Swing-Kids
Swing Kids were a hardcore band from San Diego California during the mid 1990s. The band members were Eric Allen (of Unbroken), Jose Palafox (of Struggle and Bread and Circuits), John Brady (of Spanakorzo and Sweep The Leg Johnny), and frontman Justin Pearson, who would release their recordings on his own Three One G record label. They were closely involved with and heavily influenced by the forerunners of the San Diego hardcore punk scene of the 1990s.
Their music was characterized by Justin Pearson’s spoken/screamed vocals and their melodic/chaotic rhythms & song structures. Swing Kids were most obviously influenced by fellow San Diegan bands Antioch Arrow and Drive Like Jehu. On a broader scale, their music and lyrics were influenced by punk rock and post-punk.
Swing Kids carried the San Diego “art hardcore” movement past the initial wave of Gravity Records bands and through to the late 1990s, releasing a 7” EP and split 10” EP along the way. Despite their importance in a relatively small scene, Swing Kids’ impact both during their tenure and after their 1997 breakup was global thanks to many independent Zines and a US/European tour. The sound they pioneered inspired and can be heard in bands such as The Plot To Blow Up The Eiffel Tower, Refused, Orchid, Jerome’s Dream and many others.