Quindi Records presents Ellis Swan & Dead Bandit live in London in occasion of the release of ‘3am’ and ‘From The Basement’ on the label.

 Ellis Swan is Chicago-based folk-noir musician with a talent for the antique. Originally from Canada, he’s started emerging from the woodwork of Chicago DIY folk. No label, no studios, just a guy recording himself and sharing online. For being a somewhat lo-fi home project, the sonic richness of his tracks is an impressive feat. From the acoustic guitars to occasional industrial-sounding percussion, each tone is subtle and well thought out. Clues to his identity are scarce; his songs recall a burdened traveler, resting in an old dive bar, drinking off the edge of a long, weathering journey. Someone who after a few pours of whiskey would open up with a canon of unforgettable stories. Swan’s songs have patient movement: bass lines that crawl around in circles and fractured washes of texture. His weary, almost exhausted-sounding voice scrapes out a listener’s soul. Not Tom Waits muddy, though we could imagine a mutual appreciation. Waning memories from growing up in a rural town also pervade the songs from his latest album 3am. Horses bones and pine cones, the reservoir, bad acid, and a dead man’s shack filled with rusted tin cans. Developing tinnitus at an early age resulted in Swan developing a recording process which relies heavily on layering and static, influenced by the likes of Sleepy John Estes, Mark Sandman, Chrome, Geeshie Wiley, PiL and Earl Sweatshirt. With his long-time collaborator, James Schimpl, Swan is one half of the duo Dead Bandit, whose album ‘From the Basement’ was released on Quindi in 2021.His music has been played and supported on BBC Global Beats and NTS