Out of the fray

Walk in to the Berwick Pub on a Thursday night and you’ll be treated to some of the best acoustic rock this side of Melbourne.
In the front room, talented singersongwriter Andrew Swift plays melodious acoustic numbers to an appreciative crowd, which has been building since he first played at the venue 15 months ago.
The Berwick resident, now synonymous with the local hub widely known as the Bezza, is about to release his third EP, just months after parting ways with local rock act Race the Fray.
It is hard to believe that music hasn’t always been second nature for Andrew.
It was only during the latter years of high school while battling depression that he discovered his love for music.
“In years 10 and 11, I went through a bout of depression. I used to lock myself in my room and just play,” he said.
It didn’t come easily at first either.
“I guess I was a late bloomer, although I had played drums earlier. I taught myself how to play guitar.
“I would just sit there with my guitar and sing. I used to be really bad,” he recalls.
Andrew’s newfound passion saw him band together with some fellow St Francis Xavier College classmates to form a cover band, Table 9, which would eventually become Race the Fray.
Over the past threeandahalf years the band has enjoyed much success, releasing two EPs and a single, as well as rotation on Nova100 and Triple J.
Late last year Race the Fray appeared on Rove Live, which for Andrew was one of the highlights of his time with the band.
“Probably the biggest highlight of playing with Race the Fray was our stint as the house band on Rove Live. We got to meet Rove and Peter (Helliar).
“Both the EP launches in the city were pretty exciting, too.
“Also I love touring you meet so many interesting people. I’ve met some amazing people in Sydney and Tassie.
“We also got to play up at Schoolies in 2003, which was unreal,” he said.
Before Race the Fray, the band was simply known as The Fray. The name was changed when US rockers The Fray hit the music scene.
“We kind of knew it was coming. People used to email us and say things like, ‘I can’t wait to see you guys supporting the Killers this month’, and ‘Nice show with Weezer the other night’.
“We had to change our name because, obviously, we cannot compete with a major label (Sony BMG).
“I don’t even think we had the name first but if we had registered it as an Australian trademark it wouldn’t have been a problem,” he said.
Even after changing their name, Race the Fray were often still mistaken with the American band, especially when their single Over My Head (Cable Car) entered the Australian music charts.
“When their song first began to get airplay here I got a lot of congratulationstype messages. Between the four of us we got a couple of hundred SMSs.
“Even now I get the odd message. I got one not long ago from someone who saw a Fray video clip and (said), ‘I saw your video the other day, but I couldn’t see Swifty’,” he said with a laugh.
Although Race the Fray are still rocking on, Andrew is no longer with the band: he decided a couple of months ago that it was time to go solo.
“Unlike some bands, though, the split was quite amicable. Andrew even supported Race the Fray at a gig a few weeks back, which he found strange yet enjoyable.
“It was great to just stand back and listen to the songs, I really enjoyed watching them. I had a great night.
“I do miss playing songs and jamming out with those guys but at the same time it’s a good feeling to be on my own,” he said.
For the past 15 months Andrew has been a regular at the Berwick pub, belting out all kinds of covers from Diesel’s Tip of My Tongue to the more recent Foo Fighters track The Best of You and even the odd rendition Britney Spears’ Baby One More Time.
Last August Andrew began to incorporate originals into his set but it has only been this year that his solo career has really started to take off.
He has played several solo shows, including a performance at the Espy in St Kilda alongside Day Klan (Kisschasy guitarist) and The Rob Roy.
Andrew says the reception he has received so far has been great.
“The band I suppose was a bit of a comfort zone for me.
“Taking a step out on my own was a bit of a risk but the feedback so far has been fantastic, people are really getting behind me, the response has been really good,” he said.
Andrew has also received plenty of backing from his team Chris Hart, his guitar tech and roadie, Josh Cobb, who does the live sound and records the demos, and Prudence Dailly, who does the photography work. These three that make it all possible, he says.
“They support me so much, they’re out for every gig doing love jobs.” He pauses for a second. “Sure Chris does it for the free beer,” he laughed.
Within the next few months Andrew plans to release an acoustic EP, which will more than likely include Eleanor, the track featured on his MySpace.
Although Andrew’s MySpace (www.myspace.com/andrewswift) has received more than 10,000 hits, he scoffs at suggestions that he may be the next Arctic Monkeys or Sandi Thom, artists who became popular after launching their material on MySpace.
“Funnily enough that’s how The Fray (US) launched their career,” he says.
Andrew who describes his EP as “stripped back, with different synthetic sounds”, has been working closely on the project with Kisschasy manager Sam Panetta who has also spent time working with Kylie Minogue.
Andrew said he can’t wait to get back on the road after the EP is released.
“There’s nothing better than touring,” he said.
But he admits he is lucky to be making a living out of doing something that he loves so much.
“I never thought I’d be living this lifestyle. If I didn’t have music I’d probably be in a deadend job somewhere.
“I can have a bad day, but when I get up on stage everything just goes away, even if it’s just for the 40 minutes that I am playing.
“It’s the best feeling.”