Richard Swift

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Richard Swift

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American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer and short-film maker.
Born: March 16, 1977 in California, USA.
Died: July 3, 2018 in Tacoma, Washington, USA.
He was the founder, owner, and recording engineer of National Freedom, a recording studio located in Oregon, and has worked as producer for such acts as Nathaniel Rateliff & the Nightsweats, Cayucas, The Shins, Damien Jurado, The Mynabirds, Foxygen, Jessie Baylin and Laetitia Sadier of Stereolab.

"Most of my recording techniques come from looking at photos on the inside of Sly & The Family Stone or Beatles LPs, or from watching 'Sympathy for the Devil' and thinking, 'Oh! That's where they put the mic!'" – Richard Swift

Singer/songwriter Richard Swift's lo-fi, sepia-toned style harks back to the Tin Pan Alley age. Influenced by everyone from Bob Dylan to early-'70s dub acts like the Congos and Lee Perry, he has released six records of his own. A self-taught, natural musician, Swift is a multi-instrumentalist who will often play all the instruments on album’s he produces.

After albums released by Secretly Canadian Records and Polydor UK and the left field cult hit “Lady Luck”, Richard Swift was a semi-legend in the musical community. Beloved by other musicians for his natural skills and feel, his services have been in constantly high demand. When James Mercer fired the other members of The Shins, he called Swift to work with him and put together a band. Their collaboration has lasted 6 years. In addition, Swift was the first call when the Black Keys needed a bass player. After the Black Keys came off the road, Swift and Black Keys frontman Dan Auerbach continued working together, forming The Arcs with members of the Dap Kings and releasing their debut album on Warner Brothers Records in 2015.

Throughout this time, Swift has found time to nurture other artists and grow his production career. Developing a unique sound that is both modern and retro, Swift has become a first call producer for artists seeking to inject “vibe” in their albums. The best of the modern underground – Foxygen, Kevin Morby, Damien Jurado, Valerie June, Tennis and more – have come to Swift’s compound in the middle of Oregon to utilize his services. His production of Nathaniel Rateliff and the Nightsweats was a breakthrough moment for him as a producer. The album was a sensation, going gold and generating the hit single “Son of a Bitch”.

"What you can control are knobs, faders, and being a nice person." –Richard Swift

Data provided by Discogs

Top Tracks

Most popular songs on Last.fm · click ▶ to preview on Spotify

1

Broken Finger Blues

Richard Swift

2

Lady Luck

Richard Swift

3

The Bully

Richard Swift

4

Dressed Up For The Letdown

Richard Swift

5

The Atlantic Ocean

Richard Swift

Tour Dates

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Setlists

20 live performances · data from Setlist.fm

All · 20
2010
2009
2008
2007

Setlist data provided by Setlist.fm

September 27, 2010

The Arches

Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom


September 24, 2010

Plaça del Rei

Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain


June 25, 2009

Nikon at Jones Beach Theater

Wantagh, New York, United States


May 7, 2009

Underground

Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany


May 5, 2009

Monto Water Rats

London, England, United Kingdom

Missing a show? Setlists sync automatically every 7 days.

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Richard Swift has released 4 albums between 2006 and 2020. Notable releases include Even Your Drums Will Die - Live At Pendarvis Farm 2011, The Hex, The Atlantic Ocean. Explore their complete discography on this page.

Richard Swift's most-played tracks include Broken Finger Blues, Lady Luck, The Bully, Dressed Up For The Letdown, The Atlantic Ocean. Listen to these songs and explore more from their catalog on this page.

American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer and short-film maker.Born: March 16, 1977 in California, USA.Died: July 3, 2018 in Tacoma, Washington, USA.He was the founder, owner, and recording engineer of National Freedom, a recording... Read the full biography on this page.

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