Swiz was one of the most popular bands in the younger D.C. hardcore scene of the late ’80s. Their singer,
Shawn Brown, had been the original
Dag Nasty vocalist, and they were on the
Sammich Records label, which was distributed by
Dischord Records.
In 1995, several years after Swiz broke up, former members
Jason Farrell and Dave Stern reunited to form
Bluetip with bassist
Jake Kump and drummer Zac Eller (Worlds Collide).
Bluetip had a serious work-ethic: They released three albums on
Dischord Records, as well as several singles and split releases on various labels, and toured relentlessly, making many trips through the U.S., Europe, and Japan.
Inner-band turmoil resulted in a number of line-up changes: Zac left shortly after the release of their first album, "
Dischord No. 101", and was eventually replaced by Dave Bryson. Dave Stern left after the release of "Join Us" and was replaced by Brian Clancy, leaving Jason and Jake as the only original members. When Jason moved to New York in 2001, the band folded.
Farrell and Stern are currently playing in
Red Hare along with former Swiz bandmate
Shawn Brown and drummer Joe Gorelick.
Dave Stern - guitar on #101, #111, #116, #126
Zac Eller - drums on #101, #126
Aaron Ford - drums on #111, #126
Photo: Mark Waters
