Founded by guitar player Ryan Flaherty, violinist Christian Lange, cellist Andy Bryenton and percussionist Brandon Johnson, Swingbooty’s sound takes what you might call “a left turn”. Their sound sometimes collides with Rock, Blues and Latin music, then bounces back without warning. The guitar-violin-cello-percussion line up is “Hot Club” inspired but “Garage Band” mountain bred. It combines the fire of Eastern European gypsy music with the indie, danceable grooves of today’s jam bands. A unique combination of musicians from different schools of thought, delivering an indisputable message of originality and musical wit. Some describe it as new take on the Gpysy Jazz music of 1930’s France.
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Aaron Chapman, Ryan Flaherty, and
Christian Lange
Swingbooty guitarist and front man Ryan Flaherty combines a percussive guitar style with soulful, compelling melodies. With a personal vocal style that is at once rugged and intimate, the engaging Chicago performer and song writer entertains with a range like Jeff Buckley and a snapping wrist full of guitar rhythms and surprises. Ryan has toured across the U.S. and Europe as a solo act for several years prior to the formation of Swingbooty.
Christian Lange is the fiery, hot blooded violinist who really keeps the gypsy feeling alive in the band. His violin stylings edge the boundaries of Jazz greats Stuff Smith and Stephane Grappelli. An enthusiastic player, Christian courts the audience with seductive leads, soothing melodic phrasings, and high-energy fiddle attacks. Lange, a performing arts photographer, has been involved with Knoxville’s music scene for years, most recently as the violin for Blackgrass.
Andy Bryenton one of the most musically accomplished of the quartet, humbly keeps a zillion different tricks up his sleeve. This musician has payed his dues more then most. A student of both Classical and Jazz music, Andy now holds the principal chair as First Cellist for the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra. Andy adds the icing to the ensemble ...proposing intricate, complex improvisations with his bow, then bleeding his fingers out playing piccicato... arpeggios... playing the cello like an upright bass gone mad. Andy’s unique handling of the cello –so uncommon in contemporary music– adds a unique flavor to the group.
Brandon Johnson, also a founding member of the Knoxville Persian Music Ensemble is the driving heart beat of the group. He adds an exotic mixture of Middle Eastern flavor that balances and drives the more jazzy aspects of the music. Playing various hand drums of Eastern European and Asian descent, Brandon gives performances an ancient, mystical dimension, exploding at all the right times, keeping the music clean, exciting and precise.
Aaron Chapman, the group’s most recent addition, brings a new fullness to Swingbooty’s percussion. Aaron is a talented multi-instrumentalist who presently attends the University of Tennessee. He is a student of Jazz, Rock, and Bluegrass.
So catch the Gypsy Jazz fever and add Swingbooty to your list of afflictions. Because the cure –a night of booty swingin’– is as good as the disease.
Christian Lange is the fiery, hot blooded violinist who really keeps the gypsy feeling alive in the band. His violin stylings edge the boundaries of Jazz greats Stuff Smith and Stephane Grappelli. An enthusiastic player, Christian courts the audience with seductive leads, soothing melodic phrasings, and high-energy fiddle attacks. Lange, a performing arts photographer, has been involved with Knoxville’s music scene for years, most recently as the violin for Blackgrass.
Andy Bryenton one of the most musically accomplished of the quartet, humbly keeps a zillion different tricks up his sleeve. This musician has payed his dues more then most. A student of both Classical and Jazz music, Andy now holds the principal chair as First Cellist for the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra. Andy adds the icing to the ensemble ...proposing intricate, complex improvisations with his bow, then bleeding his fingers out playing piccicato... arpeggios... playing the cello like an upright bass gone mad. Andy’s unique handling of the cello –so uncommon in contemporary music– adds a unique flavor to the group.
Brandon Johnson, also a founding member of the Knoxville Persian Music Ensemble is the driving heart beat of the group. He adds an exotic mixture of Middle Eastern flavor that balances and drives the more jazzy aspects of the music. Playing various hand drums of Eastern European and Asian descent, Brandon gives performances an ancient, mystical dimension, exploding at all the right times, keeping the music clean, exciting and precise.
Aaron Chapman, the group’s most recent addition, brings a new fullness to Swingbooty’s percussion. Aaron is a talented multi-instrumentalist who presently attends the University of Tennessee. He is a student of Jazz, Rock, and Bluegrass.
So catch the Gypsy Jazz fever and add Swingbooty to your list of afflictions. Because the cure –a night of booty swingin’– is as good as the disease.