William Swan (born December 5, 1985) is an American songwriter and musician born in

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. He is best known as the lead guitarist and co-founder of the American

post-hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. It was initially inspired by post-punk and noise rock. Like post-punk, the term has been ...

band

Dance Gavin Dance Dance Gavin Dance is an American rock band from Sacramento, California, formed in 2005. The band currently consists of vocalists Jon Mess and Tilian Pearson, lead guitarist Will Swan, rhythm guitarist Andrew Wells, and drummer Matthew Mingus. ...

and as the founder and owner of record label

Blue Swan Records William Swan (born December 5, 1985) is an American songwriter and musician born in Sacramento, California. He is best known as the lead guitarist and co-founder of the American post-hardcore band Dance Gavin Dance and as the founder and owner ...

. He is also a guitarist in the

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

band

Secret Band Secret Band (often stylized as SECRETBAND) is an American post-hardcore band from Sacramento, California, formed in 2011. The band currently consists of lead vocalist Jon Mess, drummer Matthew Mingus, lead guitarist Will Swan, bass guitarist ...

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...

band Royal Coda, and was a guitarist in the now defunct Sianvar. Swan co-founded the

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

based post-hardcore band Farewell Unknown, releasing the album ''The 40 Day Fake Out'' in 2004, before disbanding. In 2005, he formed the band Dance Gavin Dance and released their debut extended play (EP), '' Whatever I Say Is Royal Ocean'' (2006), later signing to Rise Records. With the band, he has released 10 full-length studio albums, including the top 20 albums ''

Mothership A mother ship, mothership or mother-ship is a large vehicle that leads, serves, or carries other smaller vehicles. A mother ship may be a maritime ship, aircraft, or spacecraft. Examples include bombers converted to carry experimental airc ...

'' (2016), ''

Artificial Selection Selective breeding (also called artificial selection) is the process by which humans use animal breeding and plant breeding to selectively develop particular phenotypic traits (characteristics) by choosing which typically animal or plant m ...

'' (2018), and ''

Afterburner An afterburner (or reheat in British English) is an additional combustion component used on some jet engines, mostly those on military supersonic aircraft. Its purpose is to increase thrust, usually for supersonic flight, takeoff, and comba ...

'' (2020), and the top top-ten album ''

Jackpot Juicer ''Jackpot Juicer'' is the tenth full-length studio album by American rock (music), rock band Dance Gavin Dance, released on July 29, 2022, on Rise Records. It serves as the follow-up to their ninth studio album, ''Afterburner (Dance Gavin Dance al ...

'' (2022), three live albums, and four one-off singles. In 2011, Swan, along with members of Dance Gavin Dance, formed the metalcore band Secret Band, releasing two full-length studio albums and one EP. In 2013, together with members of Stolas and

A Lot Like Birds A Lot Like Birds was an American post-hardcore band formed in Sacramento, California. The band released four albums and received considerable media attention from music sites. Since the release of 2011's ''Conversation Piece'', A Lot Like Birds ...

, he formed the post-hardcore supergroup Sianvar, releasing their self-titled debut EP in 2014 followed by their debut studio album, '' Stay Lost'' (2016), each on Swan's record label

. After Sianvar disbanded in 2018, Swan joined the progressive rock band Royal Coda, participating on their second and third albums ''

Compassion Compassion motivates people to go out of their way to relieve the physical, mental or emotional pains of others and themselves. Compassion is often regarded as being sensitive to the emotional aspects of the suffering of others. When based on n ...

'' (2019) and ''To Only A Few At First'' (2022). He launched the independent record label Blue Swan Records in 2013, signing bands such as Sianvar, Stolas, Hail the Sun, and Secret Band. In 2021, the label signed a publishing contract with BMG and partnered with Rise Records.

Early life

Will Swan was born in

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...

on December 5, 1985, where he was born and raised. He is part

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

and part

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

. He became interested in pursuing a music career after seeing

Green Day Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, together with bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt. For most of the band's career, they have been a powe ...

Fillmore West The Fillmore West was a historic rock and roll music venue in San Francisco, California, US which became famous under the direction of concert promoter Bill Graham from 1968 to 1971. Named after The Fillmore at the intersection of Fillmore Stre ...

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

at the age of 12, in December 1997. Swan learned how to play guitar and began performing in local bands at the ages of 16 and 17 before he took interest in pursuing " progressive

Career

2003–05: Farewell Unknown

Will Swan began his music career as the founder and lead guitarist for the

band Farewell Unknown with vocalist Joel Rabara, percussionist Drew Ochwat, guitarist Alvaro Alcala, and bass guitarist Eric Lodge. The band released one studio album, ''The 40 Day Fake Out'', on October 19, 2004. After disbanding in 2005, Swan and Lodge both recruited drummer Matt Mingus and vocalists

Jon Mess Dance Gavin Dance is an American rock band from Sacramento, California, formed in 2005. The band currently consists of vocalists Jon Mess and Tilian Pearson, lead guitarist Will Swan, rhythm guitarist Andrew Wells, and drummer Matthew Mingus. ...

and

Jonny Craig Jonathan Monroe Craig (born March 26, 1986) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter, best known as the former lead vocalist of bands Dance Gavin Dance, Emarosa, and Rain City Drive, as well as the co-lead vocalist of the short-lived super ...

to form the post-hardcore band

in 2005.

2005–present: Dance Gavin Dance

Dance Gavin Dance formed in

with members Jonny Craig,

, Sean O'Sullivan, Eric Lodge, and Matthew Mingus, along with Swan. The band released their debut EP, '' Whatever I Say Is Royal Ocean'' on November 14, 2006, later signing a recording contract with Rise Records. They released the singles "And I Told Them I Invented Times New Roman" and "Lemon Meringue Tie", subsequently releasing their debut full-length studio album, ''

Downtown Battle Mountain ''Downtown Battle Mountain'' is the debut studio album by American post-hardcore band Dance Gavin Dance, released on May 15, 2007, on Rise Records. The album serves as a follow-up to the band's debut extended play, '' Whatever I Say Is Royal Oc ...

'' on May 15, 2007, through Rise and charted at No. 46 on the U.S. Billboard Top Heatseekers Albums chart. In 2008, Craig and O'Sullivan departed from the band and were later replaced by vocalist

Kurt Travis Kurt Travis (born January 16, 1987) is an American singer, musician, and songwriter from Sacramento, California. He is currently part of the post-hardcore bands Royal Coda and Push Over and the math rock duo Gold Necklace, and was formerly a ...

and guitarist Zac Garren, releasing their sophomore self-titled studio album, ''

'', on August 19, 2008. In 2008, vocalist Jon Mess and bass guitarist Eric Lodge left the band. Swan pursued both lead and rhythm guitar along with

unclean vocals A death growl, or simply growl, is an extended vocal technique usually employed in extreme styles of music, particularly in death metal and other extreme subgenres of heavy metal music. Death growl vocals are sometimes criticized for their ...

and Lodge was replaced by Jason Ellis. ''

Happiness Happiness, in the context of Mental health, mental or emotional states, is positive or Pleasure, pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. Other forms include life satisfaction, well-being, subjective well-being, flourishin ...

'' was released as the band's third studio album on June 9, 2009, and was led by the singles "Don't Tell Dave" and "NASA." In 2010, original vocalists Jonny Craig and Jon Mess and bass guitarist Eric Lodge rejoined the band, which subsequently Travis, Garren, and Ellis left the band, and Dance Gavin Dance recorded their fourth studio album ''

Downtown Battle Mountain II ''Downtown Battle Mountain II'' is the fourth studio album by American rock band Dance Gavin Dance, released on March 8, 2011, on Rise Records. The album is a non-direct sequel to the band's full-length debut studio album, '' Downtown Battle M ...

'', a follow-up sequel to the band's debut studio album. The album was released on March 8, 2011, and charted at No. 82 on the Billboard 200, No. 13 on the Independent Albums chart, and No. 4 on the Hot Rock Albums chart. Craig and Lodge each left the band throughout 2012, leading to vocalist

Tilian Pearson Tilian Pearson (born July 12, 1987), also known mononymously as Tilian, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer born in Clearwater, Florida. Since 2012 he has been the third clean vocalist for the post-hardcore band Danc ...

, bass guitarist Tim Feerick, and guitarist Josh Benton joining the band. The band released their fifth studio album, '' Acceptance Speech'' on October 8, 2013, peaking at No. 42 on the Billboard 200, No. 13 on the Alternative Albums chart, No. 7 on the Independent Albums chart and No. 6 on the Top Hard Rock Albums chart. With Benton leaving the band following the album's release, Dance Gavin Dance released their sixth studio album, ''

Instant Gratification Delayed gratification, or deferred gratification, is the resistance to the temptation of an immediate pleasure in the hope of obtaining a valuable and long-lasting reward in the long-term. In other words, delayed gratification describes the pro ...

'', on April 14, 2015, charting at No. 32 on the Billboard 200, becoming their best-selling album to date. In celebration of the band's 10-year anniversary, they embarked on their 10 Year Anniversary North American Tour with supporting acts

Slaves Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

Strawberry Girls Strawberry Girls is an American rock band from Salinas, California, formed in 2011. The band is currently composed of guitarist Zac Garren, drummer Ben Rosett, and bassist Ian Jennings. All three members are multi-instrumentalists and record prod ...

, and

Dayshell Dayshell is an American metal band from Southern California, United States. Their debut self-titled was released on October 15, 2013. The band's second album, ''Nexus'', was released on October 7, 2016. The band released their third album calle ...

. The tour took place from November 13 to December 19, 2015. In 2016, the band released a live album, ''

Tree City Sessions ''Tree City Sessions'' is a live album by American rock (music), rock band Dance Gavin Dance, released on May 13, 2016, on Rise Records. Background and recording The band announced ''Tree City Sessions'' on March 2, 2016. The live session versio ...

'', and their seventh studio album full-length studio album, ''

''. The band released a stand-alone single, entitled "Summertime Gladness", in June 2017, and toured on the 2017

Vans Warped Tour The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touring ...

. The band released their eighth studio album, ''

'', on June 8, 2018, on Rise Records. A stand-alone single, " Head Hunter", was released on March 22, 2019. They kicked off their

The Artificial Selection Tour ''Artificial Selection'' is the eighth studio album by American rock band Dance Gavin Dance, released on June 8, 2018, on Rise Records. It is the follow-up to the band's seventh studio album, ''Mothership'' (2016) and is their third consecutive ...

at the first annual SwanFest, on March 30, 2019, in

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...

. On February 21, 2020, the group announced their ninth studio album, ''

'', with a scheduled released date of April 24, 2020. On the same day, they released its lead single "

Prisoner A prisoner (also known as an inmate or detainee) is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement, captivity, or forcible restraint. The term applies particularly to serving a prison sentence in a prison. ...

", accompanied with its music video. In December 2020, the group announced ''Tree City Sessions 2'', which was released to digital download and streaming platforms on December 25. The live album was accompanied with a

concert A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variety a ...

streaming event where the group performed a fan voted setlist on the

Tower Bridge Tower Bridge is a Listed building#Grade I, Grade I listed combined Bascule bridge, bascule and Suspended-deck suspension bridge, suspension bridge in London, built between 1886 and 1894, designed by Horace Jones (architect), Horace Jones and e ...

, which was broadcast on December 19. On March 24, 2022, the band released the single "

Synergy Synergy is an interaction or cooperation giving rise to a whole that is greater than the simple sum of its parts. The term ''synergy'' comes from the Attic Greek word συνεργία ' from ', , meaning "working together". History In Christia ...

". Their tenth full-length studio album, ''

'', was released on July 29, 2022 and was supported by a spring tour in April and May, a summer tour with

Coheed & Cambria Coheed and Cambria are an American progressive rock band from Nyack, New York, formed in 1995. The band consists of Claudio Sanchez (vocals, guitars, keyboards), Travis Stever (guitars, vocals), Josh Eppard (drums, keyboards, backing vocals), an ...

in July and August, and a run of UK and European concerts in September 2022 and March 2023.

2011–present: Secret Band

Along with other Dance Gavin Dance members Eric Lodge, Matthew Mingus, and

, Will Swan formed the band Secret Band in 2011. The name of the band derives from the idea of keeping it a secret from other members of Dance Gavin Dance, more so from vocalist Jonny Craig. The band released their self-titled debut EP in June 2014 and later released their self-titled debut full-length album, ''SECRETBAND LP'', in July 2014. They have toured with other bands such as Dance Gavin Dance,

, Stolas,

SECRETS Secrecy is the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups who do not have the "need to know", perhaps while sharing it with other individuals. That which is kept hidden is known as the secret. Secrecy is often controvers ...

, Hail the Sun, Covet, and Sianvar. The band released two songs, "Lightning" and "Rabbit Hole", from their upcoming second studio album, on April 12, 2019. Their second studio album, titled ''LP2'' was released on April 20, 2019, on Rise Records.

2013–2019: Sianvar

Sianvar is a

supergroup founded by Will Swan with Hail the Sun's Donovan Melero (vocals), Stolas' Sergio Medina (guitar),

' Joseph Arrington (drums, percussion), and A Lot Like Birds' Michael Franzino (bass guitar). On November 8, 2013, the band released their first single, ''Sick Machine'' through Blue Swan Records. They released the ''Sianvar'' EP on January 5, 2014. Their debut studio album, '' Stay Lost'', was released on August 4, 2016. In 2018, Franzino departed from the band. It was confirmed that Swan would pursue bass guitar on the group's upcoming second full-length studio album. In April 2019, Sianvar announced that they were going on an indefinite hiatus, despite having finished tracking their second studio album.

2019–present: Royal Coda

On June 5, 2019, Swan was announced to be a guitarist in the American post-hardcore band Royal Coda, who are signed to his independent record label

and consists of lead vocalist

, former Stolas guitarist Sergio Medina, and former

drummer Joe Arrington. Swan recorded guitar and bass guitar with producer

Kris Crummett Kris Crummett is an American record producer and owner of the Interlace Audio in Portland, Oregon. Crummett started recording in 2002. He has worked with many notable indie music record labels, including Rise Records, Epitaph Records, Fearless Re ...

for the band's second studio album, ''

'', which was released on November 7, 2019. Swan's first tour with the group took place from September 13 to October 13, 2019, on Hail the Sun's US tour with

and VIS. In a post on Facebook,

confirmed that ''Compassion'' was a spiritual sequel to the group's 2009 studio album, ''

'', which also features both Kurt Travis and Will Swan. On July 6, 2022, the band announced their third studio album, '' To Only A Few At First'', and released two songs, "We Slowly Lose Hope For Things To Come" and "Screen Time Overload", the former of which had a music video premiere on

channel on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

. The band performed as support on

's US summer tour from July 26 to August 24, 2022 along with Body Thief.

Blue Swan Records

Will Swan founded and launched his own

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

, named

, in early 2013. The first groups Swan signed were American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

bands Stolas and Sianvar. The label's debut release was ''Living Creatures'' by Stolas, on March 14, 2013. The label is prominently known for signing the rock bands Hail the Sun,

Icarus the Owl Icarus the Owl is an American alternative rock band based in Portland, Oregon formed in 2009. The band currently consists of vocalist Joey Rubenstein, lead guitarist Tim Brown, percussionist Rob Bernknopf, and bassist Jake Thomas-Low. The band ha ...

and Stolas. On February 18, 2021, it was announced that Blue Swan Records had partnered with Rise Records.

Influence and musical style

Will Swan has listed several musical artists and groups that influenced his musicianship throughout his career. He has cited

The Mars Volta The Mars Volta is an American progressive rock band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 2001. The band's only constant members are Omar Rodríguez-López (guitar, producer, direction) and Cedric Bixler-Zavala (vocals, lyrics), whose partnership forms ...

Temptations The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top 1 ...

Deftones Deftones is an American alternative metal band formed in Sacramento, California in 1988. They were formed by Chino Moreno (vocals, guitar), Stephen Carpenter (guitar), Abe Cunningham (drums), and Dominic Garcia (bass). During their first five ...

Earth, Wind & Fire Earth, Wind & Fire (EW&F or EWF) is an American band whose music spans the genres of jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, big band, Latin, and Afro pop. They are among the best-selling bands of all time, with sales of over 90 million re ...

, and

Glassjaw Glassjaw is an American post-hardcore band from Hempstead, New York. The band is fronted by vocalist Daryl Palumbo and guitarist Justin Beck, and was a major part of the Long Island music scene in the early 2000s. The band has been influential i ...

, among others as inspirations. Throughout the recording process of

's third studio album, ''

'' (2009), Swan debuted his unclean vocal prowess after the band's primary screaming vocalist Jon Mess parted ways with the band in 2008, however since Mess rejoined in 2010, Swan now only pursues screaming vocals during live performances, most prominently in songs from the album ''Happiness.'' Swan has also been known to experiment with

rap Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

and hip hop in Dance Gavin Dance's music. He first made a rap appearance in the song "Powder to the People", the final track on the album ''Happiness''. He has since rapped occasionally on every album since, except for the band's eighth studio album ''

'' (2018). In an interview with Substream Magazine, Swan spoke about his rap influences after being asked about his rap verse in the song "Eagle Vs. Crows", from the album ''

'' (2015), stating: As far as his musical style, Swan has incorporated elements of

math rock Math rock is a style of progressive and indie rock with roots in bands such as King Crimson and Rush as well as 20th-century minimal music composers such as Steve Reich. It is characterized by complex, atypical rhythmic structures (includi ...

experimental rock Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments with the basic elements of the genre. Artists aim to liberate and innovate, with ...

Avant-garde music Avant-garde music is music that is considered to be at the forefront of innovation in its field, with the term "avant-garde" implying a critique of existing aesthetic conventions, rejection of the status quo in favor of unique or original elemen ...

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

, and

jazz-fusion Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, amplifiers, and keyb ...

into all of his musical projects, most eminently in Dance Gavin Dance.

Discography

with Farewell Unknown

* ''The 40 Day Fake Out'' (2004)

with Dance Gavin Dance

* '' Whatever I Say Is Royal Ocean'' (

Rise Rise or RISE may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * '' Rise: The Vieneo Province'', an internet-based virtual world * Rise FM, a fictional radio station in the video game ''Grand Theft Auto 3'' * Rise Kujikawa, a vide ...

, 2006) * ''

'' (Rise, 2007) * ''

'' (Rise, 2008) * ''

'' (Rise, 2009) * ''

'' (Rise, 2011) * '' Acceptance Speech'' (Rise, 2013) * ''

'' (Rise, 2015) * ''

'' (Rise, 2016) * ''

'' (Rise, 2018) * ''

'' (Rise, 2020) * ''

Tree City Sessions 2 ''Tree City Sessions 2'' is the third live album by American rock (music), rock band Dance Gavin Dance, released on December 25, 2020, through Rise Records. It serves as a follow-up the group's 2016 live album ''Tree City Sessions'' and was mixed ...

'' (Rise, 2020) * ''

'' (Rise, 2022)

with Sianvar

* ''Sianvar EP'' (Blue Swan, 2014) * '' Stay Lost'' (Blue Swan, 2016)

with Secret Band

* ''SECRETBAND EP'' (Independent, 2011/Blue Swan, 2014) * ''Secret Band'' (Blue Swan, 2014) * ''LP2'' (Rise, 2019)

with Royal Coda

* ''

'' (Blue Swan, 2019) * ''To Only A Few At First'' (Rise & Blue Swan, 2022)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swan, Will 1985 births American rock guitarists American male guitarists Living people 21st-century American guitarists 21st-century American male musicians Dance Gavin Dance members