Swords

The Swords Project was formed in 1999 in Portland, OR when two bands, the Icebreak and Slower Than would play songs and improvise together at the same shows. The collective dubbed themselves the Swords ("hired assassins of rock") and were later renamed the Swords Project. A self-titled, four-song EP soon followed on Absolutely Kosher, recorded only one month after the band's creation. The Swords Project then went on two West Coast tours, as well as playing the South by Southwest music festival and dates with Stephen Malkmus. The group -- Corey Ficken (vocals, bass), Joey Ficken (drums), Jeff Gardner (guitar), Evan Railton (electronics, drums, keyboards), Liza Reitz (violin, accordion, keyboards), and Ryan Stowe (guitar) -- released their first full-length, Entertainment Is Over If You Want It on Arena Rock in July 2003. The band shortened their name to Swords and released their second album, Metropolis, in 2005. ~ Kenyon Hopkin