Pittsburgh rockers Jack Swing joined us on Friday, Jan. 24 for a Live & Direct Session. Led by Isaiah Ross, the band released their new album "Like Water" recently!
Interviewer: Joey Spehar
Engineers: Tom Hurley, Thomas Cipollone
Set list: Daydreams
Like Water
Make it Tonight
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity:
Joey Spehar: We are Live and Direct this afternoon. We’ve got the Pittsburgh band Jack Swing here in the studio. Their new album Like Water came out at midnight. They were kind enough to join us this afternoon, but that's not all. We have a room full of WYEP members here. So, what does it mean for you to be “Like Water?”
Isaiah Ross: So I guess, for one, just kind of as a reference, Bruce Lee in general has always been somebody very high up for, especially me and Rowdy [Kanarek], just kind of with things that we take from somebody as far as how they want to put, you know, put energy into the world. So that was always, since we were very young, something that we kind of wanted to emulate. With “Like Water,” specifically, kind of referring to that stillness, confidence, and calm, despite the chaos around you. You know what I mean? And kind of really leaning into that theme for this album.
Spehar: That's interesting. I guess when I think about it, I think about it being like you got to be fluid. You got to like you can't just sit there.
Ross: You got to be able to roll with the punches, you know, from like a space of stillness and calmness and that kind of energy.
Spehar: Yeah, it fits your music very well. And I mean, this new album, I’ve listened to it a couple of times since it came out this morning, and it’s just incredible. So, what is the writing process like for this band? Is it like you come to the band with a song? Is it everybody just kicking around ideas, or does it all start with the riff?
Ross: Yeah, it really kind of just depends on the situation. And it's really grown over the years. So with that album, we actually wrote it during the pandemic. So we lived together during that time. So there was a lot of just us together, hanging out, kind of just choosing various projects to put our energy into. So it kind of felt like a good time to be working on something like that, because we fortunately did live together for the pandemic. At that point, I was like writing a lot more of the stuff. Since then, we’ve become a lot more collaborative, Rowdy also sings some of the songs now and stuff like that. So it's really expanded and changed over the years. So it's definitely a little bit now, different than it was when we made this album.
Spehar: So I think when people hear this music, like if you were forced to describe it, the easy answer is rock and roll. But I think that the closer you listen, for the very attentive listener, there’s a lot more going on in there.
Ross: Yeah, absolutely. And we would hope so. With this album, I really wanted it to feel like a rock and roll record. There was something in me that kind of needed that — satisfied with like this feeling of a big rock and roll record. But there’s so many other kinds of music that we love, that we listen to all the time, like hip hop, funk, and soul, and all that stuff, that we can’t help but involve in the music, even if we kind of wanted rock and roll to be like the leading kind of force of nature with this album.
Spehar: Yeah, I mean, you can’t deny what's inside of you, but are you ever surprised at what comes out of you? Or is it more of like, yeah, I know, like I know that I’m capable of doing this?
Ross: It's more just like, I don't know, being excited to explore everything that could happen, you know? And I think that we've gotten better at having an idea that we’re really excited about and really kind of seeing it through to fruition. And I’m trying to let it be the best version of itself, which is something that we kind of really focus on now.
Spehar: But yeah, well, we’ve been playing the title track for a few weeks now, Like Water. It’s got this incredible groove on it. And I know you guys are about to play a very special version of that song for us, but give us a little insight. Where did that song come from? What does it mean to this band?
Ross: Yeah, for sure. I feel like Like Water to me kind of is like the thesis of the album, with it being the title track. It's kind of the embodiment of that kind of peace that I’m talking about—kind of like that powerful peace within chaos around you. And like taking moments to really focus on the people that you love and finding good in the world, even when it seems like there's not too much of that around you. Yeah, so that’s kind of what it's about.
Spehar: Yeah, and music is a great way to bring us all together. And this group is fronted by Isaiah Ross. Isaiah, would you take a moment to introduce the rest of the band?
Ross: Oh, so on bass, we’ve got Rowdy, Rowdy Kanarek, everybody. On keys, we’ve got Isaiah Small. And on drums, we’ve got Alex Nelson. And I'm Isaiah Ross.
Spehar: And it’s so fun to watch you guys. I think that some people in bands play their instruments. I feel like watching you, it’s like an extension of who you are. And Isaiah, in particular, can you talk about the importance of having a good stank face when you're up on stage? Because yours is honestly one of the best I’ve ever seen.
Ross: That means a lot, Joey. Thank you. I appreciate it.
Spehar: It’s just incredible. So, as I said, sorry, just a little bit mesmerized still. But as I said, this is a Pittsburgh band. And I’m curious to know how you feel about being a musician in Pittsburgh. Do you feel like this is a place where a band can grow and thrive? Do you feel supported here?
Ross: I feel like there’s a lot of really incredible music in Pittsburgh. I think it’s sad that a lot of times you have incredible artists who feel like they have to leave because they don’t feel like there’s an infrastructure to kind of make it as a musician as far as finances and that kind of stuff. And it’s weird because I feel like a lot of the support is there, but it doesn’t really translate to artist success without leaving Pittsburgh a lot. But being from here and us all being from here, us being a Pittsburgh band, is something that I definitely take a lot of pride in and hold very dearly to my heart.
Spehar: Yeah, a little bit. I hear it. And there’s more Pittsburgh people involved in making this record as well. I found out that the album art, which is incredible, was done by Matt Vituccio from Sleeping Witch and Saturn and Brightside before that. I didn’t even know that he did that kind of thing.
Ross: Yeah, that’s actually his main thing. So I went to CAPA and Matt was actually an art major who was about five years older than me. And I’ve always been a huge fan of all of his projects. We consider Sleeping Witch almost a sister band, considering that Rowdy and Nelson are also in Sleeping Witch and Saturn. So that’s a band that’s very close to us and we've known them for a long time. So anytime that we have the chance to work with him in particular, artistically, I get very excited.
Spehar: Yeah, I think that you guys have always had a very cool visual aesthetic to your band. Is that something that is important to you? Do you feel like it’s important to have that look?
Ross: I think it's like, it’s important to feel good. I think that there are different occasions that call for different ways of dressing and that kind of thing. I think that social media and caring a lot about that is something that we’re not super stoked on. If it was up to us, I think we really would just lean into the creativity of it. But unfortunately, that’s just not the name of the game right now. So we do have to care a little bit just about doing some of that stuff. But yeah, mixed bag there for sure.
Spehar: Well, I love the video for “Like Water.” I definitely got lost in that a little bit. If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s very surreal. The band are in a car and they’re in the water and they’re out of space at some point.
Ross: Yeah, we’re all over.
Spehar: How did that all come together?
Ross: So me and my buddy Matt, other Matt Williams, he is also on Brightside, the other Matt from Brightside. We were just kind of discussing ideas one night. And the idea just came where he’s like, I want to see you driving a car in water, you know? And I’m like, that sounds great. That sounds awesome. How are we going to do it? You know, smash cut to a year and a half later when we’re actually doing it and he’s editing it, pulling his hair out like mad at me. I’m like, it was kind of your idea, but yeah.
Spehar: It takes a village. That’s for sure.
Ross: Absolutely.
Spehar: Well, we are Live and Direct today with Jack Swing. This is a Pittsburgh band. So celebrate them any way you can. They have a release show coming up on Feb. 21 at Spirit playing along with Natural Rat and Melt. As we keep saying, this new album “Like Water” is out today. So be sure to carve out some time and really soak it in because it really is an awesome listen.
Ross: Thank you so much.