The Swon Brothers
Zach and Colton Swon remember their
first performance in Nashville
like it was yesterday. It wasn’t in a packed house during a writers’ night on a
dimly-lit stage, or in the office of a publisher who was eager to hear their
latest songs. It was actually a “pit stop” on the way to a family vacation in Florida. Of course, they
were only 9 and 11 years old at the time, but to them, it was perfectly normal.
After all, they’d practically grown up riding their parents’ tour bus and performing
as part of their family’s gospel group since they were old enough to talk. So
stopping off in Nashville to pick up a record
deal on their way to summer vacation just seemed logical to young Zach and his
little brother Colton.
And… their parents weren’t about to dampen the spirits of their talented and
determined young sons.
The
guys didn’t land a record deal the day they sheepishly walked into the lobby of
Virgin Records and asked the receptionist if they could please sing for
someone, but they did make such an impression on the president of the label
that the three struck up a professional relationship that has lasted to this
day. That single-mindedness of purpose
and laser-focused determination to make their music the best it can possibly be
has never wavered for either of these hardworking Oklahoma boys, who are poised and ready to
share their own unique brand of heartfelt country music with the world.
There
really must be something in the water in certain parts of Oklahoma. The state has produced more
country greats per capita than probably anywhere else on earth -- Reba, Blake, Vince,
Garth, Toby, Carrie - all hail from the same state where the Swon Brothers
spent their formative years growing up. In fact, Zach and Colton grew up right
down the street from American Idol- champ-turned-country-superstar Carrie
Underwood, and the three shared a stage many times together throughout their
childhood years. Traveling with their parents’ southern gospel group Exodus,
the boys were singing and writing songs practically as soon as they could walk.
And it was a way of life they quickly grew to love.
“We
traveled with our parents every weekend playing churches. Our parents were offered record deals here
and there,” recalls Zach. “But the most important thing to them was keeping the
family and the band together. So ever since we were babies we’ve been on the
bus, hearing music and watching live musicians. It’s definitely what got us
turned on to music. I played instruments earlier on than Colton, he was more the singer and stage
performer. I started out on drums at age three, and by the time I was 9 or 10 I
was playing drums for my parents’ band.”
Already
a natural before he was even a pre-teen, Zach found the place he was most at
home was onstage in front of a crowd, and he picked up plenty of skills
learning from the musicians that constantly surrounded him. “I’ve always said I’m more comfortable
onstage than I am in a group meeting new people out in a social environment I
guess,” admits Zach. “I just like being onstage. I just feel more myself I
think. One of my best memories during those years was playing with Kenny
Hinson. He’s kind of the Garth of gospel music, and he’s probably my favorite
singer of all time. Unfortunately he passed away from cancer…I think he would
have been amazing, but one of the coolest things that ever happened to me was
we were doing a show with the Hinsons. It was one of the biggest crowds I’d
ever played for, and the coolest thing was when he came out and sang with my
parents on a song. I was 10 or 11, and it was so great!”
After leaving the road, their parents formed a
family-style variety show back in Oklahoma in
a nearby town, Wagoner, OK and soon Zach and Colton were charming crowds each week and cutting
their musical teeth on everything from Elvis to Frank Sinatra.
“That
was a little different setting, but that’s where I came out of my shell onstage
and really began performing,” says Colton.
“We had to learn everything from Sinatra to Michael Jackson in the show… even a
Grease song, but of course, Country was our favorite music! We both had solo
spots in the show where was sang. Zach
loved Elvis, so he actually dressed up in a suit and wig and did an Elvis
impersonation during the show.”
"And
Colton came out with the top hat and sang a Frank Sinatra song,” adds Zach. “I
enjoyed singing back then but I was more into playing. I feel really blessed to
be a musician because I’ve never taken a lesson on any instrument. Drums, I
just picked up naturally, and I got a chance to watch a lot of good players
throughout the years with my parents, and they all showed me stuff. It was at
the show in Wagoner where I picked up piano and guitar at the same time.”
The
Swons show at the Civic
Center in Wagoner became
very popular and soon they were filling the building to capacity as fans packed
in week after week to watch them entertain. After building quite a following,
Zach and Colton
decided to begin playing as a duo and focused even more on their songwriting.
Both have been writing since they were very young and now they return to
Nashville on a regular basis to co-write. They actually have their first trip
to Music City documented on tape -- not that they could ever forget that
fateful day when they first became hopelessly enchanted with Nashville and its
country music scene.
“Our parents drove us around to every label in
town that day,” recalls Zach. “They knew it wasn’t gonna happen, but they
filmed it and watched us walk in and walk right back out, and they’re actually
laughing at us on camera -- you can see the camera start shaking because
they’re laughing so hard at us walking out with our guitars, you know. And
we’re seriously disappointed because we thought that’s how you do it… you just
walk in, sing good and a get a record deal,” laughs Zach.
“We finally made our final stop at Virgin
Records. We had gotten kicked out of so many labels and it was so
disappointing. It’s hard for me to take no for an answer,” adds Colton, “so of
course Virgin said no and we got back in the car. That was our last stop before
Florida so my dad said, ‘If you really want to sing for somebody, just go in
there and sing for the receptionist…I bet you won’t.’ And that was the wrong
thing to say to me! I took it as a challenge! So Zach stayed in the car and I
went in, I couldn’t even see over the counter, I was probably 8 or 9 years old,
and I was a little guy anyway. I said to
the receptionist, ‘Look, we’re really tired of getting told no…could we please
sing for you?’ So she said, ‘Sure, it won’t get you anywhere, but you can sing
for me.’ So I went out and got my brother, who was hiding in the car. We both went back in and started singing an Everly
Brothers song. While we were singing for
the receptionist, the president of the label came down the staircase in the
lobby from a meeting and stopped to listen to us. He told us to keep up the good work and then
gave us a tour of the record label and some free CDs. He’s been a good friend ever since.
Each
year since, the Swons have returned to Nashville
to hone their writing skills and make connections within the industry. They
took a brief detour a couple of years ago when Zach decided to attend college
and Colton temporarily elected to follow a
different path -- Hollywood.
Auditioning for American Idol after
witnessing neighbor Carrie Underwood’s massive success on the talent
competition, Colton made it all the way to the Top 48, but suddenly felt a solo
career wasn’t really in the cards for him when it came down to the wire. So he
was thankful when he was cut.
“I
decided I was gonna try American Idol
because of Carrie’s success. I knew it was a real long shot just to get on the
show. The odds were way against me. And going into it I didn’t think I had a
chance. It started out with over 100,000 people and I made it down to the top
48. I was really blessed to make it that far. But right before you find out if
you’ve made the top 24, before I went in, I just had this sick feeling like, if
I do make this, the duo thing is gonna be really hard to do. So right before
that I was uneasy and I was almost praying I wouldn’t make it just because I
knew that’s not what I really wanted. I really wanted to play music with my
brother. I’m glad it worked out the way it did. Through my exposure on national television The
Swon Brothers also got good exposure which led to some bigger gigs, and now, to
Nashville, where we feel like we really belong,” says Colton.
The
Swons have spent the subsequent few years performing around their home state
and releasing their CDs on their own label which have been well-received among
their ever-growing fan base. Songs like the irresistibly catchy “Oklahoma
Lovin’” and the bluesy, soulful, “This Close To Gone,” not only show off their
diverse vocal strengths, but also their ability to pen gripping lyrics that
resonate with audiences from young to old. Their strong brotherly bond is
undeniable in their performances as they good-naturedly rib and tease each other
onstage and trade off on tunes, and their sheer talent shines through as they
launch into their tight-knit, seamless harmonies. It’s evident when you watch them perform that
music is not only in their blood, it’s in their hearts as well…