Introducing: Sword + Sandals on Empty Cellar


John Dwyer
traps.flute.bass string

Randy Lee Sutherland
alto.bass clarinet.traps

Shaun O’Dell
tenor.alto.keys

Sword and Sandals emerged through the vision of founders John Dwyer and Randy Lee Sutherland. Within the intense interplay of Dwyer’s blurred wrists and strobe-like fills caressing the cry of Sutherland’s horn, the possessed pair incorporated second horn Shaun O’Dell and initiated a trail composed of both conjured soundscapes of euphoric beauty and signifying shrieks of postmodern existence (thus far). As an improvisational trio—with guests sitting in occasionally—Sword and Sandals provide an existential outlet for those seeking connections beyond peripherally materialist arrangements and toward closer, more cerebral intimacies. Their sound envisions the metaphor of their Ben Hur-esque name: while wearing sandals into combat enables a graceful interplay with one’s adversaries, the sword (let alone the opponents) remains razor sharp, reminding the participant of the thin line between achieving transcendence and triumph and the brutal reality of second guessed timing, and unfocused adherence or intent as one waltzes through moments and situations—improvising for survival and renewal. Trust forms the blue print for Sword and Sandals, sealing their execution, empathy, and a progressive existence within the interplay of their music. As economist Jacque Attali once noted, music is, “by its very presence, a mode of communication between man and his environment, a mode of social expression, and duration itself. It is therapeutic, purifying, enveloping, liberation; it is rooted in a comprehensive conception of knowledge about the body, in a pursuit of exorcism through noise and dance.”

Empty Cellar’s upcoming release for Sword + Sandals stemmed from one all-day 16-microphone recording session, with Anthony Petrovic sitting in on synth, captured on 1-inch tape.

Coming September 28th:
Sword + SandalsSword + Sandals

SWORD + SANDALS – GOOD & PLENTY


No Comments so far

Leave a comment
e-mail address never displayed, HTML allowed: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>