News

Next up: Beer and Banjos on August 28

If you haven't discovered this Tuesday night tradition at The Raleigh Times Bar, what are you waiting for?! Music starts at 7:30 with the Beer and Banjos All Stars, followed by Swift Creek with a bunch of new tunes!

We're pumped about playing at The Blue Note Grill, one of Durham's most popular venues, on Sunday, April 22! The show is 5-7 PM, and we heartily endorse the food (BBQ included!). Top off your weekend with "Dinner and a Show!" The Blue Note Grill was voted INDY Week Best of the Triangle 2017: Best Place to hear Blues (winner) and Best Place to hear Bluegrass (finalist)!

Swift Creek is proud to be included in the impressive Spring lineup for the Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance. Come hear us at 4:30 PM on Saturday, May 5!

See our Shows page for details, and stay tuned for more show announcements!

********************************************************************************

We're approaching Swift Creek's 8th anniversary playing music together! Been a while since we recorded this one written by Kevin Brown of the band, but we still love playing the title track from our first CD.

It's that time of the year! Here's our contribution to spooky Halloween music, written by Kevin Brown and recorded by Swift Creek at The Rubber Room in Chapel Hill, NC.

Swift Creek Shows at IBMA's World of Bluegrass 2017

The Railsplitters

Jeff Scroggins and Colorado

Karen Smedley

The Special Consensus

IBMA's World of Bluegrass, which drew almost 200,000 fans last year, will return in September! Swift Creek is pleased to announce two shows during the Festival!

Swift Creek will host an official Late Night Showcase at the Raleigh City Center Marriott (Congressional Room) on Tuesday, September 26 from 10PM until 2AM, with Swift Creek playing at 11PM, with special guest, Karen Smedley. We are thrilled to announce the complete lineup for the evening!!

The Special Consensus, a highly popular and widely acclaimed Bluegrass band based in Chicago kicks off the showcase at 10PM. According to Bluegrass Unlimited, Special C provides "…one rewarding listening experience…the band plays and sings with precision and acuity…the vocal prowess of this band is highly remarkable…The blend of material, new and old, is top shelf."

Swift Creek plays at 11PM, with special guest Karen Smedley. Karen has been singing and playing since childhood and currently performs with her band, Three Jack Jenny. A seasoned performer, she combines her country sensibilities with the bluegrass sound she fell in love with years ago. Her voice conveys heartbreak and sadness, but never fragility; her brand of hard-driving bluegrass is reminiscent of the great female country vocalists, with arrangements that make it all her own.

The fabulous Railsplitters from Boulder, Colorado will take the stage at Midnight. Here's what Bluegrass Today has to say about this dynamic group: "What do you do when a group has such an original sound that it’s truly difficult to find a valid point of comparison? In the case of The Railsplitters, you praise them to the skies, because this young quintet from Colorado has developed a sound that manages to be both startlingly original and very exciting to listen to."

At 1AM, Jeff Scroggins and Colorado will close out the evening with their eclectic "Bluegrass Explosion" that has delighted audiences all over the world. "Jeff Scroggins and Colorado have a wonderful emotional intensity that immediately grabs the listener. Though well rooted in tradition, they stretch the boundaries without taking them to the breaking point....Taste and technical brilliance abound. Vocals are smooth and inviting and arrangements are inventive. Give these guys a listen and you’ll be amply rewarded with their rich musical tapestry.." (Psychograss)

************************************

Local Grass Bluegrass Ramble

On Thursday, September 28, Swift Creek will join 19 other bands for the Local Grass Bluegrass Ramble to be staged at 5 downtown Raleigh venues (Kings, Architect Bar, Lincoln Theater, Longview Church and The Pour House.) Shows will run from 7PM until 11PM, with a new band on the hour at each location. Swift Creek, with Special Guest, Karen Smedley, will appear at Kings at 9PM. For the complete Local Grass schedule for Thursday evening, go to World of Bluegrass-Bluegrass Ramble Schedule.

Merlefest is over. We enjoyed four days of nonstop music by amazing artists, established and new. Swift Creek played in the Merlefest Band Competition on Saturday. We didn't win, but we did get to hobnob with the stars....see above!

Tour de Piedmont!

*North87South, Graham, NC-Saturday, May 20

*Poyner Place Music Series, Raleigh, NC-Friday, June 23

*Southern Village, Music on the Green, Chapel Hill, NC-Sunday, July 23

*Bynum Front Porch Music Series, Bynum, NC-Friday, August 4

*Beer and Banjos, Raleigh Times Bar, Raleigh NC-Tuesday, August 15

Details HERE!

Swift Creek to play at Merlefest 2017

Swift Creek is extremely pleased to be included in the band lineup for Merlefest 2017. Merlefest is one of the largest and most popular "Roots" music festivals in the world, with attendance of 74,500 last year.

The festival will be held on the campus of Wilkes Community College in North Wilkesboro from Thursday, April 27 through Sunday, April 30. Headliners include The Zac Brown Band, The Avett Brothers, James Taylor, Jerry Douglas and many more amazing artists. You can still purchase tickets online now!

Swift Creek will play in the official Merlefest Band Competition on Saturday, April 29 at 3PM on the Plaza Stage. Come cheer us on!!! The icing on the cake is an article by Lisa Snedeker at The Huffington Post, mentioning Swift Creek as one of her favorite bands in the Merlefest lineup.

"Magnolia" in the Press and on Radio!

We're very grateful for the positive reception for our recently-released album, "Magnolia!" Radio stations are playing tracks from the CD, including both local stations and some very far afield. In addition, take a look at some nice R EVIEWS online and in print publications. Again....THANKS y'all !!

Swift Creek assists Raleigh PD with "Running Man"

We joined The Carolina Ballet, Mayor Nancy McFarlane, Rev. Nancy Petty and many others to make Raleigh PDs "Running Man" project a success, with 24K views and counting!! Watch for us about midway through. Kudos to RPD for this catchy and often hilarious tribute to community policing!

Hot off the press...and TV!!

Kevin Brown, Swift Creek's singer/songwriter and guitarist was featured in an interview on the FRONT PAGE of The Raleigh News and Observer. (Also the back page of the first section, but who's counting.) Thanks to David Menconi, music critic for the N&O, for telling the story of how "Bluegrass Hurricane" came to be. Read the full story HERE.

AND..WNCN-TV, local CBS affiliate did a segment about Swift Creek to kick of "Bluegrass Week!" Watch HERE. Thanks to Beairshelle Edme for the story!

FINALLY, News and Observer photographer Chris Seward made the coolest video using time-lapse photos (5000 of them!) and he chose "Bluegrass Hurricane" as the soundtrack. Take a look HERE.

Swift Creek Announces World of Bluegrass Shows

We'll be downtown at the gigantic IBMA World of Bluegrass festival on Wednesday, September 28 with two shows that evening. First, you can catch us at Raleigh Brewing Company's Showcase with Hank, Pattie and The Current, (Official Showcase Artist) JenniLyn Gardner and Fireside Collective. We'll go on at 10PM at the Raleigh City Center Marriott in the Congressional Room.

For our second show on Wednesday, September 28, we're proud to be a part of The Bluegrass Ramble. The Ramble features 200 showcase performances over 3 nights at venues all over downtown Raleigh. Swift Creek will play at The Pour House at Midnight, followed by Bluegrass favorite, Special Consensus. We'll have a complete lineup for you when announced. Get your tickets for all World of Bluegrass events, including The Bluegrass Ramble HERE....they go fast!

Our final World of Bluegrass week show will be a fabulous FREE LateNight Afterparty sponsored by Foothills Brewing Co. on Friday, September 30 at Kings, one of our favorite venues downtown just a couple of blocks away from Red Hat Amphitheatre, where The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band will be headlining Friday's lineup for WOB. As the last notes ring out (Mr. Bojangles? Fishin' in the Dark?) head on over to Kings at 14 W. Martin St. where one of our favorite new bands, Hank, Pattie and the Current will help us keep the music going!! Show starts at 10PM. FOR DETAILS ON ALL OUR PERFORMANCES, CHECK OUT OUR SHOWS PAGE ON THIS SITE.

Podcast-Interview with Kevin Brown

Listen to a podcast of a radio interview with Kevin Brown, Swift Creek's songwriter, vocalist and guitarist on Radio Rockingham (WLOE, WMYN). Thanks to Mike Moore, host of "Celebrate NC!" The segment also features several of the songs Kevin wrote for our recently released CD, "Magnolia."

Where to Purchase Our Music

We're excited! Our second album, "Magnolia," is now available for purchase and download from many outlets including cd baby and iTunes.

"Magnolia" includes original songs by Kevin Brown, guitarist and vocalist for Swift Creek and a founder of the band, formed six years ago. From tender ballads ("Afterglow," "Broken Bird," and "The Levee) to rousing Bluegrass tunes ("Wake Me Up To Drive" and "Bluegrass Hurricane") this CD features some of Kevin's best work to date. There's even a parody ("Life in the Slow Lane") which has become an instant audience favorite. You can stream some of the new songs right from our website...Stream Magnolia.

We hope you'll like "Magnolia," and we also hope to see you at one of our live Shows soon!

Interview with Kevin Brown in VENTS magazine

VENTS magazine just published a great interview with Swift Creek's Kevin Brown, in which Kevin talks about his songwriting, the band and our new CD, "Magnolia." Enjoy! Read the interview now.

Tuesday, February 9-Beer and Banjos at its new location, The Raleigh Times Bar, Raleigh, NC

Saturday, February 13-House Concert at Heathwood House, Raleigh, NC. Contact us for tickets and information.

Saturday, February 27-North87South in Graham, NC

Check our "Shows" page or Facebook for all the details

Save the Date! CD Release Show and Party on April 9

Swift Creek's second CD, "Magnolia," is complete, and we want you to celebrate with us on Saturday, April 9! The festivities will be at King's in Downtown Raleigh, a venue we played (and loved) during last year's World of Bluegrass. All ages are welcome to this seated show. Tickets are just $8, available by clicking HERE. Doors open at 7:30 with the show starting at 8PM....and you can expect a few surprises! We're excited...come help us celebrate!!

"Magnolia" is ready!

Swift Creek has just completed our second album, "Magnolia," featuring original songs by Kevin Brown, guitarist and vocalist for Swift Creek. We're excited about showcasing some of Kevin's newest and best material, and we can't wait for you to hear this CD when it's released on April 8!

We recorded the 12 tracks on "Magnolia" at The Rubber Room in Chapel Hill with acclaimed music producer and musician, Jerry Brown. Read on for news about our CD Release Show and Party on April 9! In the meantime, here we are in the studio doing one of our favorites from the album, "Rattle Them Bones."

We played our first "House Concert" at Heathwood House in Februrary. What an awesome concept...playing music in a beautiful home to an attentive and appreciative audience!

Swift Creek Welcomes Stephen Fraleigh

Swift Creek is very pleased to announce a new addition to the band. Stephen Fraleigh has joined us on fiddle, banjo and vocals, and we couldn't be happier!

Stephen holds the distinction of winning the Champion Bluegrass Fiddler honor at the Galax Old Time Fiddlers' Convention in Virginia not once, but twice. His most recent win was in 2013. Originally from Ohio, Stephen has been a presence on Triangle stages for many years as a member of several bands and has been a session player on more albums than we can mention. He also plays a mean banjo and will be helping us out on both lead and harmony vocals.

We bid a fond farewell to Ashley Kovacs, a fine fiddler, who is leaving us to devote more time to being a Mom and working as strings instructor at Cardinal Gibbons High School.

Pour House Show with The Gravy Boys and Nasty Habits!

Join us for a "Triple Play" at The Pour House in downtown Raleigh on Friday, November 13! Nasty Habits, will kick it off at 8:30 with their great outlaw country and honky tonk sound, followed by Swift Creek at 9:30. The fabulous Gravy Boys will take the stage at 10:30 with their very unique brand of passionate vocal and instrumental showmanship. Y'all don't want to miss this one. Get your tickets now!

Coming up for Swift Creek....

IBMA's World of Bluegrass 2015 is over. Thanks to the many folks who worked around the clock to bring the Festival inside, making it a huge success despite weather and space challenges. What a week! We played three shows and heard amazing musicians and bands from around the world. Can't wait 'til next year!

More Fall Shows!! On Saturday, October 24 we are proud to support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Light the Night Walk in Durham with a show following a short walk in Rock Quarry Park. This nationwide event has been very successful in raising both funds and awareness, so sign up for one of teams listed on the website or form your own team!

Then on Friday, October 30, a very special show and our first one at Mac's Tavern in Cary. We love Cary...heck, three of us live or work there! Mac's is a favorite neighborhood tavern/restaurant in central Cary which has featured local and regional bands for many years. If you haven't discovered them yet, now's the time!

World of Bluegrass, Sept. 29-Oct. 3

The excitement is building! Starting this week, Raleigh and the Triangle become the center of the Bluegrass Universe for the third straight year.

The International Bluegrass Music Association's (IBMA) World of Bluegrass will take over downtown Raleigh from September 29-October 3, with both ticketed and free events. Swift Creek will open The Bluegrass Ramble on Wednesday, September 30 at 6PM at Tir Na Nog, an official Bluegrass Ramble venues, and the only venue where you can enjoy delicious food and craft beer! Following us, these seven amazing bands play hourly beginning at 7PM: Blue Mafia, Steve Gulley and New Pinnacle, Donna Hughes, The Missy Werner Band, Wood and Wire, The Railsplitters, and Jim Hurst. For the complete schedule for all events go to World of Bluegrass official schedule.

Swift Creek will also be a featured band for Bluegrass After Hours, an IBMA and Downtown Raleigh Alliance sponsored event in selected downtown clubs. We'll play a free show at about 11:30 on Friday, October 2 at King's Barcade immediately following the Alison Krauss and Union Station show at Red Hat Amphitheatre. Get your tickets to the Bluegrass Ramble and other World of Bluegrass events now!

*****A big "Thank You" to Mike Krogh for our new photo above, taken at the Hillsborough Street Live and Local Bluegrass Festival on September 27! Check out Mike's amazing photography at OneFinePhoto.com.