There’s
      a
      Little
      Jimmy
      Swift
      in
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Jimmy
      Swift
      Band
      is
     
     
      starting
      to
      see
      results
      after
      years
      of
     
     
      jamming
      at
      countless
      shows.
      Aaron
     
     
      Farr
      (drums),
      Aaron
      Collier
      (key-
     
     
      boards),
      Mike
      MacDougall
      (bass),
     
     
      Craig
      Mercer
      (guitar/vocals)
      and
     
     
      Jacob
      Smith
      (guitar)
      have
      dazzled
     
     
      audiences
      across
      Canada
      with
      their
     
     
      live
      techno
      funk
      and
      rock-pop.
      With
     
     
      the
      release
      of
      their
      latest
      album,
      Now
     
     
      They
      Will
      Know
      We
      Were
      Here,
      their
     
     
      eclectic
      sounds
      are
      spreading
      and
      their
     
     
      following
      is
      growing.
     
    

    
     
      Mike
      MacDougall
      is
      surprised
     
     
      by
      the
      attention
      the
      band
      is
      receiving,
     
     
      and
      finds
      fans
      popping
      up
      in
      unex-
     
     
      pected
      places.
      “I
      was
      in
      the
      bathroom
     
     
      taking
      a
      leak
      in
      a
      stall.
      I
      opened
      the
     
     
      stall
      door
      and
      walked
      out
      and
      these
     
     
      guys
      were
      staring
      at
      me,
      and
      one
      of
     
     
      them
      said
      ‘You
      play
      for
      Jimmy
     
     
      Swift!’”
     
    

    
     
      The
      band
      was
      mobbed
      oustage
     
     
      by
      young
      fans
      at
      the
      same
      show
     
     
      [Music
      in
      the
      Market
      Festival
      in
     
     
      Moncton,
      New
      Brunswick].
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Mike
      MacDougall
      is
      a
      mystery
      of
     
     
      the
      universe.
      Way
      to
      go
      Mike!
     
    
   
   
    
     
      by
      Stephan
      MacLEOD
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “A
      lot
      of
      young
      people
     
     
      stormed
      the
      stage.
      They
      wanted
      CDs,
     
     
      and
      for
      us
      to
      sign
      them,”
      says
      Mike.
     
    

    
     
      “The
      crew
      actually
      made
      us
     
     
      take
      them
      outside
      because
      the
      other
     
     
      band
      couldn’t
      get
      on
      the
      stage.”
     
    

    
     
      The
      show
      in
      Moncton
      was
      the
     
     
      first
      time
      The
      Jimmy
      Swift
      Band
      per-
     
     
      formed
      at
      an
      all
      ages
      concert.
      Based
     
     
      on
      the
      reaction
      of
      the
      audience,
      Mike
     
     
      MacDougall
      says
      it
      will
      not
      be
      the
     
     
      last.
     
    

    
     
      Craig
      Mercer,
      was
      bewildered
     
     
      by
      the
      reaction
      of
      younger
      fans.
      “It
     
     
      was
      like
      ‘How
      the
      fuck
      did
      these
      kids
     
     
      in
      Moncton
      ever
      hear
      of
      us?’”
     
    

    
     
      The
      band’s
      popularity
      in
     
     
      Moncton
      does
      not
      end
      with
      mobs
      of
     
     
      minors.
      “There’s
      a
      band
      there
      covering
     
     
      our
      tunes.
      It’s
      insane,”
      says
      Mike.
     
     
      Jimmy
      Swift’s
      fame
      may
      spread
      fur-
     
     
      ther
      as
      the
      band
      prepares
      to
      release
      a
     
     
      video
      for
      the
      song,
      “Drive
      By.”
     
     
      Helping
      them
      turn
      the
      song
      into
      a
     
     
      video
      will
      be
      Chris
      Cooper,
      who
      edit-
     
     
      ed
      all
      the
      episodes
      of
      television
      show
     
     
      The
      Kids
      in
      the
      Hall,
      the
      movie
      Brain
     
     
      Candy,
      and
      the
      David
      Foley
      film
      The
     
     
      Wrong
      Guy.
     
    

    
     
      Being
      able
      to
      trust
      their
      image
     
     
      to
      the
      team
      making
      the
      video
      is
      impor-
     
     
      tant
      for
      the
      band.
      Mike
      has
      a
      lot
      of
     
     
      control
      over
      how
      the
      band
      is
      perceived
     
     
      in
      terms
      of
      posters,
      album
      layout,
      and
     
     
      t-shirt
      design
      because
      he
      creates
      the
     
     
      imagery
      himself.
     
    

    
     
      “It’s
      hard
      to
      come
      up
      with
      an
     
     
      image
      when
      it’s
      completely
      about
      the
     
     
      music
      for
      you,”
      says
      Mike,
      “It’s
      better
     
     
      to
      just
      let
      your
      image
      evolve
      from
      the
     
     
      music.
      I
      try
      and
      do
      that.
      I
      think
      of
     
     
      imagery
      from
      the
      tunes
      we
      write.
      I’m
     
     
      really
      influenced
      by
      spacey
      themes
     
     
      and
      mysteries
      of
      the
      universe
      type
     
     
      things.”
     
    

    
     
      “Trying
      to
      bring
      those
      ele-
     
     
      ments
      together
      visually
      is
      always
      a
     
     
      challenge,”
      Mike
      continues,
      “It
      would
     
     
      be
      easy
      to
      just
      come
      up
      with
      some
     
     
      lame
      poppy
      image
      and
      throw
      it
      out
     
     
      there.
      But,
      you
      don’t
      want
      to
      sell
      your-
     
     
      self
      at
      all.”
     
    

    
     
      Craig
      says,
      “It’s
      too
      bad
      that
     
     
      the
      music
      industry
      is
      about
      [selling
     
     
      yourself].
      With
      every
      passing
      day
      it
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Everyone
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Craig
      Mercer
      —
      “WhazzuuuuuuuuuUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUuUp!”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      becomes
      less
      and
      less
      about
      music
      and
     
     
      more
      and
      more
      about
      image.”
     
    

    
     
      “The
      music
      industry
      is
      like
     
     
      any
      other
      industry,’
      says
      Mike,
     
     
      “There’s
      a
      need
      for
      the
      Backstreet
     
     
      Boys.
      I
      don’t
      share
      it,
      but
      I
      totally
     
     
      appreciate
      and
      respect
      everything
      that
     
     
      comes
      from
      that
      angle
      of
      the
      music
     
     
      industry.
      It’s
      just
      like
      anything
      else.
     
     
      There’s
      a
      need
      for
      McDonalds
      too,
      but
     
     
      it’s
      not
      probably
      the
      healthiest
      stuff
      to
     
     
      eat.”
     
    

    
     
      “Tf
      you
      write
      that,
      I
      might
      get
     
     
      sued,”
      Mike
      says,
      pondering
      the
      libel
     
     
      laws
      for
      a
      university
      newspaper.
     
    

    
     
      Inspired
      to
      challenge
      the
      libel
     
     
      laws
      further,
      Craig
      adds,
      “My
     
     
      favourite
      thing
      right
      now
      is
     
     
      McDonalds
      new
      slogan:
      ‘There’s
      a
      lit-
     
     
      tle
      McDonalds
      in
      everyone.’
     
     
      Somewhere
      hard
      in
      your
      colon,
      there’s
     
     
      a
      little
      McDonalds.”
     
    

    
     
      Besides
      dealing
      with
      conflicts
     
     
      between
      music
      and
      image
      and
      lawsuits
     
     
      from
      fast
      food
      chains,
      The
      Jimmy
     
     
      Swift
      Band
      also
      faces
      the
      challenge
      of
     
     
      balancing
      the
      styles
      of
      music
      it
      cre-
     
     
      ates.
      The
      band’s
      songs
      range
      anywhere
     
     
      from
      well
      crafted
      rock
      songs,
      to
     
     
      improvisational
      electro-funk
      instru-
     
     
      mentals.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Craig
      says,
      “The
      two
      sides
      of
     
     
      the
      band
      is
      what
      makes
      us
      a
      little
      bit
     
     
      different
      among
      jam
      bands.”
     
    

    
     
      Instead
      of
      using
      the
      different
     
     
      styles
      of
      music
      as
      an
      excuse
      to
      form
     
     
      separate
      side
      projects,
      Jimmy
      Swift
     
     
      uses
      all
      of
      its
      variations
      as
      the
      distinct
     
     
      characteristics
      that
      make
      up
      its
      overall
     
     
      personality.
     
    

    
     
      “Sometimes
      there’s
      a
      little
      bit
     
     
      of
      pressure
      to
      really
      narrow
      your
     
     
      focus,
      but
      I
      don’t
      believe
      in
      that.
      Just
     
     
      the
      fact
      that
      all
      the
      ideas
      come
      from
     
     
      the
      same
      place,
      the
      same
      teamwork
     
     
      writing
      style,
      there’s
      enough
      coher-
     
     
      ence
      in
      our
      sound
      that
      we
      don’t
      have
      to
     
     
      separate
      the
      two
      different
      styles,”
     
     
      explains
      Mike.
      “Lots
      of
      time
      [the
     
     
      styles]
      come
      together.
      We’re
      working
     
     
      on
      a
      new
      song
      right
      now
      that’s
      com-
     
     
      pletely
      a
      mix
      of
      those
      two
      elements,”
     
     
      says
      Mike.
     
    

    
     
      I
      wanted
      to
      finish
      this
      article
     
     
      with
      some
      sort
      of
      memorable
      state-
     
     
      ment
      that
      sums
      up
      what
      the
      band
      is
      all
     
     
      about,
      and
      how
      great
      their
      live
      show
     
     
      is,
      but
      I'll
      end
      it
      with
      a
      request
      from
     
     
      Mike
      that
      I
      was
      unable
      to
      fit
      in
      the
      rest
     
     
      of
      the
      story.
     
    

    
     
      “Grand
      Theft
      Bus
      is
      my
     
     
      favourite
      band
      in
      the
      Maritimes.
      I
     
     
      want
      that
      in
      the
      interview,”
      says
      Mike.
     
    

    
     
      How
      could
      I
      refuse?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      [9]