Breaks and Swells
Barboza in Seattle, WA
03.21.14
Review by T. Monte
Barboza on the Hill kicked off the weekend with Breaks and Swells, a jazzy seven piece born here in Seattle. Formed in 2012, Breaks and Swells are finding their stride and have begun filling the local airwaves with their throwback sugar sweet sounds and boogie woogie breaks.
Fronted by Marquetta Miller, you are taken back in time to a dark room with a lonely spotlight, with dusty circular tables around a smoky stage. I would remark here about a curt bartender with a black vest on, pretending to run an upstanding establishment during Prohibition; However, Seattle, like every other city, drank its way through that too. Grab your cocktail and let’s get back to the stage. We’ll continue to pretend, because it’s simply more fun…
The chemistry of the band members brought the notes in the night to life. Guitarist Dylon Tubb broke it down with his bluesy-type riffs while bassist Kevin Cluppert towed the line with some surprisingly bold beats. Derrick Jones played fast and meticulous on drums. The package isn’t complete though without the warm and soulful contributions of the horns and keyboard, handled by Jeremy Shaskus, Shawn Mickelson, and Quinton Harris. Tubb also takes his hand at vocals, rounding out Miller’s delicate, yet gritty sound. One of the many crowd pleasers for the night was their rendition of Soft Cell’s, “Tainted Love.”
With more shows filling their calendar and an announcement for an EP in the near future, Breaks and Swells continue to find their niche giving a fresh face to a century-old sound. How cool is that? Find them on Facebook to track their shows, and by all means dust off that cocktail dress, grab your beau, and go show some local support (you’re allowed to show some leg, too).
Photos by Sunny Martini
