Sylvie (USA)

Named for a song by British folk-rockers Matthews Southern Comfort, Sylvie is the nostalgia-steeped collaborative project of SoCal native Ben Schwab (Golden Daze, Drugdealer). Reminiscent of the amber-hued sounds of the Laurel Canyon scene, the project and its 2022 eponymous debut album were inspired by Schwab coming across a box of tapes that had been recorded by his father’s band in the 1970s.

In 1975, John Schwab and his band “Mad Anthony” sat in a barn in Southern California and recorded their songs. It was a narrative that was common during this period – the band was close to a record deal but it never came, and the tapes were stored in a box in a closet. Decades later, in a small town in Ohio, his son Ben Schwab came across them. The recordings would imprint a sound and feeling that he would end up chasing. They were timeless, effortless, and soulful. A harmonic birthright.

Ben had a long career as a professional inline skater that sent waves through the subculture, before watching the industry fade away. Following a period at CalArts, he formed his first band, Golden Daze, and later joined the group Drugdealer. Sylvie is the full return to the musical lineage and spirit that lived in all those lost yet beloved cassettes and reels. True to Mad Anthony’s form, Ben and his friends also sat around in a garage in LA to make these recordings. Of course his father’s voice is featured prominently, he sings one of the songs. Not much has changed.

– Mike Collins (Drugdealer)