Tumblr (3.0; @theswellers)http://theswellers.com/<img src="http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz5ivnpUMJ1qa3ovro1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><strong>Swellers Secret Spots: Beehive Cafe / Pittsburgh, PA</strong></p> <p>Our friend Evan (Into It. Over It.) showed us this spot and it made our touring in Pittsburgh experience infinitely better. You walk in and hear punk rock music, see tattooed mid to late twenties punk or hardcore enthusiasts working behind the counter and it feels like home.</p> <p>I ordered the thai peanut tofu sandwich, barley soup and a delicious iced mocha. The place doubles as a place for delicious coffee do I felt with my new found interest I should indulge.</p> <p>The sandwich was misleadingly filling although it looks like a smaller serving at first glance. Cooked just right and anything Thai related adds perfection to food. The soup was the first time I willingly tried barley and I loved it, perfect addition to the sandwich. I did the fat guy thing and dipped my sandwich in the soup mmmmmmm. Iced mocha was great too and didn’t get gross after the 2nd half which I learned happens often.</p> <p>Everyone else enjoyed their food and it was the perfect, healthy, amount of full. Also stop by to see Roger from White Wives working there and give him a huge tip!</p> <p>Swellers rate this place: affordable, perfect pre-show meal and great atmosphere.</p> <p>Jono</p>http://theswellers.com/post/17374104932http://theswellers.com/post/17374104932Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:00:05 -0500jono dienerthe swellersfueled by ramen<span id="video_player_17302771470">[<a href="http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash" target="_blank">Flash 10</a> is required to watch video.]</span><script type="text/javascript">renderVideo("video_player_17302771470",'http://theswellers.com/video_file/17302771470/tumblr_lz3vtvNPAD1qehwm7',400,225,'poster=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_lz3vtvNPAD1qehwm7_frame1.jpg,http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_lz3vtvNPAD1qehwm7_frame2.jpg,http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_lz3vtvNPAD1qehwm7_frame3.jpg,http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_lz3vtvNPAD1qehwm7_frame4.jpg,http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_lz3vtvNPAD1qehwm7_frame5.jpg')</script><br/><br/><p>On stage proposal during our set tonight!!! Congrats Chris and Alesia!!!</p> <p>This. Is. So. Cool.</p>http://theswellers.com/post/17302771470http://theswellers.com/post/17302771470Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:48:00 -0500the swellersfueled by ramen<img src="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz1ss1zUtS1qa3ovro1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><strong>Swellers Secret Spots: Green / San Antonio, TX</strong></p> <p>A few tours ago we were brought around the corner from the venue The White Rabbit to a restaurant simply named, Green. Nick is vegan and I’m vegetarian so while everyone goes off to eat fast food or generic stuff we try to find the best healthy (or non meat as plentiful) spots.</p> <p>You walk into a cool Tex-Mex decorated restaurant with amazing smells and a friendly staff. We were seated and the menu was so great it was hard to pick one item. We always order a buffalo wing appetizer and I usually ask what I call “The American Question” which is, “which thing is the biggest?”. Servers usually hate it, but I like being smart with my money. Nick ordered the chicken fried steak, Dan our guitar tech ordered the Reuben an I got the “Neatloaf” aka vegan meatloaf. Soul food is something very hard to find but damn it’s good when you get it.</p> <p>Nick and I’s meals were humongous. I remember the meatloaf being a small portion but this filled the whole plate like a slab of ribs. The sauces were incredible, mashed potatoes were just like my Mom makes and the kale was spot on. I didn’t even know what kale was until a few months ago and I fell in love. Super good for you and tasty. Darker greens are always the best! We destroyed the the wings and our meals until our hands were shaking holding the forks and we couldn’t eat anymore. The server asked if we were ready for dessert and we just laughed.</p> <p>We rate Green: incredibly awesome, affordable, and delicious.</p> <p>Jono</p>http://theswellers.com/post/17235564342http://theswellers.com/post/17235564342Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:16:48 -0500the swellersfueled by ramenjono diener<img src="http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyy8ey39ux1qa3ovro1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Superbowl in New Orleans party with The Swellers, We Are The Ocean and You Me At Six.</p>http://theswellers.com/post/17130651046http://theswellers.com/post/17130651046Sun, 05 Feb 2012 21:04:00 -0500the swellersfueled by ramenwe are the oceanyou me at six<img src="http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyss6v22vH1qa3ovro1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Swellers Socks! Should we make these?</p>http://theswellers.com/post/16957554842http://theswellers.com/post/16957554842Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:25:00 -0500the swellersfueled by ramen<img src="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyq4y6u2qp1qa3ovro1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>NEW SHOW! See you soon Omaha!</p>http://theswellers.com/post/16868895269http://theswellers.com/post/16868895269Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:08:30 -0500<img src="http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyoqm4OFaU1qzuru0o1_500.png"/><br/><br/><p>Acoustic Valentine’s Day pre show!</p>http://theswellers.com/post/16853663268http://theswellers.com/post/16853663268Wed, 01 Feb 2012 01:05:00 -0500atticus clothingyou me at sixthe swellersfueled by ramentwin atlanticwe are the ocean<img src="http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lymog6z17Y1qa3ovro1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Seeing the third SJC warehouse crew!</p>http://theswellers.com/post/16773438903http://theswellers.com/post/16773438903Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:19:00 -0500the swellersfueled by ramensjc drums<img src="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyiv5x3t6t1qa3ovro1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Pittsburgh Black And Yellow Black And Yellow merch</p>http://theswellers.com/post/16646841771http://theswellers.com/post/16646841771Sat, 28 Jan 2012 13:53:00 -0500the swellersfueled by ramenblack and yellow<img src="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lybu9ooEgQ1qa3ovro1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Merch including 3 new shirts!</p>http://theswellers.com/post/16432386519http://theswellers.com/post/16432386519Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:51:00 -0500the swellersfueled by ramen<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ly9q4rA9EY1qa3ovro1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Band practice</p>http://theswellers.com/post/16362471745http://theswellers.com/post/16362471745Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:26:00 -0500the swellersfueled by ramen<img src="http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ly4lqlcD7Y1qa3ovro1_500.png"/><br/><br/><p>(CLICK PICTURE ABOVE TO ENTER THE CONTEST!)</p> <p><span><strong>AP </strong>is a proud sponsor of the <strong>You Me at Six/The Swellers </strong>co-headlining tour with Twin Atlantic and We Are The Ocean! That’s why we’re giving away a pair of tickets to each stop of the tour and a huge prize pack to one grand prize winner!</span></p> <p><span>For your chance to win, enter below and choose the city you wish to win tickets for. A grand prize winner will be drawn from the ticket winners to receive:</span></p> <p><span><strong>Grand Prize:</strong></span></p> <div>• You Me At Six - T-shirt, Hoodie and  <em>Sinners Never Sleep </em> on CD</div> <div>• The Swellers - T-shirt, hoodie and  <em>Good For Me </em> on CD</div> <div>• Twin Atlantic - T-shirt, hoodie and  <em>Free </em> on CD</div> <div>• We Are The Ocean - T-shirt, hoodie, signed CD and LP version of <em>Cutting Our Teeth</em></div>http://theswellers.com/post/16202048392http://theswellers.com/post/16202048392Fri, 20 Jan 2012 21:03:57 -0500<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ly0flleVv01qap7o8o1_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ly0flleVv01qap7o8o2_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><p>My friend James teaches an after school program for seventh and eighth graders at Flint’s Southwestern Academy which was perfect because we needed some younger kids to act in our new video for our song, “Inside My Head”. James’ co-worker let us use her son, Anthony, and his two sisters to act in the video and they did a killer job. In exchange James asked if I could come to his class and teach the kids a little bit about drums for their lesson “Things That Go Boom” and drumming was something everyone could relate to.</p> <p>I’m always into giving back to the community and figured it’d be cool challenging myself with public speaking to some inner city kids who could honestly care less about me or our band. If I could hold their attention that would be a feat in itself. I was told it was 3 half an hour lessons I’d have to give but when we showed up we were told there were 2 classes and I’d have everyone for over an hour each… I’m good at running with things, but that seemed pretty scary. While we walked down the hallway everyone asked if me and James (aka Mr. H) were either best friends or brothers which I thought was hilarious. I loved how those were the only two options.</p> <p>I brought a kick drum, snare drum, my pedal and hi hat stand into the class room and all of the kids already had drum sticks and practice pads ready to play along with me. I talked about how drums make the sounds they do, which one was which, and how I got started out drumming. They were pretty excited when I told them I get to travel the world with our band. The best was suddenly when kids started making requests for me to play Rihanna’s “Umbrella”, Green Day’s “American Idiot”, and for some reason “The Ozzy Osbourne Beat”. I had no idea what they were talking about until they hummed the melody to “Crazy Train” which barely has drums in the beginning… it was hilarious. These kids knew about three rock songs total and it was actually cute they were trying to bond with me. I started playing a simple beat then a girl asked if it was a Michael Jackson song. I told her it could work for a few of his songs then she covered her ears and told me she hates MJ. Her classmates proceeded to berate her with insults at how dumb she was for not liking it. I then went to find out the girl hated drums completely and walked out when I started playing. Everyone was laughing at her and I tried to hold back a smile. These kids DO NOT hold anything back. I then told her the same beat wasn’t a Michael Jackson song, but an AC/DC song and she was not amused.</p> <p>After talking I did a little drum solo for each class and then let the kids come up to learn a beat for themselves. At first it was awkward trying to not only get the kids’ attention when they’d turn away to start talking to their friends or use their cell phones (don’t even get me started on kids using cell phones these days, I swear I’m too old). I played a straight beat and told the kids to add their own part to it on their drum pads so we created a big drum circle in the room. Think less of a hippie drum circle and more of a cool STOMP kind of deal. As we started a girl started rapping over it out of nowhere and it was really really cool. The craziest part was watching these kids learn a cool beat within minutes. They struggled and were ready to give up because of how weird it felt to play the proper way, but I made them sit down and try again until they got it. Whether or not they want to go on playing, at least I got about 15 kids going home and telling their families at school they learned how to play a drum beat. Maybe they’ll go on to music? Who knows? The girl who rapped told me her stage name was Alex and she wanted to sing in a band, asking if she can join mine. She swore she only needed one dollar a day. She is a record label’s dream. I played some more and she rapped in front of the class then the kids helped me take my drums down the hallway to my car. They were awesome.</p> <p>It’s pretty amazing being able to teach people something, especially at a young age. That’s why I have so much respect for teachers because I know I wouldn’t be able to do their job. Every little thing impacts someone’s life and who knows, maybe music can keep these kids off the streets, off drugs and even one day get them some kind of scholarship to an awesome college. It’s all about baby steps, but I’m glad I got to be a part of it.</p> <p>Jono</p>http://theswellers.com/post/16078144746http://theswellers.com/post/16078144746Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:49:00 -0500the swellersfueled by ramenjono diener<img src="http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lxlpyjuC5E1qa3ovro1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>New promo photo by Chris Ensell (<a href="http://www.chrisensell.com" target="_blank"><a href="http://www.chrisensell.com">www.chrisensell.com</a></a>)</p>http://theswellers.com/post/15633348037http://theswellers.com/post/15633348037Tue, 10 Jan 2012 16:20:42 -0500the swellersfueled by ramen<img src="http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lxhuowZXt01qa3ovro1_500.png"/><br/><br/><p>Just put up THE FINAL REMAINING Tour Exclusive shirts on our DIY webstore!</p> <p>AP Tour shirt, Bret Hart shirt and the Girl’s SWELL YEAH (UK tour) shirt! </p> <p>Click the picture to shop away! The more you buy the more money we have to get NEW merch for upcoming tours! </p>http://theswellers.com/post/15520895946http://theswellers.com/post/15520895946Sun, 08 Jan 2012 14:12:32 -0500<img src="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lxc8gvhuia1qa3ovro1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Writing new songs. About to go on two amazing tours.</p> <p>Click the picture to see tour dates and buy your tickets!</p>http://theswellers.com/post/15352788483http://theswellers.com/post/15352788483Thu, 05 Jan 2012 13:24:31 -0500<p><p class="p1">In 2011 a lot of great things happened. We recorded with our dream producer Bill Stevenson (Descendents, Black Flag) in Fort Collins, CO and made a record we are incredibly proud of. We were fortunate enough to play shows all over the US and some in Canada, multiple trips to play the UK and venturing into mainland Europe. The most incredible thing happened when we were given the opportunity to play shows in China, Indonesia and Singapore… places we never thought we’d play, let alone see in real life. We also finally made it to Australia! We are working our asses off and want to play for the ENTIRE WORLD on a regular basis now.</p> <p class="p1">This means in 2011 alone we’ve been on OVER THIRTY SIX FLIGHTS and GONE FOR NINE MONTHS out of the year. We have loved ones at home, friends and families whose lives are changing without us  but through such long periods of absence we see who is really closest to us. You start to realize in every city, in every country, you’re going to see familiar faces and friends. It’s a pretty amazing thing. It’s a dream come true doing what we do. We can only do it because of you, the fans.</p> <p class="p1">In 2012 we hope to give you guys some more rewards in return for how great you’ve been to us. We’re constantly finding new ways to stay in contact with you, play the songs you want to hear at shows, make movies or videos that entertain you, making our music easily and readily available to acquire around the world, lower prices for things like merch or shows whenever we can and all around just let you know that you’re as big a part of this whole thing as we are.</p> <p class="p1">This summer marks a decade of The Swellers. Let’s make this the best year yet.</p> <p class="p1">-Swellers 2012</p></p>http://theswellers.com/post/15132338118http://theswellers.com/post/15132338118Sun, 01 Jan 2012 13:07:12 -0500<iframe width="400" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/CxEc3Q8Xgto?wmode=transparent&autohide=1&egm=0&hd=1&iv_load_policy=3&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&showsearch=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br/><br/><p><a class="tumblr_blog" href="http://fuckyeahtheswellers.tumblr.com/post/15070284042/i-was-going-to-post-the-audio-track-but-then-i">fuckyeahtheswellers</a>:</p> <p>Our fans from around the world made us this awesome video to commemorate the last year. Put on this jam when the clock strikes midnight.</p> <p>Happy New Years from The Swellers!</p>http://theswellers.com/post/15087930082http://theswellers.com/post/15087930082Sat, 31 Dec 2011 12:35:28 -0500<img src="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lv553h2Qzq1r3ug7ho1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><a class="tumblr_blog" href="http://swellyeah.tumblr.com/post/14725049937/evelinathoren-its-finally-here-merry">swellyeah</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p><a class="tumblr_blog" href="http://evelinathoren.tumblr.com/post/14695014931/its-finally-here-merry-christmas">evelinathoren</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p>It’s finally here!</p> <p>MERRY CHRISTMAS!!</p> </blockquote> <p>Merry Christmas!</p> </blockquote> <p>Happy Holidays from The Swellers and our fans from around the world!</p>http://theswellers.com/post/14726055786http://theswellers.com/post/14726055786Sat, 24 Dec 2011 11:40:51 -0500<img src="http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lwmp2rryp81qa3ovro1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Hey everybody, our new album GOOD FOR ME is ON SALE on iTunes this week for only $7.99 along with UPS AND DOWNSIZING. Click <a href="http://bit.ly/itunesfbrsale" target="_blank">HERE</a> to buy them. It’s part of Fueled By Ramen’s iTunes Holiday Sale where you can find a ton of $7.99 albums as well as the their 15th Anniversary eBook that we’re part of and the video from the FBR15 show in NYC which includes 2 songs from our performance.</p>http://theswellers.com/post/14638999621http://theswellers.com/post/14638999621Thu, 22 Dec 2011 18:25:39 -0500