Patrick Sweany on Myspace
Patrick Sweany likes the spaces in between. On a given night (or on a given album) 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. Book Binder also turned his longtime friend *Jorma Kaukonen* on to Patrick's music, landing Pat a perennial slot at the legendary *Fur Peace Ranch* alongside guitarists like *GE Smith, Marjorie Thompson, Bill Kirchen* and *Bob Margolin*. 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 new CD */Every Hour Is A Dollar Gone/* (June 2007) is the perfect snapshot of Patrick's evolution. Produced by longtime friend and collaborator *Dan Auerbach* of The *Black Keys*, the songs hint at the blues-influenced rock of the 70s ("After Awhile," "Them Shoes"), soul and gospel ("From Orange To Pink," "Two Or Three"), and even ragtime ("Mom & Dad"), 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.
