Locals Only: : Lo Fidelity All-Stars

It’s a snowy winter evening as the members of Swissfarlo gather around a back table in a Northside bar. The four — bassist/vocalist Matt Gossett, drummer Andrew Hagood, guitarist/vocalist Tim Heyl and guitarist Andy Kroner — have convened to discuss a bit of band history as well as their recently released full-length debut, Boxed, a catchy collection of fuzzed-out, lo-fi guitar Pop that’s guaranteed to stick in your cortex for days.

In keeping with their modest production values, Swissfarlo is just as lo-fi in person — they’re helpful, but not exactly illuminating. Ninety minutes, several beers and a few quesadillas later, here’s what we uncover:

Swissfarlo begins as two high school buddies (Heyl and Kroner) messing around with guitars and a four-track in a West side Cincinnati basement. A couple years later, the two hook up with friend Michael Bond’s fledgling lo-fi collective, datawaslost, and release a smattering of homemade recordings. In January 2001, the duo becomes a quartet with the addition of Poste Haste’s Mike Winters on drums and high school buddy Gossett on bass. The four play several gigs around town and record Boxed in the spring of 2002. In November of the same year, shortly after the release of Boxed, Winters moves to Philadelphia and Hagood is brought in to play drums.

And there you have it.

Granted, not exactly the stuff of debaucherous Rock & Roll legend.

Yet, even after spending a short time with these guys, there’s little doubt where Swissfarlo’s priorities lie — first and foremost, they’re about making good music. And while Boxed is a stellar first effort, one gets the impression it’s just the tip of the creative iceberg for these crafty, do-it-yourself diehards.

A few days after our initial gathering, CityBeat catches up with Heyl for another round of Q&A.

CityBeat: Several bands come to mind when listening to Boxed, yet you guys mentioned that you didn’t really listen to lo-fi stuff growing up. Is the lo-fi approach a matter of circumstance or a preferred aesthetic?

Tim Heyl: Growing up was weird for us since we went to Catholic schools in the sense that hardly anyone was really into music like we were. And this was before the age of Napster, so we really had a hard time discovering new music. I discovered lo-fi music in college, so I had plenty of lo-fi experience before Swissfarlo. I think the cool thing about lo-fi — at least the good stuff — is the emphasis on all the things that I think are inherent to good music: good songs, No. 1; a unique approach not hindered by traditional viewpoints; and a handmade touch: “Hey a real person made this.” It’s my opinion that a good song, no matter how shittily it was recorded, will often stand up. And to me, if you can make a piece of art — be it an album, or whatever — in the exact way you want to, why do it any other way? But, yeah, we don’t have any money either.

CB: Lyrically, most of the songs on Boxed are pretty vague. Was that intentional?

TH: They’re vague because I am not a very good lyricist. Not that I haven’t gotten better, it’s just that a majority of the songs on Boxed are really quite old. Already, our new material has some nice lyrical focus to it … I’ve always thought Matt (Gossett) was a good lyricist.

CB: You guys have a pretty swanky Web site. Talk a bit about the importance of the Internet as a creative marketing tool.

TH: Michael (Bond, of datawaslost and co-producer of Boxed) designed it. It’s great. It’s like having the world’s coolest business card — except you don’t have to worry about someone losing it. You tell someone to check you out and boom — they instantly have a bio, pictures, mp3s, anything. That’s awesome. I can’t really imagine doing any of this without the Internet. Even when we were getting started, the Mallory guys heard our crappy MP3s on

It’s a snowy winter evening as the members of Swissfarlo gather around a back table in a Northside bar. The four — bassist/vocalist Matt Gossett, drummer Andrew Hagood, guitarist/vocalist Tim Heyl and guitarist Andy Kroner — have convened to discuss a bit of band history as well as their recently released full-length debut, Boxed, a catchy collection of fuzzed-out, lo-fi guitar Pop that’s guaranteed to stick in your cortex for days.

In keeping with their modest production values, Swissfarlo is just as lo-fi in person — they’re helpful, but not exactly illuminating. Ninety minutes, several beers and a few quesadillas later, here’s what we uncover:

Swissfarlo begins as two high school buddies (Heyl and Kroner) messing around with guitars and a four-track in a West side Cincinnati basement. A couple years later, the two hook up with friend Michael Bond’s fledgling lo-fi collective, datawaslost, and release a smattering of homemade recordings. In January 2001, the duo becomes a quartet with the addition of Poste Haste’s Mike Winters on drums and high school buddy Gossett on bass. The four play several gigs around town and record Boxed in the spring of 2002. In November of the same year, shortly after the release of Boxed, Winters moves to Philadelphia and Hagood is brought in to play drums.

And there you have it.

Granted, not exactly the stuff of debaucherous Rock & Roll legend.

Yet, even after spending a short time with these guys, there’s little doubt where Swissfarlo’s priorities lie — first and foremost, they’re about making good music. And while Boxed is a stellar first effort, one gets the impression it’s just the tip of the creative iceberg for these crafty, do-it-yourself diehards.

A few days after our initial gathering, CityBeat catches up with Heyl for another round of Q&A.

CityBeat: Several bands come to mind when listening to Boxed, yet you guys mentioned that you didn’t really listen to lo-fi stuff growing up. Is the lo-fi approach a matter of circumstance or a preferred aesthetic?

Tim Heyl: Growing up was weird for us since we went to Catholic schools in the sense that hardly anyone was really into music like we were. And this was before the age of Napster, so we really had a hard time discovering new music. I discovered lo-fi music in college, so I had plenty of lo-fi experience before Swissfarlo. I think the cool thing about lo-fi — at least the good stuff — is the emphasis on all the things that I think are inherent to good music: good songs, No. 1; a unique approach not hindered by traditional viewpoints; and a handmade touch: “Hey a real person made this.” It’s my opinion that a good song, no matter how shittily it was recorded, will often stand up. And to me, if you can make a piece of art — be it an album, or whatever — in the exact way you want to, why do it any other way? But, yeah, we don’t have any money either.

CB: Lyrically, most of the songs on Boxed are pretty vague. Was that intentional?

TH: They’re vague because I am not a very good lyricist. Not that I haven’t gotten better, it’s just that a majority of the songs on Boxed are really quite old. Already, our new material has some nice lyrical focus to it … I’ve always thought Matt (Gossett) was a good lyricist.

CB: You guys have a pretty swanky Web site. Talk a bit about the importance of the Internet as a creative marketing tool.

TH: Michael (Bond, of datawaslost and co-producer of Boxed) designed it. It’s great. It’s like having the world’s coolest business card — except you don’t have to worry about someone losing it. You tell someone to check you out and boom — they instantly have a bio, pictures, mp3s, anything. That’s awesome. I can’t really imagine doing any of this without the Internet. Even when we were getting started, the Mallory guys heard our crappy MP3s on mp3.com and were interested in eventually hooking up for a show when both of our bands were ready. We started as an MP3 band.

CB: You guys seem very laid-back about the band and its ambitions, creatively or otherwise. With that said, define your idea of success.

TH: Yeah. I get that impression of us, too. It’s not really a lack of seriousness either. So many bands are banking on record deals and all that crap that, honestly, I don’t have time to think about right now. We’re achieving a level of success that, right now, we are pretty happy with. Granted, I’m a bit anxious to be a bit more “successful,” but all in all we are laid-back guys. I’d hate to burn out on Swissfarlo by going at it hardcore for a year straight and then not succeeding. I’d rather do it at a pace that’s comfortable — but not too comfortable: you always gotta be pushing. We’re getting better as a band and we’re writing better songs … and finally, people are at least perking their heads up and noticing.

CB: What’s next for Swissfarlo?

TH: Another album that’s more focused, maybe more experimental, recorded better, better songs. More out-of-town shows. And hopefully, with the help of datawaslost, a more focused marketing effort so that we can keep doing this thing if we see fit. I guess I’m really hoping that something happens for datawaslost sometime soon. I think 2003 is the year of datawaslost. We’ve got some cool things planned, and I’m glad Swissfarlo can be a part of it. And if that wave comes, Swissfarlo will ride it … that’s half the point.

This article appears in Jan 29 – Feb 4, 2003.