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Artist
Oliver Swain
5+ albums
canadafolk
about
Hailing from Victoria, BC, nearly the farthest west (or left) one can be, Oliver Swain is Canada’s quintessential folk and traditional musician. He eats, sleeps and breathes music, and his prolific career evidences this in many ways. With his pure, finely tuned vocals that have an astonishing range, and his undeniable skill behind a banjo or upright bass, Oliver grabs the attention of all who hear him, and holds it with his enormous sound and stature. From the most vulnerable and innocent sounding banjo ditties to the brave and imposing bowed bass, Oliver delivers his own brand of alternative folk and traditional music to the masses with a smile and a twinkle in his eye. Oliver Swain has spent the last fifteen plus years honing in his craft, and this effort has taken him on a remarkable musical journey. He’s always been a bit of a music geek, collecting old wax cylinder records as a teenager, and being the only kid in school who claimed Robert Johnson as his favorite musician, in a time when grunge rock was on top. Oliver joined The Bills back when they were known as the Bill Hilly Band in Victoria, and played with them until he decided to split town for the musical splendor of Winnipeg, Canada’s musical export city. There he joined Scruj MacDuhk and with them released “The Road To Canso” prior to the band continuing on as The Duhks. Winnipeg also introduced Oliver to fiddler Jeremy Penner, and singer Ruth Moody, and the three went on to form Moody, Penner and Swain, r
