Swiz was one of the most popular bands in the younger DC 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