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Band: Thee Swank Bastards
From: Las Vegas
Members: Jesse Del Quadro (guitar), Shaun Coleman (bass), John Holod (drums)
Genre: Surf / Punk / Soul
RIYL: Reverend Horton Heat, The Ventures, Dick Dale

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THEE SWANK BASTARDS
The desert oasis of Las Vegas isn’t the typical birthplace of supercharged surf rock, but Thee Swank Bastards are not your typical surf band. This land-locked playground may have Criss Angel, Celine Dion, acrobats, and the ghost of white-jumpsuit Elvis, but something it doesn’t have is waves.

Thee Swank Bastards perform instrumental surf rock with all the swag of Old Vegas, bringing waves of sound to the desert. These are surf rockers with a wide appeal. They’ve rocked crowds as far east as the CBGB festival in New York and as far south as the Savannah Zombie Walk in Georgia. They’ve hit the Huntington Pier in Orange County, landed at the Haight Street Fair in San Francisco and found themselves performing at the Farmageddon Records music fest in West Yellowstone. Through their legendary Tiki Oasis performances, they have also become a fixture in the California tiki scene, performing up and down the coast for the tiki bar circuit.

Over five hundred shows sit underneath their tuxedos, with openings for Link Wray, The Surfaris, The Lively Ones, Southern Culture on the Skids, The Phantom Surfers, The Ghastly Ones, Deadbolt, The Lords of Altamont, Big Sandy, Satan’s Pilgrims, The Killers and Jello Biafra & the Guantanamo School of Medicine to name a few.

An ensemble for over a decade, Thee Swank Bastards are entertainment experts with over four hours of surf rock at their disposal. They’ve released two full-length albums of original material, two live albums, and an album of Black Sabbath covers.

Coming from humble beginnings, Thee Swank Bastards always dress to impress in matching suits. With John Holod’s dynamic drum patterns, Shaun Coleman’s propulsive bass lines and Jesse Del Quadro’s serpentine guitar licks, the Bastards provide a source of surf unlike any other. No matter where you’re from, you’ll have a hard time resisting the allure of their high energy performances.

BUZZ
interview with Las Vegas Review-Journal
interview with Vegas Chatter
article in Las Vegas City Life
live review in Big Smile Magazine
show preview in Eastsider LA
Interview with Larryville Chronicles
Show review on Cleveland Rock & Roll
Weekly pick in Kansas City Star Back to Rockville music blog
Weekly pick on New York Waste
Show preview on Arts Vegas
Show preview in The Aquarian Weekly
Show preview in FlatHead Beacon
Show preview in Providence Daily Dose
Scenester pick in Larryville Chronicles
Show preview on GaragePunkNYC.com
Show preview on Tonight In RI
Show preview in Stowe Today
Show preview in The Ithaca Journal
“Getaway Car” featured on Faronheit

“If you think a surf trio doesn’t belong in Las Vegas, you’ve never experienced the foot stomping riffs and eye-popping personae of Thee Swank Bastards. The fervent live sets evoke the frenetic energy of sin city, while serpentine guitar, propulsive bass, and syncopated drum patterns distill old-school surf music with a modern twist that makes it melodic and memorable.” (Relight the Night/Kon Tiki Tucson)

“Thee Swank Bastards are…an extremely talented group who are known for wearing suits…and doing whole album versions of your favorite music in a surf style. I’ve heard them play a Black Sabbath set completely surfed out. As much as you may think you’d have to soften it up to make it happen, The Swank Bastards kept the songs true to their original themes and feel. In other words, the Sabbath songs retained their creepy, bite-the-head off of a bat feel. These guys are one of my favorite surf groups around because they prove that you don’t need to bubble gum-up your sound to play to a crowd. It might not be widely accepted to add that much grit to a surf song, but then again this isn’t pop music, and Thee Swank Bastards have definitely found that nice middle ground.” (EastsiderLA)

“You’re in for a surprise with Thee Swank Bastards — a soulful throwback greaser rockabilly blues hailing from Las Vegas.” (Omahype)

“Otto’s [Shrunken Head's] back room is tight, and the few tables and chairs were cumbersome — with…Jesse’s habit of jumping out to work the crowd like a conventioneer making a sale, every floor tile counted. Not that the crowd had a problem with this. Hardly; the band was on fire. Jesse’s 45-year-old red guitar was searing; John and Shaun were supple and stalwart — you’d be a crank to ask more from a rhythm section…One by one, the songs cut a swath.” – Michael T. Toole (Las Vegas City Life)

“Thee Swank Bastards… Now these guys mean business. I never heard a surf punk band live till now, and man I love it! They later told me that they don’t have a predetermined set list, which is admirable because they have the ability to play any of their songs without a hitch and without error…The live show was full of energy.” – Ridge Briel (MindEqualsBlown.net)

“one of the city’s best surf guitar bands.” (Vegas Chatter)

“like the Ventures, Jan and Dean, the surf music from the 60′s…they have something going for them that The Ventures didn’t…a great band, I highly recommend them.” – Bob Mandokini (Big Wheel Magazine)

BIO
Rumors and cynics be damned! No matter how jaded the workaday music fan might become, there is some fresh, inventive life on the circuit today. Our recommendation? Thee Swank Bastards – a surf band from Las Vegas whose fervent, insistent live sets can attract partygoers worth their weight in beer suds! Thee Bastards have been around ten years and have played venues ranging from small clubs to 2000-seat venues, from bar mitzvahs and weddings to citywide car and biker rallies to headlining at the Plaza Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The band’s music is varied – the one thing that strings it together is an adherance to the surf tone. The surf scene has always been full of verve and unpredictability, but Thee Swank Bastards can take you to another realm. They manage to take the period fetishism of old-school surf music and distill it with a modern twist that makes them vital and contemporary. Consider their distinctively retro look: mutton chops, narrow ties, black suits, countered with riveting instrumentals that combine danceable rhythms, Shaun Coleman’s propulsive bass lines, and Jesse Del Quadro’s serpentine guitar licks. It all creates a musical sensibility that is at once deft and daring. In the end, their suss and musical muscle speak for themselves. Thee Swank Bastards is the right kind of cocktail for a Friday night – that’s the skinny.

DISCOGRAPHY

2012 SUMMER TOUR DATES
June 18: Denver, CO – Quixote’s True Blue
June 19: Lincoln, NE – Zoo Bar
June 20: Chicago, IL – Cal’s Bar
June 21: Youngstown, OH – Cedar Lounge
June 22: Ithaca, NY – The Haunt
June 23: Lake George, NY – Luau on the Lake
June 24: Burlington, VT – Radio Bean
June 25: Portland, ME – Geno’s Rock Club
June 26: Boston, MA – Midway Cafe
June 27: Providence, RI – The Spot
June 28: Salisbury, MA – Surfside 5 Bar & Grill
June 29: Trenton, NJ – MillHill Basement
June 30: Reading, PA – Reverb
July 1: New York, NY – Otto’s Shrunken Head
July 3: Long Branch, NJ – Brighton Bar
July 6: Brooklyn, NY – Hank’s Saloon
July 7: New York, NY – Otto’s Shrunken Head
July 8: Cleveland, OH – Euclid Tavern
July 9: Detroit, MI – Corktown Tavern
July 10: Fort Wayne, IN – Yellow bird
July 11: St. Louis, MO – Gramophone
July 12: Kansas City, MO – Record Bar
July 13: Wichita, KS – Kirby’s Beer Store
July 14: Denver, CO – Bushwhacker’s
July 18: Las Vegas, NV – Double Down
July 20: West Yellowstone, MT – Farmageddon
July 21: Bigfork, MT – The Raven
July 24: Boise, ID – The Red Room
July 25: Las Vegas, NV – Griffin

CONTACT
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