Pamme Swan: Press~Reviews

Enjoy the Adirondacks in the privacy of your own home

Anyone who journeys to the Adirondack region will understand the fascination Earlville-based singer/songwriter Pamme Swan has with the area.
Maybe it's the rustic ambiance of being to close to the wild, maybe it's the laid back, relaxed feel of an evening in a log cabin sitting by a fire place, or maybe it's just the freedom of being removed from the hustle and bustle of the city.
Whatever moves you the most about the Adirondacks, you'll find the feeling on her brand new CD "Songs From Mountains East And West," a collection of 12 self-penned odes to time spent there.
After three years of performing at the Big Moose Inn in Eagle Bay, Swan has kept with her ambition of making the location the "folk capitol of the Adirondacks," and the venue itself has inspired her to set pen to paper - or fingers to keyboard depending on how high tech her songwriting has become in these modern days - for her song "Boom Town" on the CD.
Noting the abundance of aging newspaper articles from 1906 and 1907 on the walls of the inn, Swan was intrigued by some of the history of the area and set out to learn more about the people that were there before herself. She learned the story of Chester Gillette and Grace Brown, and her death while they were out on a skiff. Gillette was found guilty of murder and got the electric chair, and this past March 30 was the 100th anniversary of his execution.
This story is immortalized in Swan's song "Boom Town," offering an entertaining history lesson set to a Swan trademark upbeat and rhythmic folk tune.
"Hankey's Thug" also celebrates her time at the Big Moose Inn and the support she has received from owner Bob Hankey. Swan sings of an incident early one morning when she was awakened by a crash and, since there are a vast number of forest denizens roaming freely in the area, she didn't know what breed this imposing"Adirondack thug" might be. She called Hankey to investigate.
Hero Hankey comes to the rescue, locates the intruder - an Adirondack squirrel - and then, oddley, he sprays black paint on the squirrel's belly. Swan wonders why, and he says he's taking the squirrel far away, and wants to know if the critter finds his way back.
The rest of the disk is similar in personal storytelling, reflecting the experiences of Swan's trips. With slow ballads alongside upbeat tempo foot tappers, "Songs From Mountains East And West" is another in a long line of enjoyable and accessible-to-all Swan discs, joining 1999's "Tango Tree," 2002's " Pamarama," and "Sprinkles," 2004's "Once Sated," and 2006's "Patchouli Room" in her discography.
For information on the disc or any other Swan news, check out her website at www.pammeswan.com

Pamme Swan of Earlville, who has been the weekly Tuesday evening performer at Big Moose Inn for the summers of 2007 and 2008, released a new CD, Songs From Mountains East And West, that she wrote music and lyrics for inspired by her recent times at Big Moose Lake and her interest in the local history. The 12 songs she wrote include ones about Chester Gillette, Grace Brown, Noah John Rondeau, Anne LaBastille and the Loomis Gang all in her rich folk/family-listening style that underscore her talents as a storyteller. This is her 6th CD, and she sings and plays guitar accompanied by two mandolins.
Her family has been campers for generations in Raquette Lake and Old Forge where her parents, Audrey and Gary Swan of Sherburne once lived.
Copies may be available at Old Forge Hardware, Adirondack Reader, Hoss's Country Store and the Adirondack Museum or at www.pammeswan.com.

Here's my Post-Standard review of Pamme Swan's "Songs from Mountains East and West."

Pamme Swan wrote and recorded this collection of 12 original songs at the Big Moose Inn in Eagle Bay.


Born and raised in the Adirondacks, they grow into a passionate display of mountain music.

Some of the pieces kick hard. Opening cut "Rim of the World" utilizes the happy strings of a big, picking party.

Some of the pieces take it slow and soft. "Ode to Anne" starts with the lovely rush of Adirondack waters, recorded by Swan with a hand-held digital recorder from her canoe. "I've got a backpack and a Coleman and a red Swiss Army knife," Swan sings in her ode to an Adirondack guide, "a woman who reminds me of me."

Catch a show: Swan plays with several other Central New York artists at a show to benefit Hamilton Central Schools' Friends of Music at 5 p.m. Wednesday at the Colgate Inn.

"Swan's song "Up The River Cold" takes listeners on a pleasant journey backin time.

Being a person who really digs history, I find it amazing when a figure from the

past such as Noah John Rondeau calls out to us here in the present.

Swan has brought the hermit back to life for her listeners along with a spectacular video montage of old photos,

an excellent evocation of the mountains in their rustic heyday".

Russ Tarby ~ Entertainment Columnist

Syracuse City Eagle

'Up the River Cold' a pretty sample of Swan's new CD; she plays March 7 in Eagle Bay
Posted by Mark Bialczak February 27, 2008 8:23AM

Hamilton singer-songwriter Pamme Swan just sent along the news that she's posted a clip of a new song, "Up the River Cold," on her web site.

I listened. I liked. Sweet song. No surprise here. I've appreciated Swan's work since I heard her debut "Tango Tree" in 2000.

"The new CD will be out this year some time. I'm in no hurry," Swan writes of the collection that will be titled "Songs from Mountains East and West."


Swan hosts a First Friday Folk Night at 8 p.m. March 7 at the Big Moose Inn in Eagle Bay. On the bill will be Rory O'Bannion of Camillus, the Rusty Doves of Utica and Same Blood Folk of Hamilton.

"I've been so fortunate to land a regular gig at the Big Moose," Swan writes. "It's nice to have a home spot and let the people come to you for a change. I've met people from all over the world up in them mountains

Big Moose Inn Goes Folk

Earlville-based folk singer/songwriter/musician Pamme Swan has hit the road with a new aspiration.
"I've been playing a lot up in the Adirondack Mountains and landed a regular gig at the historic Big Moose Inn in Eagle Bay. My goal is to make the Big Moose folk capitol of the Adirondack Mountains." she said.
Playing a weekly gig every Thursday night in season, Swan has also recently started hosting the First Friday Folk Night once a month - on the first Friday naturally - where she welcomes her folk music compadres and other creative types to join her and reach out to the new audiences.
The idea came from the movie "Prairie Home Companion," Swan explained. "I loved that movie and enjoy listening to it on the radio as well and thought it would be cool to do a folk night open mic for musicians and comedians and even poetry reading, kind of like a variety show.
Her debut in January went well with Tommy Hoe of the Barncats performing plus three others who signed up the night of the event to share their talents. This month's line up included Same Blood Folk and Maren Van Tine, and the March roster with feature Rory O'Bannion from Liverpool and the Rusty Doves from Utica. Check their websites at myspace.com/rustydoves and myspace.com roryobannion for information on these acts.
Swan's heartfelt, energetic and accessible music captures the hometown feel of the area, recalling favorite shops, pets and ice-cream parlors, while sometimes delving into more serious fare like surviving Hurricane Katrina. She has recorded five CD's 1999's "Tango Tree," 2002's Pamarama" and "Sprinkles," 2004's "once Sated," and 2006's "Patchouli Room." She is also well known for her original song "Our Sweet Hovels" she wrote in response to the opposed NYRI power lines threatening much of the upstate New York landscape. That song has become the theme song anthem for the group fighting the project, she said.
Information for the Big Moose is linked from her website, www.pammeswan.com and Swan suggests planning ahead and booking a room to make a full evening of the event.
Working with marketing manager Catherine Light, Swan said the initial success of the First Friday Night could mean a change in the name relatively quickly.
It's going over really good and if it continues we hope to do it every other week then possibly every week," she said.

I gave "Give Her Back" the first GOOD listen while driving- big mistake - I had to pull over and recover from the streaming tears - Pamelot really has a way with squeezing every last drop of emotion outta her listeners...

Far out, man! Swan CD puts new spin on '60s



Pamme Swan
SEE HER LIVE

* Who: Pamme Swan

* When: 6-9 p.m. today

* Where: ART Mission, 61 Prospect Ave., Binghamton (as part of First Friday)

* More information: www.pammeswan.com
By Chris Kocher
Press & Sun-Bulletin

As baby boomers swiftly approach their retirement years, nostalgia for the 1960s is once again running as thick as incense at a head shop -- and Hamilton musician Pamme Swan taps into that Age of Aquarius vibe on her new CD, "Patchouli Room."

The album's 13 songs invoke the jangly Left Coast folk-rock of the era (think The Byrds and like-minded hipsters) while giving the sound a new-millennium twist.

Album opener "Peace Out Gurl Scout" rocks out as it confronts the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans: "Every day another tribulation / heartache and pain and misery / Pray for their souls and their salvation / drowning in the water of Pontchatrain."

Protest songs were, of course, also part of the '60s scene, and Swan's CD has two, one political and one personal. "Our Sweet Hovels" is a plea against the New York Regional Interconnect plan to run a power line through upstate villages, while the finger-snapping "Harry Boyt" is a stinging rebuke of a DJ who refuses to play Swan's music on the radio. (My guess: If the guy's real, he probably loves the attention.)

"Hard Road" finds Swan looking at her son, a second-generation hippie, and wondering what's ahead for a kid who doesn't want to follow society's rules: "He's a bucking bronco in a giant inkwell / A sleeping cat under a lazy spell / He's walking down a very hard road."

And speaking of head shops, "Crimson Strawberry" tells of a real one where, back in the day, you could buy "water pipes" and all sorts of paraphernalia, as long as you didn't tell the cops (or Mom) what it was really for. If that place were still around, I bet they'd be playing "Patchouli Room" as you picked out your tie-dye shirt and Grateful Dead poster. Groovy.

Women's HERstory Event
Friday, March 23rd, 7:00 PM
MAD Art Space - Lebanon Street Alley, Hamilton
Open to the community

This event will showcase the creative work of local women and artists.
Musician Pamme Swan will present a solo performance of her contemporary folk music. Ms. Swan’s recently-released CD The Patchouli Room has been recognized as one of Central New York music critic Mark Bialczak’s Top 10 discs for 2006.
Jody Luce will be speaking on Elizabeth Smith Miller of Peterboro, NY and dress reform in the mid-Victorian era. Ms. Luce has been researching women’s rights advocate Miller for the last six years and is a member of the Peterboro Area Historical Society and the Smithfield Community Association.
Meredith Leland of Hamilton will be presenting a work in progress called “The Belles of Triangle Park,” which documents the women of her neighborhood in words and photographs. Ms. Leland considers herself a multidisciplinary abstract expressionist regional political artist.
A portrait by Jesse Henderson of her mother will also be featured. Ms. Henderson lives in Hamilton and works with Colgate University’s art department. She believes that painting portraits offers her a way to explore a person, to deconstruct the character the subject has constructed.
Samanthi Martinez of Hamilton, who writes the Tea & Simplicity column for the Hamilton/Morrisville Tribune, will read from her work. Ms. Martinez is a freelance writer, contributing to local publications, including the Central New York Family Times and the Syracuse New Times.
Michelle Welzen, the Hamilton artist who coordinated this event will be reading poetry written by her mother Marta Collazo, whose poems have been published in an Anthology of Latin Women’s Poetry. Ms. Welzen instructs a core drawing workshop at MAD Art, and her work has been on display at the gallery.
For more information on the event, contact Ms. Welzen at 307-690-3645. To learn more about MAD Art, contact Samanthi Martinez at 750-0803 or Kathy Herold at 368-4453, or email mad_art_inc@yahoo.com.

Photo courtesy of Pamme Swan
The infectious storytelling hometown folk music tradition of Pamme Swan continues with her just-released The Patchouli Room, a collection of self-penned memories and observations of life that ended up honored by area music critic Mark Bialczak's Top 10 list for CNY discs released in 2006.

Visit The Patchouli Room with Pamme Swan

By Mike Jaquays
The Mid-York Weekly

When Pamme Swan sent her recently completed CD Patchouli Room to Central New York music critic Mark Bialczak, she was looking for his feedback on her work, she said.

He must have liked what he heard, because the Dec. 2 released disc came in at a lucky number seven on his Top 10 list for 2006, as announced in the Dec. 31 edition of the Syracuse Post Standard.

"I'm still pinching myself," Swan admitted, although she added that she doesn't like to feel competitive in the creation of her music. "I certainly don't write or play music to be competitive. I write and play guitar because it's my way of dealing with the journey through my life."

And we can learn a lot about Swan's journey by listening to her energetic storytelling music, full of imagery and memories she shares with the listener. From recollections of a favorite hippy shop in "Crimson Strawberry" to the trials of parenthood in "Hard Road" to preserving the land of upstate New York and protecting "Our Sweet Hovels" against the big city residents who want to bring power lines through our countryside, listening to Swan's disc is like reading her diary and even listeners who have never met her will know a lot about this talented musician.

The disc was recorded at Swan Studios and Orbital Sound Studios, and also features Jimmy Wunderlich, who also mastered the CD in the studio, and Scott Kraly.

Swan can't wait until the summer season when she can get out more and play her music live for audiences all over the area. She said she is thrilled with all of the kudos the disc has received, but she now feels the need to go back and work up a follow-up.

"All in all, it really feels great. I'm proud and, oh no, it makes me want to record another," she said.

The Patchouli Room is available locally at the Colgate Bookstore, on the internet at www.cdbaby.com, or at her gigs. For more information, check out her website at www.pammeswan.com.

This may be a first in the history of folkdj-dom -- at least it's a first for me.
I've had a song written about me (sort of), and it's not meant to be flattering.
(Actually, I am kind of flattered by the attention. To think that a performer would take the time to write such a song, venting her displeasure over a private critique I had sent her... I almost feel honored... almost.)

The artist in question is Pamme Swan, a singer/songwriter here in Central New York, and her song that pays me this dubious honor is entitled "Harry Boyt".

"Harry Boyt the DJ God don't like my effects
Don't like the way I mix or the way my song connects
I don't record it to be DJ friendly
Where's the art in that
So don't play me on the radio
Cause you've got your songs for that
Harry the DJ dog
Harry the DJ god..."

You get the idea. The song is sung a cappella with finger snaps, and kind of reminds me of something Annie Gallup might record.

"Harry Boyt" is contained on Swan's fifth CD, "Patchouli Room", released in 2006, and Pamme has received a fair amount of critical praise in the local press for her overall efforts.
"Patchouli Room" contains 13 songs, some of which have an Amy Rigby-ish sound, lyrically reflecting the plight and observations of a modern female as she deals with life's assorted trials, tribulations and characters. On a few of the tracks, Pamme also reminds me a bit of Kate Bush.

A good number of the songs are acoustically-based and are in the acoustic format-ball-park of what I might normally play on Common Threads. But a few of the songs on "Patchouli Room" also feature some (in my opinion) overly-effected electric guitar backing and leads that give these songs a cheesey garage-band sound that might be appropriate for a power-pop radio show. These few songs, found at the beginning of her CD, are not meant for a folk-and-acoustic radio show such as Common Threads.

This scenario is similar to one of Pamme's previous albums, "Once Sated", that began with a few songs laden with some (in my opinion) over-the-top reverb that I suggested to her was unnecessary and would likely be a turn-off for most folk deejays.
If Pamme or any other artist wants to doctor up their recordings with all kinds of reverb and effects, that's fine with me -- just don't send such a CD to a folk deejay with the expectation that said folk deejay will likely listen beyond the second overly-effected song (unless, of course you warn the folk deejay about these effected songs in advance.)

Anyway - I expressed my opinion to Pamme privately, and I actually did play one of her songs, "Loop Mountain South" from "Once Sated" at least twice on Common Threads (1/23/05 and 7/3/05). According to the Folkdj archives, I may be the only playlist-reporting folk deejay who has played any of Pamme's songs on the air.

Which is not to say that I won't play any of Pamme's songs on Common Threads in the future. I mean, she did send me her new CD and there are some pretty good songs on it. Who knows, maybe someday I'll play "Harry Boyt". I just hope that if I do play it on the air, listeners won't start calling to request it again and again...

Also - I have absolutely no hard feelings against Pamme for writing, recording and releasing this song. For about 15 years, I wrote local (and national) music reviews for the Syracuse Post-Standard (daily) and later for the Syracuse New Times (a weekly). You don't know what anger is until you've written an honest but negative review of a local CD released by a local musician. That's one of the reasons I no longer write reviews of local artists.

Pamme has her website www.pammeswan.com
You can contact her at: pamme@pammeswan.com
Tell her Harry Boyt send you.

Larry Hoyt - host of Common Threads - www.waer.org

Pamme Swan captures the right mood on her new CD

Hamilton singer-songwriter Pamme Swan says she was swarmed with inspiration while preparing to record her fifth CD. "Patchouli Room."
There was a whiff of patchouli oil she'd saved from her youth. There were her sessions teaching an autistic child who ended up showing Swan how to view the world through a different prism. And there was the chilling escape back home from New Orleans a day before Katrina hit.
So she delivers an introspective set of 13 free- spirited tales that hippies of all ages should take pride in.
Her rich voice and far-ranging guitars capture the mood of the '60's in a fine style.
"Peace Out Gurl Scout" starts the journey with a psychedelic feel and just a hint of echo.
The mandolinlike style of the strumstick she uses on the title cut helps whisk everybody away as she sings ,
" I will carry you up and take you away, my love, to my secrete place."
"Hard Road" admirably dives into her sometimes roiling relationship with her wild-child 15-year-old, who, she admits, is just like her.
But the coolest tale is "Crimson Strawberry," a winding epic about a guy name Tommy Fowler, who saw the attitudes of the '70s and opened a head shop by that name. "Tired of stacking the store shelves and being a bag boy on the run. Sick of counting coupons and being a grocers son. Tommy took a ride in his Mustang 14 miles to the south, to the town with the college and the students and professors hiking back and forth," she sings.
And your hooked on the story of the guy who sold hookahs.
Catch a show: Swan plays at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Copper Turret on Route 20 in Morrisville. She says she might even give out some patchouli incense sticks.

Swan says stop, smell strawberries

MORRISVILLE- Hamilton folk artist Pamme Swan had hippies, the 60's and patchouli oil dancing in her head when she created her 5th Cd "Patchouli Room."
"I was cleaning out an old cosmetic bag and found patchouli oil." Swan said. "I opened it up and smelled it, and from the smell it gave me a whole kind of theme."
From the whiff a psychedelic mix of tunes backed by Scott Kraly on percussion and vocals and Jimmy Wunderlich on guitar, harmonica and vocals was formed. The cd's creation took nearly three years, Swan said. And many of the tunes have their own stories to tell.
"Crimson Strawberries" recounts the story of the real life Hamilton store of the same name that sells hookahs.
The biggest surprise of this musical tale is it almost didn't make it on the CD. But, one year after dismissing the lyrics as going nowhere. Swan returned to the yellow legal pad where she initially scripted the words, and the results couldn't have been better, she said.
Swan will debut the new album Saturday Dec. 2md at the Copper Turret in Morrisville.

Swan Sings in Sherrill

Thu, Aug 10, 2006

Mike Jaquays
Earlville songstress Pamme Swan and her Swan Road Trio will head north on August 15 for a 7 p.m. show at the Reilly Mumford Memorial Park gazebo in Sherrill, featuring original favorites from her CD's - including the soon-to-be-released Patchouli Room - plus her new anti-NYRI theme song "Our Sweet Hovels." (photo courtesy of Pamme Swan)

SHERRILL - It'll be a night of musical storytelling on August 15 as the Sherrill Summer Concert Series welcomes to the stage Earlville singer/songwriter/musician Pamme Swan and her Swan Road Trio.

Also featuring Scott Kraly on percussion and vocals and Jimmy Wunderlich on lead guitar, vocals, and harmonica, the show "isn't gonna blast anyone out of their seats with wall high amps," Swan promised, but rather take them on a laid back listening journey.

"People can look forward to songs that are written to be listened to, like a story," Swan said of the concert. "It will be simple and geared toward a listening crowd."

The show will features originals from her four CD's - 1999's Tango Tree, 2002's Pamarama and Sprinkles, and 2004's Once Sated - plus a musical preview of her upcoming Patchouli Room disc being recorded at Orbital Sound in Hamilton that should be released by the end of the year. Swan said she will also showcase a new song that is very close to her heart, her original "Our Sweet Hovels," a song she wrote to protest the planned NYRI power lines threatening much of the upstate New York landscape. That song has become the theme song anthem for the group fighting the project, she said, and is available for a free listen on her website.

Swan said the trio, who have played together for some 12 years since they were all members of the band Club Ed and now as a threesome for the past four years, is a fun outlet for her music because it gives her a different and bigger sound. She also enjoys rearranging the music to feature Kraly and Wunderlich, she said.

Much like the ice cream sprinkles that inspired her third CD title, the music will have all colors and all flavors.

"There will be a song about a 'Gurl Scout' and escaping Katrina and New Orleans...a song about a horse and a hotel that is Bipolar...there will be songs about shacks and Manhattans and frustrated golfers...all written here throughout my life in Central New York," she said. "It's mostly a Swan song night."

For more information on Swan's music, check out her website at www.pammeswan.com.

The concert starts at 7 p.m. and is free and open to the public, and refreshments will be available. The Reilly-Mumford Memorial Park is located between Sherrill Road and Kinsley Street in Sherrill, just north of the public safety building and south of the Route 5 intersection on Sherrill Road

Morrisville- The Songs of Pamme Swan will the the focus of a special workshop April 1st at the annual Writer's Jubilee at the Edward R. Andrews Elementary School, as Earlvilee based Swan explains her inspirations in songwriting and recording her five CD's including the not -yet-released Patchouli Room.
Swan intimated the CD title comes from the exotic and pungent, powerful, mossy and musty fragrance of Patchouli oil, a scent she wore often in her "hippy days," she said. Recently she found a bottle of the oil in a basket and that smell immediatly took her back in time, and inspired the title of her new CD.
"I thought a room filled with Patchouli where songs are born would be kinda cool and it really works," she said."I've been so creative under this patchouli rule."
Swan explained how she thinks of a theme when setting out to create a new CD, and examines how the theme relates to her life. She said she recently got reaquainted with an old art teacher friend, and has been proofreading some of the Irish man's stories of his life-those stories have influenced her own life she said, And some of the song lyrics on Patchouli Room have been touched by the magic of the stories of his life in Ireland.
The disc also features a reflection on her work with an Autistic child where Swan rose to the challenge of communicating with the younster while opening her eyes to a whole new perspective, and a trip to New Orleans with her husband just a week before Hurricane Katrina hit.
Both these eventsare now influencing her song writing she said.
While Swan expects to have her new disc completed soon, she notes she is taking her time in recording and the CD might not actually be realeased till later in the spring spring or even in the summer.It will be available at the Colgate Bookstore in Hamilton , at her gigs, and at her studio on Williams Road in Earlville.
Her workshop at the writers Jubilee will be in session C running from 1:40-2:25 PM and will feature Swan playing several songs and talking about how they were written. This is her first time sharing with the Writers Julilee attendees, and Swan says she apprieciates the efforts of the organizers who put the jubilee together every year.
"I can't say enough about this program, she said. "Its wonderful. "i encourage writing...its such a wonderful escape to write stories or songs or poetry. When I was a sub at Sherburne-Earlville Elementary, my favorite thing to do was walk the hallways and read the stories the kids wrote. Somehow that creativity gets lost as children grow as thay have to learn how to write more "technical." Then if someone decides they want to be a writer they have to learn how to get that magic back."

Stop nyri rally
By Michael McGuire
Sun Staff Writer
SHERBURNE ? Flooding, unanswered questions, and more rain could have been stifling obstacles in the quest to vanquish the threat posed by New York Regional Interconnect Inc. However, these recently dubious themes of Chenango County have only proven the resilience in the local character, said citizens, officials and grassroots organizers at a rally against the power line over-the-weekend in Sherburne.
?You can?t let rain stop you,? said Sherburne resident Myrtle Crandall. ?It?s a small thing compared to these lines.?
Roughly 100 people from around the county gathered in Gaines Park under a steady down-pour to hear songs, speeches and support through the voice of Sherburne, speaking on this day for all the communities within the 190 miles that the transmission line would inundate.?
?I want to thank mother nature again,? said Earlville resident and STOP NYRI CO-chair Eve Ann Shwartz, ?for proving that nothing can stop the grassroots effort to defeat this NYRI power line.?
Albany-based NYRI announced at the end of March that they are planning to gain approval to construct a high-voltage, 1,200 megawatt direct-current transmission line from Marcy to New Windsor. The line would bisect eight counties with 115 foot tall steel towers, ripping through 44 miles of Chenango. ?
Village of Sherburne Mayor William thanked all those who have been involved in the opposition thus far, to the power line he said would be ?an unmitigated disaster for our village.? Acee said that sustaining the momentum against NYRI should be the public?s main focus now, urging everyone to continue to keep contact with local government officials.
?It?s a battle, It?s a full time job to fight it,? said Acee. ?Don?t let off, don?t fall asleep. Don?t let up until this power line goes away and never comes back.?
Shwartz praised the tireless effort by groups such as STOP NYRI, who she believes got the ball rolling, and continued its advance, in the war against the private company, using information, studies, letters, phone calls, and applying pressure to local and state officials.
??Your voices, your thoughts, and your achievements are all we need to stop this,? said Shwartz.?
She mentioned all the positive developments over the last month and half, including the formation of Communities Against Regional Interconnect, the legislation to veto NYRI?s use of eminent domain (awaiting approval from Governor George Pataki), and the support at the state and federal level that has grown as a result of public?s willingness to step-forward.
?These are amazing achievements by people who are said to live in sleepy rural communities,? she said.
Near the end of the rally, the crew of citizens and organizers marched down to the railroad tracks and raised a weather balloon 130 feet into the air to demonstrate the height of the towers as they would pass through villages.
For some citizens, the rally was a successful tool to offer more information on this ever-evolving subject.
?I read a lot about it in the papers, I came down to see what they had to say, to learn a little,? said Sherburne resident Charlie Utley. ?I don?t think its a good thing, going straight through our communities.?
?NYRI has admitted that the line would cost upstate $166 million dollars annually in raised rates, and that the benefits to the increased rate-payers are ?intangible.? ?
The Albany subsidiary, whose grand-parent company is based in Toronto, is currently in the early stages of the state Public Service Commission?s Article VII review process, which will negate or give way to the power line at the state level. As part of federal legislation passed in 2005, the U.S. Department of Energy, in conjunction with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, could decide this area is a national interest electric transmission corridor, and impose ?back-stop? authority to approve the project if the state denies it, or fails to make a decision by May of next year.
Citizens up and down the line have voiced concerns over the line?s possible health risks, environmental impacts, and significant, if not devastating, decreases in property values and populations in many rural communities.
Their sentiments were echoed by artist Pamme Swan in the chorus of an original song she wrote about the power line, title ?Our Sweet Hovels,? in which she sang to the crowd in Sherburne, ?Please can we come together, the situation?s not so mere. Please for the sake of our countryside, and for all that we hold dear. Our small towns are in trouble. There?s a monster in our skies. Looming over our sweet hovels, And darkening our eyes.

Once Sated Reveals Sad Journey

--Mark Bialczak 'Once Sated' reveals a sad journey - The Post Standard - 7/04 'Once Sated' reveals a sad journey - 7/04
Syracuse NY (The Post Standard )
Hamilton singer-songwriter pamme Swan does great things with her voice, guitar and vision. Her third disc, "once Sated," shows an artist who delights in writing about all facets of life- particularly, this time around, the sad times and the nooks and crannies on the journey down and back up. Thankfully, "Once Sated" includes printed lyrics. Follow along with your voice, if you wish, but certainly with your mind and emotions. "On "Peter Pans," Swan sings, "Oh, who wrote the book on these men? They call them Peter Pans. They fly right into your life and leave you with a heart to mend. No, never count on them. He'll never let you in. Little boys scared fot heir man's shadow. That's why they call them Peter Pans." She can let go. In "Eagle Flying," she sings, "Driving by an eagle flying right where you were supposed to be. Let you go to the love, bright light, once sated. There's nothing left, your lief is free." Swan's acoustic guitar work evokes many moods. There's a suspenseful Louisiana mojo to "bumba Shack" and a patchy, Appalachian swing to "Loop Mountain South." On "Bipolar Hotel," Swan makes you root for the woman who's sad and lonely but really doesn't want to succumb to either. Swan shows her wise eye with her double-edged dedication: "To long-haired men everywhere and the stories they tell."

Local Musician Releases New CD

EARLVILLE- Pamme Swan's newly released fourth cd "Once Sated" has a couple different themes,said the singer-songwriter/guitarist.
"Once Sated" is a journey written about other journeys, and being fulfilled once, or once fulfilled....it kinda has a double meaning." she said.
Recorded mostly in her own Swan Studios at her Earlville home, the disc was started late last summer and finished this past March. Disc opener "Bumba Shack" was a special collaborative effort, Swan said, and a journey itself that traversed the country.
"Bumba Shack is cool 'cause I recorded the guitar and my vocals, burned it to a disc, then sent it out to my friend Micheal Baker in Redlands California where he then loaded the CD and recorded his guitar licks then sent it back to me" she said. "I then added more vocals and mixed it down my way." There are three versions of "Bumba Shack" - the first version and her favorite is the one on the disc. The second version is a live recording with her trio act and the latest version has horns and steel drums, making it quite "radio friendly," she said. And there really is a "Bumba Shack" - her stepdaughhter told her the Bumba Shack story and the song is written in her eyes.
For a bit of sunshine on a cold Central New York winter day, think about this while listening to the disc - Several songs were written in Key West and on the road to Florida last winter, including "Loop Mountain South" "The Keys Songs" and Eagle Flying." a song about the loss of Swan's grandfather. The warmer climate was conductive to writing, she said.
"We took off for a while last winter and being away drew the songs out,"she said. "The Keys Song" is kinda like a fun little island to rest on in the middle of the CD.
Other notables include "Peter Pans" a tune that is actually about 20 years old and finially made it on a recording; "Bipolar Hotel," which she calls a self-explanitory song about the Colgate Inn in Hamilton; and the personal penned "Pray For The Boy." "Same Old Moon" was written for a girl born under a dark cloud, and "Crossroads" is Swan's take on religion - a fascinating subject not just in beleifs but in the way people use their religion, she said. "I'm in constant amazement of it,"
she said. "What I read in the papers...How people manipulate it...All the different religions and how it effects people...The wars go on!"
Swan added the response to the new CD has been "wonderful" and it's being played as far away as Maui. She continued to say she thinks people apprieciate the disc more when they have a chance to hear the songs performed live, and she sells more CD's where she can actually play her music. The disc, and the rest of her collection, is available at the Colgate Bookstore and Rosita's in Hamilton, the Sound Garden in Syracuse and at any gig.
For more information, check out her website at www.soundclick.com/swanroadtrio and tell her Open Mike sent you!
One of the most important critics to enjoy this new disc is Swan herself.
"I listen back to my other CD's and I think, "This song could be much better played this way or mixed down that way" or "Man, I was off beat, or my voice my voice sucked, or whatever," she said, 'Thats not true this time around, because she's pleased her toughest critic with "Once Sated" - herself.
And watch for her fifth disc, "Inside The Patchouli Room," with purple as its theme, coming soon.
You can hear Swan and her Swan Road Trio at the Palace in Hamilton Febuary 17 and 18 at 6pm for a performance for the "Vagina Monologues," and at Nichols and Beal in Hamilton February 11th from 10-1AM - a regular gig where they will play the second Friday of each month.

"Once Sated, A Tasty Trip Of Imagination"

Once Sated, A Tasty Trip Of Imagination
I haven’t traveled the world. In some ways I am quite a homebody. The familiar takes root and the possibilities that lie beyond the proximity of my day to day experience rarely are considered. With vacation time coming up, people quite readily ask “so where are you going”? They expect to hear travel plans worked out in elaborate detail. I find myself dumb-struck not having entertained that notion. In fact the idea doesn’t light upon my thoughts until the question is posed. Where is the eagerness to grab a travel bag, hop a flight, jump on a train, or even hop on a wagon ride? Where’s your sense of adventure when you just hob knob around the same old town? Get up, get out, get going - there is so much to see and a few things to learn.

There is a certain musical goading that similarly occurs in Pam Swanne’s independent release “Once Sated”. As the title might suggest there is a quest for things that can only be found in the grip of wanderlust. Carribean harbors, equine excursions, eagle flights, and celtic journeys occupy the soundscape along with restless wanderers and claustrophobic guests. Pam lays out a travel log of curious stories and worldly perspective. As with many a troubadour, she takes along a guitar on the trip to accompany her rich and expressive voice. Found here and there are flutes, chimes, whistles - as if in her wandering she tries out the native instruments of the lands she explores.

We meet Pam on her travels at the “Bomba Shack”, a place where she sings “I don’t have to watch my back” and “can escape my life for a little while”. Festive and fun, this energetic song starts us off with a kick. We all need a place where we can let down our guard and restore our energies after one journey ends and a fresh one begins.

Soon we are on our way through a valley of mystery and mood - both “Eagle Flies” and “Loop Mountain South” have strong Appalachian and Celtic folk timbres respectively. Each are played in a gorgeous open string tuning. The former longs to leave the “craziness of the world” while the latter stumbles upon one of the many “crazies in the world” that also inhabit the disk. These songs find the songwriter in her element and are some of the strongest material on this offering.

Fairies and gnomes occupy the Celtic world and you might think that of “Peter Pans”. But as Pam Swanne warns - “they are not what they seem”. The music turns melancholy and her voice plaintive and even pained as she speaks of how romantic desire can get the better of our sensibilities. These men might seem like attractive partners to journey through life with, but you will end up looking for a way out as they are “in love with their lust” and at the same time “scared of their own shadows”.
Alternately strumming slowly and hammering the strings with the conviction of one a little bit wiser for the experience, the acoustic guitar sparkles on this number.

“The Keys Song” chugs along with outlandish imagery that could be found on the peripheries of Florida and of the listener’s curiosity. Escapism and distraction are the attraction. But we soon find our singer struggling with “a long night” at the “Bipolar Hotel” dreaming of a way out of the realities of a lonely life and Central New York snow right up to the time she tips the bartender and heads home. The guitar sympathetically accompanies the woes of this stranded one even as it is pretty and engaging for the listener.


Like waking up with a hangover incurred from that claustrophobic hotel scene, we find that Pamme turns toward more sobering themes. It seems there is only so much you can try to escape. Even in the hardships of life what we really need to do is not so much get away as to find our way. The rest of the CD primarily revolves around searching for answers. The troubles of relationship established in poetic terms in Peter Pan is expressed in much grittier terms in the bluesy strummer “Can’t Fix It” - “I just can’t fix it/There’s nothing left to save/Curb it or burn it/You didn’t want it anyway”. And as if to confirm the change of course for the CD, the song ends with “and I just can’t help it/sweep it away/the strange trip is over/come what may”. “Pray for the Boy” earnestly asks to affect the life of a loved one for the good, even as the missteps of youth cause so much pain. “Same Old Moon” finds the singer asking other hard questions as if the moon were a mirror to the desperation of one’s soul. Employing a haunting and eery synthesizer intro, “Same Old Moon” then dives into some deep, melancholy blues. The sparse guitar strum allows ample room for the singer’s achingly beautiful lament. Each of these songs show Pamme’s vocal talent that is at once strong, vulnerable, beautiful and emotional.

The reflective tone is abruptly shattered by “Crossroads” which is a stinging indictment of the abuses of corrupt clergy ...” raping young men” and sending “...women to the fire”. We revisit the haunting ambience found in “Eagle Flying” but with a couple of eery melodic twists. Unfortunately, this song is too eager to throw out orthodox faith as an avenue to finding our way. If all that was to inhabit this path were the hypocritical zealots represented here, then we could do without it. But the book that some purport to “have fallen out of the sky” surely reprimands these criminals: “woe to them who would cause these little ones to stumble, it would be far better that a millstone were put around their neck and they were thrown to the bottom of the sea”. The journey to find our way is often perplexing and we can get tired from so many dead ends, bad directions, disappointing companions and wrong turns. Perhaps if we got past these “stumbling blocks”, we would hear the One who said “Come to me all of you who are weary and weighed down with burdens and I will give you rest”. Gladly, “Radiant” touches the intriguing tonalities of “Crossroads” and elevates them even higher. Spiritual verse and spacey vocal treatments create a short but awe-inspiring musical poem.

The closer to “Once Sated” is “A Good Horse”. Having a country rock flavor reminiscent of Dylan’s “Easy Chair”, it finds one more avenue of escape from the ennui and frivolity of modern American life. Wanting to trash the computer, the guitar, the dishes, the TV - a good horse with “ a strong black mane” would keep the singer from acting out these destructive urges. Other good reasons to ride are
unfulfilled dreams (a soup kitchen in Bouckville) and the bathos of our elderly loved ones watching TV endlessly (“designer shows and Vanna White”). This song is a perfect cap to the album incorporating many of the moods of longing, sadness, even desperation tempered with the uplifting themes of simple joys, vitality, imagination, and determination.

Once Sated is a storybook of the fantastic and the ordinary. It’s theme is life’s journeys from without and from within. The music is rich and the lyric thought provoking. Pamme Swan is an adept portrayer of storyline and character, played out with soul searching honesty, imaginative flair and a touch of medicinal humor. The songs may keep spinning in your head long after the music stops

Swan's Songs: Village concert series comes to an end

Unseasonably cool weather didn't keep people away from the last music show of the 2004 Thursday performance series.The Swan Road Trio performed both original and cover songs on Thursday Aug.5 at the Village Green.
Pamme Swan provides the vocals and plays acoustic guitar,and is backed by Jimmy Wunderlich and Scott Kraly on guitar and percussion. Swan tells stories set to music in her original songs. "Bumba Shack" is about escaping reality, She sings, "leave my life for a little while/where I don't have to watch my back."The trio's music combines strong guitar with an alt-country flavor and lyrics that draw pictures.
The Swan Road Tria performed a skippy, guitar tinged cover of Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time" and Linda Ronstadt's "You're No Good" as well as a soulful rendition of Alannah Myles' "Black Velvet

Thumbs Up - 8/04
Norwich NY (Nicole Martinez/The Evening Sun)

Imagine writing your own lyrics and then performing them in front of crowds of people, who are all watching and criticizing your every move. Pamme Swan is just one of the many musicians that has to deal with these issues every time she performs.
Norwich has never been one of Swans's most responsive areas, but after watching her perform on Wednesday at the music in the park series, I'm not really sure why. Not many people went down to see her perform, even though it was in the middle of the city in East Park. The farmer's market was going on and I still didn't see very many people there. But Swan still played her heart out, and I'm not saying this because whe was a very nice woman who made my first interveiw feel like a peice of cake(Thanks for that by the way, Pam) She has great passion for what she does and it showed when I saw her play. It also shows in her newest cd "Once Sated." which I feel has a very dramatic, poetic, soulful feel to it.
I have great appreciation for original music, and I understand how hard it is to do what millions of people like Swan do. I don't necessarily like it all but I appreciate it.I enjoy the music in the Park series because it gives people the chance to come out and play their hearts out like Swan, and I feel that people in out community need to be in more support of it. Come down for the last performance by the First Class Band, from 12-1p.m. next Wednesday, Aug.11 in the East Park in Norwich.
by Nicole Martinez

Earlville’s Pamme Swan will be performing from noon to 1 p.m. at the city’s East Park Wednesday for the second installment of the Lunch & Music in the Park series. Swan has been making music for the past 25 years and is excited to be a part of this event.

“This is my third year in a row performing there, and I hope for a good turnout,” she said.

Swan’s music is what she calls “new age folk,” with influences ranging from Johnny Cash to Cat Stevens.

Since the release of her new album, “Once Sated” - for which Swan is responsible for almost all of the instrumentation - life has been pretty hectic.

“The summers are crazy for me. I’ve been traveling around the area and also into Pennsylvania and Maryland,” she said. “That’s why I leave most of my recording for the winter months.”

Her new CD, which was released four weeks ago, has “a spiritual sense to it, since three people in my life have passed recently,” Swan said. Copies will be available for purchase at the show.

Lunch & Music in the Park is sponsored by the city’s Business Improvement District. BID Administrator Pegi LoPresti said Wednesdays were picked because “the farmer’s market is also going on, so people can enjoy a little of both.”

She added, “It encourages people to eat their lunch outside and listen to music.”

Swan will be performing solo on Wednesday with her acoustic guitar, although her main focus at the moment is on her band, The Swan Road Trio. They will perform from 7-9 p.m. on Thursday at the Village of Hamilton Park.

In the event of rain, Wednesday’s free performance, sponsored by Service Pharmacy, will be held from noon to 1 p.m. Thursday.

The series concludes on Aug. 11 with a performance by the First Class Band, sponsored by the Pennysaver and The Evening Sun.

Local Bands record blues,hip hop,rock, jazz and more, by Mark Bialczak - Post Standard - 1/04

Local Bands record blues,hip hop,rock, jazz and more, by Mark Bialczak - 1/04
Syracuse NY (Post Standard)

Central New Yorks music world continues to buzz with hard-working performers of all styles. About 100 artists, on their own and with bands, put out cd's in 2003.From rock to jazz to blues to hip-hop, they write and play their hearts out. Here are my Top 10 from 2003.

10. Pamme Swan "Sprinkles"
Hamilton singer-songwriter Swan crafted a neat collection of modern folk tales that charm and tickle.
Her guitar and voice show she's satified with her sense of wonder and quite willing to share

Swan Honored For 2003 Release - The Evening Sun - 1/04

Swan Honored For 2003 Release - 1/04
Norwich NY (The Evening Sun)

Earlville- Syracuse Post Standard staff writer Mark Bialczak has honored Earlville singer Pamme Swan with a spot on his top CD's from local artists in 2003. Swan finished in 10th place for her recording "Sprinkles"
Bialczak wrote in the paper's Jan.2 edition,"Hamilton singer-songwriter Swan crafted a neat collection of modern folk tales that charm and tickle. Her guitar and voice show she's satified with her sense of wonder and quite willing to share."
Swan has dubbed her style"New Age Folk," according to a July interview with The Evening Sun. She added last July," My Parents loved country music so I started out on Johnny Cash and Peter Paul and Mary and Patsy Cline." But she citied singer/songwriters from the 1960's such as Joni Mitchel and Cat Stevens as influences on her musical spirit as well. "I started downsizing my stories to song lyrics when I was about 13. I've been playing around a long time."
Now she has preserved some of her music onto a more permanent medium. "Thanks to digital recording, I have a studio set up in my house where I've been busy catching up on recording all the songs I've writtenover the past 25 years," said Swan.
She has three releases, which will be available for purchase- 1998's "Tango Tree." and 2002's "Pamarama" and "Sprinkles." Her next album, "Will be of an acoustic Blusey nature. I hope to have it out by 2004," she said.
Bialczak's other slotswent to (in ascending order) Deadwaite's "sinner Time"; Colleen Sexton's "Greatest Find"
A.S.A.'s "A Subtle Wind Did Shivers Send";The Flashcubes, "Brilliant"; Roosevelt Dean's "Somewhere'Round Georgia"; The Kennedys' "Stand"; Dana's "Short Order"; Amanda Rogers " The Places You Dwell"; and Tom Townsley's "Blue Roller

Modern Folk With Swan
Syracuse NY (Mark Bialczak)

MODERN FOLK WITH SWAN BY MARK BIALCZAK . Pamme Swan isn't afraid to let the world
look at her life. With her latest disc "Sprinkles" the singer-songwriter from Hamilton
uses her ringing guitar and unique vocals to detail what makes her tick. With her Joni Mitchell like vocals unrolling in "Calico Crowns" you just want to know whether her friend Jen helps her sort it all out. Then there's the good time "Jammin" with some guys from Hamiltonio on "Tequila Manhattans". "There's more to a buzz than a worm and a lime," she says. The kiddie story "Ed" tells of how she and her kids
came upon their little rat dog Ed. Now he devotedly guards her band stand. Good boy, Ed! Great songs Pamme. "Sprinkles" has 12 songs and it runs 42:01. Put it on when: You feel like hearing a story teller share her tales on life- past, present, and future.
Mostly happiness and satisfaction