The Sway Machinery

For those who have seen The Sway Machinery in action, little explanation is needed. The band’s combination of rhythmic power and potent folklore takes no prisoners. On stage the energy of submerged worlds is torn out into the light of day. And indeed, the historical tradition of cantorial music, which is the focus of the band’s work, is very much a lost world. After performing in Mali at the legendary Festival of the Desert in 2010, this quintet of funksters recorded The House of Friendly Ghosts with Malian superstar Vieux Farka Toure. The band boasts an unusually accomplished line-up of musicians, featuring Jeremiah Lockwood guitar (formerly of Balkan Beat Box), John Bollinger drums of Barbez, Nikhil Yerawadekar bass guitar of Antibalas, Jordan McLean trumpet and Stuart Bogie tenor
saxophone, who have made their unique voices heard with artists ranging from TV on the Radio, to the much loved Broadway production of Fela! This powerful combination of musical person- alities yields an unassailable force of excitement.