Christopher Swinney plays guitar in Fire Sale. He has played in many bands including: The Ataris, Brazil, Underminded, The Widow Jenkins, and more. Chris hosts a popular podcast called, “That One Time On Tour”. He teaches guitar full time and mixes/masters for bands.
How did the band form and what does the band name mean?
During the pandemic, while on lockdown…I had so much free time. I started writing songs again. I hadn’t written anything for years. The new songs felt good. I really liked them. I sent them to Matt Riddle to see what he thought, and he sent bass tracks back. I think I subconsciously hoped he would play on my new songs. I then hit up my friend Pedro Aida and he was down to write and record some vocals…and Fire Sale was born. Even though it started as a pandemic project it quickly became a real band.
The hardest thing in the world is naming a band. One night I was listening to shuffle on Spotify, and my buddies Get Dead had a song pop up called Fire Sale. I just thought it was perfect, and after a quick google check…Fire Sale was born.
Previous musical projects? How'd you first get into music?
My uncle got me “Master Of Puppets” by Metallica when I was like 8 years old. It changed my life. I got a guitar shortly after, and it has been a constant in my life ever since. Music always made sense to me. First it was metal…then later on I got the first Punk-O-Rama comp…and I couldn’t get enough. I think I bought every band’s record from that comp. I still love all those bands.
I have played and or toured with tons of bands…most notably The Ataris, Brazil, Underminded, and The Widow Jenkins.
First concert that you ever went to?
Metallica Damaged Justice Tour when I was 10 years old. The Cult opened up, so I guess The Cult was technically the first live band I ever saw. It was a life changing experience. I have known that I wanted to be a part of music since I was 10 years old…it’s crazy.
What's your writing process like?
We are kind of weird. We all live in different states…so we all record independently then put it all together like a puzzle. As far as writing…I teach guitar full time, and when I have a small break, I just riff on the guitar and record everything. Then I go through the riffs and find one I dig…and write a song around it. Once I get the skeleton of the song musically…I send it to the other guys and they write and record their parts. It takes forever…but the final product is always awesome.
What other artists or songs inspire your music?
I am a 90’s kid…so all the Epitaph and Fat bands really influenced me back in the day…and to a degree still do. I also love Metal like I said before. Dissecting Metallica songs really taught me how to write a riff when I was young, and I still use those skills today. I learned a lot from bands like NOFX, Face To Face, Strung Out, and No Use For A Name also…as far as melody and structure. It still amazes me that I am in a band with Matt Riddle. Two of his old bands are two of my favorite bands of all time. I think there are definitely echos of our previous bands in Fire Sale. It’s in our DNA.
What's the live experience like and your philosophy on playing live? Do you think the music live should be identical to the recorded version or should it be its own thing?
I layer guitars in the studio…harmonies…counter melodies…the works. It’s very hard to replicate that live…so we don’t really try to. We just make sure all the signature parts of the songs are represented and we go from there. People worry too much about sounding just like the record…and that’s cool, but also stressful. Playing live is supposed to be fun…a release. For me it’s all about the energy, not every note being perfect.
Has the band toured? What has the touring experience been, best shows?worst shows?
We just got back from a king weekend in Texas. We played our record release show, filmed a video, and did a photo shoot. We had a blast and it was a real family vibe. Fire Sale is a stress free democracy. We feel lucky to be 40+ and releasing music again. This band is about fun…not stress. Everyone has to be on board if we choose to do something. We have offers for some touring on the coasts and that is going to happen soon. We also have interest over seas…just trying to make the right decisions for the band.
What's up next for the band?
We have a new 7” out now. Pick up a copy here: https://hyperfollow.com/FSafoolserrand. We are working on our next two singles that will be released later this year. And shows are being booked!
All socials: @firesaleisaband