Marshall Ford Swing Band Interview: SXSW 2010

Roots run deep with the Marshall Ford Swing Band: The name of the group is for an old Texas spot that's home to guitarists Greg Harkins and Jeremy Wheeless, who met singer and pianist Emily Gimble while attending a swing band camp named for her grandfather, country music icon and fiddle player Johnny Gimble. After adding bassist Kris Wade and drummer James Gwen, the quintet set out to make their mark on traditional Texas swing with a jazz and blues kick to it. Houses, bars and barns throughout the southern states have rung out with their earnest guitar-pickin' and buttery vocals, but their proudest accomplishment lies in their forthcoming studio release, 'It's About Dam Time.' Spinner recently had the opportunity to catch up with Greg, Emily and Jeremy to talk about 'It's About Dam Time,' their upcoming set at SXSW and their odd truck-stop encounters on tour.

What's the back story of the Marshall Ford Swing Band?

Greg Harkins: Jeremy and I have known each other since high school, and we've been playing guitars together for a long time. We ended up going to Johnny Gimble Swing Camp, which is where we met Emily, and we started playing with her a lot. We got her to move to Austin from Waco, Texas. Eventually, we met Chris, another buddy and musician friend, so he plays bass with us. That's happened over the course of four or five years.

How would you put the sound of the band into words?

GH: I'd say we try to sound like old-school swing in our own new way. We don't follow the rules that older people have laid out there. We try to have an authentic yet original sound.

Who would you say are your musical influences?

Emily Gimble: Collectively, I know that my grandfather, Johnny Gimble, and Willie Nelson have influenced everybody in the band as far as country goes, as has Nat King Cole. As far as singers go, I love Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday a lot.

Are there any songs of yours that you all feel particularly connected to?

GH: Emily's favorite song is 'Pickle and Tomatoes.' Chris's is 'Marie.' We haven't played this song much, but it's my favorite on the album -- it's called 'You're Why,' and it's a song Emily's grandfather wrote. I guess we all have different songs that are our favorites. They're all fun to play, and we try not to judge!

What's your musical guilty pleasure?

EG: I would definitely say Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. They're good singers and stuff, but some of their music can be a little bit out of control!

GH: I like a lot of '80s music, especially Michael Jackson and Duran Duran.

Jeremy Wheeless: I love Steely Dan and Santana. I will turn on one of their records and rock out.

EG: Yeah, no one's listening to Lady Gaga over here. I've never listened to any of her songs. I've seen pictures of her on TV. I've heard she's actually a good singer.

What's the craziest thing you've seen or experienced while on tour?

GH: We've seen a lot of vomit. And then there was Gloves-On Man.

Gloves-On Man?

EG: Some guy was staring Jeremy down ...

JW: I was driving, and we pulled up to a convenience store around 4:30 or 5 o'clock in the morning. There was this old man in the store, and he was just staring at me. I got out, walked in and said, "Hey, how's it goin'?" And he looks at me and goes, "I don't know, man. I don't know. You've got gloves on, though." We were just like, where the hell did that come from? It was pretty weird.

GH: Yeah, the guys like to go clothes shopping in gas stations. Somebody in the band picked up a reversible vest at a truck stop in Arkansas. I like to buy hats. I found a cowboy hat with an embroidered scorpion on it. You find some amazing stuff at truck stops in small towns.

So, basically, you go treasure hunting at truck stops?

EG: Yup! It's like they think it's a Target or something.

Hilary Hughes is a contributor from Seed.com. Learn how you can contribute here.