Exclusive Interview with SWAMP EYES

Swamp Eyes is the experimental folk punk solo project of Sam Kuban, a singer-songwriter from Evansville. Sam’s firstborn was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at 17 months of age. His most recent album, “Something’s in the Hall,” is a direct emotional response to managing the overwhelming terror surrounding this unexpected diagnosis and its ramifications from the perspective of a parent. This crazy folk experiment, which was made available on all streaming platforms on December 9, offers the listener a deep plunge into an awe-inspiring binary universe of calm finger-style guitar juxtaposed with spastic blasts of percussive insanity that nevertheless cohabit satisfyingly. Check out the album and the exclusive interview below:

1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how it all got started?

SWAMP EYES: I’ve been playing music in the Midwest (Evansville, IN) for a while now, but I feel like I owe the entirety of my “musical beginning” to my parents who were always (and still are) very supportive of all my creative endeavors. I was never told to be quiet when I was slamming on the drums growing up, and I was never told that anything was “too strange” by any means. I think a lot of that support comes from them having creative backgrounds as well.

I just feel like having supportive parents (and several instruments available) is a luxury that most beginning musicians don’t have, and I’m extremely thankful for that.

I continue to surround myself with people who are smarter than me, and they constantly inspire me to continue down the path of whatever-the-hell this is. I love it.

2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?

SWAMP EYES: I’ve never taken any lessons, I was only a “HEY DAD!” or a “HEY MOM!” away from learning anything on any of the various instruments laying around the house. I definitely don’t hold my drumsticks the way I’m supposed to, and I put duct tape marks where my fingers should go when I play cello, but hey, that shit works out just fine for me.

I actually tried teaching guitar for a minute, and I failed pretty miserably at that. Since I usually just mess around with an instrument until I get the sound I want, I’m not the best person to show someone how to play anything “the right way.” I also don’t know how to read music, and I’m totally cool with keeping it that way.

I have no formal training, and I usually have no clue how to get to the end-point of my vision until I just dive in blind. I think that’s the most exciting part about it for me.

3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name ‘SWAMP EYES’?

SWAMP EYES: I feel like my influences have always just continued to snowball into one big mess of everything. I’ve always been drawn to the extremes of music, and I resonate with all the outer fringes of the musical sphere, but not so much in the middle.

I think my strongest notable musical influences would be Josh Scogin (The Chariot, ’68), Chris Thile (Punch Brothers, Nickel Creek, etc), and Danny Elfman (the guy who makes all the music for Tim Burton movies).

The Chariot was my favorite band as a teen, and nothing has changed there. Josh Scogin taught me the value of showcasing real, raw energy at live performances. And there is a distinct, earthy humanity in their recordings that really bridges the gap between artist and consumer that I find exhilarating. I saw them probably 12 times over an eight-year period, and I’m desperate for a reunion show. He would always scream, “This stage is your stage. This microphone is your microphone.” And he meant it. When they played, the whole venue became one huge, happy riot. It was always a risk to venues that booked them, and I loved that so much.

Chris Thile is the best musician of all time, and he sets the standard for quality songwriting. He is an equally talented lyricist, which is absolutely insane, considering that most of us musicians don’t have a quarter of the talent he has in either creative avenue. He is an experimentalist operating in a traditionalist genre, and that is so exciting to me.

Danny Elfman’s music has shaped me as a person. He knows how to build and use dynamics perfectly, and his talent at creating nonlinear, polyrhythmic landscapes of emotions is beautiful. The score to Edward Scissorhands makes me cry every time, and the tedium in the Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack is incredible.

All three of these guys experiment in every facet of creation throughout their entire catalog, and it has progressed the state of music in their respective “genre” cultures.

As far as what “Swamp Eyes” means:
It references a line from “Roach Hockey,” one of my singles. “You don’t know the size of the beast from the eyes in the swamp.” It’s referencing the fact that you never actually know how big your problems are going to be.

4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?

SWAMP EYES: I think that totally depends on the individual listener. I personally resonate the most with the relationship between the spastic blasts followed by calmness, because it kind of reflects my state of mind on a daily basis, haha.

I feel like I’d describe my sound as a folk album with explosions where necessary, but I think I’m too close to the proiject to describe it accurately.

Ultimately, I hope people resonate with the energy of the music (whatever kind), because I put a ton into it.

5. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style?

SWAMP EYES:

I think I’m so influenced by all kinds of creativity that I have a hard time pinpointing where certain creative ideas stem from. Also, I basically know zero songs besides my own, haha. So playing covers at shows would be tough, for sure.

If I obsess over a band’s music, I’ll start learning it just to “get it,” and then I’ll move on.

What I’m very cognizant of is that I feed off, emulate, and reflect other people’s energies. While I listen to soft music occasionally, I feel like I get all my new music from heavy music groups like Mathcore Index, Brooklyn Vegan, etc.

To be honest, there’s a lot of “folk” in my catalog because I just have a deep need to create music, and an acoustic guitar is really the only instrument you can play in a house full of people without pissing them off. So I write everything starting with an acoustic guitar, and I bring in other louder instruments in when the energy of the melody or lyrics calls for it.

6. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative, and entertainment?

SWAMP EYES:

While I love a lot of music for pure entertainment, it pretty much consumes my entire life, so I definitely feel (or hope, haha) there’s a lot more to it.

It has a real cultural and spiritual impact as well.

I don’t really write political music (that I’m aware of), and I don’t think I’ve ever written a true “romantic love song.” I think the reason there is because I really write about real dark problems as a way to accept them, and since I haven’t really had any relationship issues at all (I’ve been with my wife for like 100 years), I don’t feel that need to write about it.

7. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?

SWAMP EYES:

Absolutely. With this project, I can listen back to the final recordings and remember parts where I legitimately felt closure after the take.

In “Eat Us,” the screaming part at the end is me legitimately ending a chapter of grief and starting a new chapter of acceptance of my kid’s diagnosis. That closure is huge.

It kind of renders every other positive outcome from this project as “secondary.” Recording this album has been cathartic, and I owe a lot of my personal growth gained through it to Wes Luttrell (Wally Opus). He pushed to get the best takes. We got them. And through those best takes, I processed some real issues.

8. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?

SWAMP EYES:

It’s very messy and explosive. And then it’s purifying and subtractive. Almost every song I make starts out as some 9-minute piece with a full-page of lyrics. Then after practicing and practicing, I remove what is too repetitive, and I condense the lyrics.

I love long songs AND short songs, but I feel like I tend to use the shotgun approach. Blast it all out onto the page. Put the pieces together that fit. Then throw the other shit away.

For example, this record probably could have been 30 minutes longer, but then there would have been filler material. The finished piece is a very boiled-down version of everything I’ve written (for this specific project) over the last year.

As far as “process,” I don’t really have a typical starting point. Flows happen in different stages, and I tend to let that flow overcome me until it stops. For example, if I think of a lyric while I’m in the car or something, I’ll probably be in that mindset and write lyrics for three songs over the next few weeks. Then I’ll have to make music to that. So I write three or more songs musically. It’s an ebb and flow for sure.

However, I feel like 90% of Swamp Eyes music is written on an acoustic guitar and then translated into whatever instrument I feel reflects the idea best once I’m making the demo or recording in the studio.

Also, while I prefer to write by myself, I prefer to have feedback sessions, and I really value restructuring songs in the studio with Wes, because he comes at it from a different perspective, which is necessary.

9. What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?

SWAMP EYES: My daughter’s Type 1 Diabetes diagnosis (and the hardships that have come as a result) have been far and away the most difficult and life-changing experience I’ve ever had. It’s a shape-shifting monster, and the difficulties surrounding this disease is loosely what this whole album is all about.

10. On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?

SWAMP EYES: Navigating the hardships of this disease through the creation of this album was a huge success for me. I finally let myself spend the necessary time I needed to make music for personal growth that resulted in clarity, career growth, and important personal relationships.