Louden Swain. The name alone invokes memories of the ’80s classic Vision Quest, where the high schooler portrayed by Matthew Modine falls in love with Linda Florentino’s character while he tries to drop two weight classes to challenge the state champion from the rival Hoover High. Images of Madonna instantly come to mind with the heavy ballad, “Crazy for You,” as it turns into girls choice at the skating rink…that’s not the Louden Swain we are talking about.
The Los Angeles based rock band of the same name haven’t been around as long as the classic teen, coming of age film, but Louden Swain has the same drive and determination as Modine’s character to succeed, change directions all the while never losing site of their objective.
Consisting of members, lead singer and Rob Benedict (Waiting, Not Another Teen Movie, Supernatural), bassist Mike Borja, lead guitarist Billy Moran and drummer Stephen Norton,will be performing on May 11th, at Molly Malones in Los Angeles, CA.
Having sat with the indie rockers at the Loteria Grill, in Studio City, CA after meeting with them at the Supernatural Convention in Burbank, Louden Swain gave us incite into intertwined their lives are. So much so, that Norton made a $50 profit off Benedict, when the original Nintendo Wii hit the market and couldn’t get one for his kids.
“I didn’t like music school, it just wasn’t the environment for me. I went up to visit a buddy who was at Northwestern University, where Rob happened to be his roommate,” said Norton over jalapeno margaritas and fresh chips and salsa.
Moran, whose day job consists of most of the advertising billboards in Time Square, was a member of a band called, “Lost in Mayberry,” where he continuously ran into the band around the greater Los Angeles area, once leaving “Mayberry,” Moran called up Benedict, who were in search of a new guitarist and from there, Louden Swain’s current incarnation was fused tighter than the neck on a Fender bass.
“It’s family, the dynamic has worked out for 15 years. Billy gives the assured nod while Steve and I are the opinionated ones. Mike doesn’t say much, but this is a collaborative process with four guys who have four different lives that share the same creative process,” said Benedict, while Moran interjects, “I’m the great decider,” as the table erupts in laughter.
Originally formed around the same time as the ska punk band, “Save Ferris,” the film reference was just one that fit the ideology of the band. “We were sitting together, throwing names out and ‘Louden Swain,’ was brought up, we all looked at each other and got the reference,” said Benedict.
Their song, “Worlds Collide,” was featured on the hit show Supernatural, which has been renewed for an eighth season.
Benedict was set with Jenna Fisher (The Office, Hall Pass, Blades of Glory), for the film A Little Help, where Moran sent him a riff and through the power of technology wrote the title track to the film, “Help You,” that played over the credits.
“I was sitting in the room with my wife Michelle when I wrote the riff,” said Moran, while Norton continues, “We literally traded files and everything we did ended up getting used.” The song took two weeks to write, putting the band on a tight schedule.
The drive to make music has had its issues, as some major, life-changing events occurred, either while on tour or in the studio. Borja missed his first child’s birthday party, while Moran wasn’t there for his kid’s first trick-or-treating adventure. However, the absences of these special events are a part of being a successful touring band.
“We are beyond hoping in a van to go on the road and leaving our families for 6 weeks at a time,” said Norton, while Moran interjects, “But we still have a burning passion for what we do.”
Louden Swain will be performing at the following locations:
Friday, May 11, at Molly Malones, Los Angeles, CA
Saturday, June 16, at Bar Eleven, San Diego, CA
Friday, July 27, at The Red Line Tap, Chicago, Ill
Visit Lauden Swain at http://www.loudenswain.com/ follow Louden Swain @LoudenSwain1 Rob Benedict @RobBenedict Billy Moran @Billy_Moran Steven Norton @Innocuous_Flop and Mike Borja @BorjaBorja1