Loading details…
Artist
Richard Swift
12+ albums
Lo-Fisinger-songwriterindie popindiefolk
about
Richard Swift (Ricardo Sigilfredo Olivarez Swift-Ochoa, March 16, 1977 – July 3, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer and short-film maker. He was the founder, owner, and recording engineer of National Freedom, a recording studio located in Oregon, and has worked as producer for such acts as The Shins, Damien Jurado, David Bazan, Foxygen, Jessie Baylin, Nathaniel Rateliff, The Mynabirds, Wake Owl, Laetitia Sadier of Stereolab, Gardens & Villa, Cayucas, and Guster. Swift is a former member of indie rock band The Shins and The Arcs. In April 2014, Richard announced via Twitter that he had joined The Black Keys as their touring bassist and backing singer. In his youth, Swift moved frequently with his family, spending time in rural locations in Northern Minnesota and Southeastern Utah. He started performing and singing in a variety of churches around the age of fourteen. As a teenager, he was known to make movies on the family's handheld video camera, and soon started experimenting with a four-track cassette recorder. He began writing and recording original material at home. In 2001, Swift moved to Southern California to pursue his solo recording career. He recorded Walking Without Effort but, unsure as to how it should be released, shelved it. In 2002–03 Swift recorded The Novelist, selling home-made copies at shows in and around Los Angeles. Later in the year he went on to release a small pressing of "properly manufactured" versions via
