9 PM – FREE admission!

POST-PUNKIFIED AMERICANA N’ ROLL

Sally Grayson has traveled on many kinds of roads. Raised on a small farm on the shores of Lake Michigan, she could see the faint outline of Chicago in the distance – the visual spark for a lifelong case of wanderlust. Early country Americana wafted from the family’s garage radio, spiritual music that eventually crossfaded into her own tastes of rock n’ roll and punk.
Grayson was interested in music and art from a young age, but also had a strong passion for those in need and social justice. She eventually traveled to Delhi, India to care for the poorest of the poor. Creating music and art was interwoven into her travels, documenting and expressing it all.

After relocating to Germany, Grayson started Black Swift, named after a bird that nests on high cliff faces. They released their critically acclaimed debut, “The World Howls” in 2014. Grayson’s own nest moved back to the countryside to raise her family, surrounded by vineyards and with a faint view of the Stuttgart TV Tower.

IF TOM WAITS AND NICK CAVE HAD A DAUGHTER AND THAT DAUGHTER WERE RAISED BY GYPSIES IN NARROW BACK ALLEYS AND SECRET WOODLAND GLADES AND TAUGHT THE RAGTAG MUSIC OF VAGABONDS AND WONDERING SAILORS THEN SHE MIGHT SOUND SOMETHING LIKE BLACK SWIFT. AND THAT’S NOT TO MENTION PLAIN OLD ROCK AND ROLL WHICH BLACK SWIFT KEEPS TUCKED AWAY IN THEIR TRAVELING BAGS, TO BE USED AS NEEDED. THE WORLD OF BLACK SWIFT IS A STEAM-PUNK WORLD, OF RUSTY CHAINS AND DEAD PIRATES, THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY BRINGING US HOME AND A WHOLE LOT OF MIXED UP BUSTED UP LOVE.

Vocals, Guitar / Sally Grayson
Guitar /David Arzt
Bass / Bertram Oeler
Drums / Zar Monta Cola

Black Swift’s new Album “The World Howls,” ranges in style from Tarantino road trip Rock to Morricone, to Fugazi to Tom Waits.  Together with her collaborators Black Swift has been working steadily on a new album for over a year. The bones of the song were written by Grayson,  but the rest has come from a variety of musicians who helped arrange and record in numerous places in America and Germany. “The World Howls” features Jerome Fontamillas (Switchfoot), Beverly Fre$h, Nate Lehner (The Guilty Wanted), Burkhard Mayer-Anderson,  Mike Gunther (Mike Gunther & his Restless Souls), Jayathi Kyle (Black Audience), Stefanie Haecker and more.  Of all her collaborators, her most consistent on this album are co-producer David Arzt (Jumbo Jet) who played  and arranged on most of the songs on the album, Steffen Eifert (Same Same Here) on drums, and Tobias Unrath on bass.  From energetic post-punk indie rock to epic dark ballads, to soul infused & blues influenced story telling, “The World Howls” stretches the gamet of songwriting and soundscapes.