Today we’d like to introduce you to Sam Swetlik and Tony Oakley.
Hi Sam / Tony, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Tony and Sam met by playing Halo 3 over Xbox Live. They went to the same high school, eventually started hanging out in person and became fast friends. Both of them played the guitar, started jamming and wanted to form a band. They formed their first project called “The Davenport” but the project only had 3 guitar players, no drummer and no bassist. This wasn’t working. After some deliberation, Sam made the transition to bass. This project would fizzle out as the other guitar player moved to Nashville, but Tony and Sam continued playing music and started hunting for a drummer through a series of flyers, craigslist ads, and trying to recruit friends. After a year or so, the duo became a three piece after a Craigslist ad was answered by a man named Jon and the band “Loud Knocks” would be born as a rock/blues trio. This project would only be around for a few short years and a handful of shows before Jon left the group. A number of the songs played in “Loud Knocks” would be a precursor to Horace Greene’s first album “Early American Ice Cream.” Tony would record some demos and these songs would attract Mitch, one of the founding members of Horace Greene which formed in 2015. The band would go on to record two albums with Mitch and play a few hundred shows. Their current drummer Austin would join the group in 2019 and “Texas Butter” Todd Balke would join in 2022. The band is currently reinventing their sound to a genre they’ve branded “Powerlounge” which is also the name of their third studio album, slated for release on June 6th and recorded by the band at their new studio “Powerlounge Sound” in Oshkosh, WI. The band has a full summer schedule, touring out to the west coast and back. They will continue their touring in the fall and into next year.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There have been some challenges.
– The covid shutdown
– Lineup changes
– Full indie band, we do all of the booking, PR, and management on our own
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
We are proud of our work. Being able to set up our own studio, record everything ourselves, manage our entire band, and create our own brand with a unique sound.
What matters most to you?
Making connections through music. We’ve met so many creative, talented, and down to earth people through this project.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://horacegreene.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/horacegreeneband/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/horacegreeneofficial
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxMvGmmazT1FuYTYmNM4z1w
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4zaVr01vGmXlN1yAo5h4u8
