffeehouses around Kent, OH. He quickly gained a reputation for the intricate country blues style he was developing - part Piedmont picking, part Delta slide - with an equally impressive deep, smooth vocal style.
It wasn't long before Pat drew the attention of other notables like Jimmy Thackery who was impressed enough to bring Pat on the road, and Roy Book Binder, who, after hearing Patrick's self-released debut CD I Wanna Tell You, arranged his first appearance at Merlefest in 2002.
But Pat wouldn't stay in the acoustic world for long. His love of 50s era soul and rock fused with the adrenaline-soaked garage punk revival happening throughout the Rust Belt pushed Pat to form a band. Modeled after Hound Dog Taylor's House Rockers with a baritone guitar instead of a bass, Patrick's revved up music became accessible to a whole new legion of fans. His touring radius grew and before long, Pat found himself playing 150 shows per year all over the U.S.
His CD Every Hour Is A Dollar Gone (June 2007) is the perfect snapshot of Patrick's evolution. The songs hint at the blues-influenced rock of the 70s, soul and gospel, and even ragtime, all the while shifting seamlessly in the spaces between these styles. And it's in these spaces that Patrick's huge voice and trademark style shine the most.
Now hailed as part of the 'New U.S. Blues Explosion by MOJO Magazine, Patrick Sweany is in equal parts Dan Auerbach and Lightning Hopkins. His upcoming record, That Old Southern Drag, is a real rocker and will feature a guest appearance by Patrick's good friend Jorma Kaukonen.
"His music has a loose, aggressive edge, but in his quieter moments, Sweany recalls the supple beauty of Ry Cooder's 70s readings of Depression-era pop blues." - MOJO (UK) 'New Blues Explosion!'
