So first off, how have you guys been and how was your most recent tour?

Been great and busy as can be.  The recent west coast tour was really fun.  We went into Utah and played a few shows there which is always amazing.  At first it surprised us too.  Getting told you are playing at a dry bar makes one think it is going to be a tame atmosphere but its anything but.  Its filled with young folk and older music lovers getting hopped up on sugar and super into the music.  Its really enthralling actually to see such a pure form of audience participation.  Kinda takes ya back to being 16 and going to shows.  This trip to Utah was special too because Riley Blakeway came with us to shoot a music video.  Basically we were waking up at dawn and shooting all day in the red canyon deserts and then playing shows at night.  We had a few days to recover from that and headed up to San Francisco which was super fun.  Made our way down to Santa Cruz and I romanticized about being in the city they shot The Lost Boys the whole time so I loved that.

Let’s get some background and start simple, where are you from and where do you currently reside?

We are from the east coast of Florida.  We moved to downtown LA about 10 months ago.

How did you first get into music and how did you continue to develop this passion?

I first got into music from this older couple that surfed at the same beach I grew up surfing.  They would have little jam sessions at their place after surfing.  They would teach me the chords and I would try and just play along.  Then one of the other older guys we played with gave me his old guitar (which had a mini bag of weed that was like 20 years old in the case and I was pretty much hooked from that point on.  (on music.. not weed.  Weed is tight.  weed is tight though.)

Moreover, I feel like every time I see you there seems to be something a bit different about your band and the music you are creating. What inspiration has aided in the direction that you are moving towards at this point of SWIMM?

Thats nice to hear. We strive to keep evolving and make every live show a fun experience for everyone involved.  We're lucky enough to have a lot of amazing friends and family that always seem to be creating. That seems to be our biggest inspiration. 

What has been your favorite style/genre of music to work with?

Lately I've been having fun learning different styles of brazilian percussion/drumming and incorporating it into our songs. Chris has been getting into funk style bass lines which you'll hear in the new album. 

Who have been your greatest influences in music? Why?

As I mentioned before Chris and I have some really talented friends. They've all influenced and inspired me to work harder at becoming a better musician. I've also been playing music with one of my favorite musicians for the past 6 years, its safe to say he has been my biggest influence. 

Alright, let’s change it up a bit. We know you guys ultimately come from the beach, enjoy time in the ocean, and have been known to throw down some turns in the water. How is your approach to surfing the same or different than it is to music? Please explain.

Adam - For me surfing is a time to relax, clear my mind and sort of re-energize. So needless to say I don't catch many waves when I surf trestles as I'm the least aggressive person in the water. Playing music isn't necessarily relaxing but I do try to have a clear head, and while I'm using a lot of energy I'm usually getting just as much back from the crowd. 

Who have been your greatest influences in the ocean?

I've always liked Taj Burrow's style. 

Where has been your favorite place to enjoy a nice beach day with friends and waves?

The waves aren't any good but we've been having some pretty fun beach days in Laguna lately. 

Switching back, what projects are you working on now that you can possibly spill some beans on?

We just finished our debut album which we're planning to start releasing soon. Other then that just working on music videos. 

What travels are in store for you in the near future?

We'll be hanging around LA for the next couple months working on getting everything wrapped up with our album release. 

And finally, I shall leave you with one last question to ponder and take from it what you will, what does shade mean to you and how has it played in to your life/work?

We grew up in Florida so shade was a necessity, without it summers would have been a lot more unbearable. 

Thanks guys! Listen to songs from their latest album here