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Malcolm Swann
FYI
Obituaries: Edmonton Rock Frontman Malcolm Swann, L7 Bassist and Songwriter Jennifer Finch
This week we also acknowledge the passing of Southern rock pioneer Alan Walden and Joe Melson, a writer of classic Roy Orbison hits.
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Malcolm Swann, a vocalist, songwriter and musician best known for his 1980s work in Edmonton bands Office and Voice, died on July 9, at the age of 65.
Dave Bacon (SNFU), a bandmate and close friend of Swann, noted that ''Malcolm got his chops at Shawnigan Lake, a private/boarding school on Vancouver Island, where music was a main part of the curriculum.'' Swann also studied in the music program at Grant MacEwan College (now MacEwan University) in Edmonton.
He then helped form Office, described in the Museum of Canadian Music as ''an Edmonton art-rock group whose music combined progressive rock, punk, new wave and theatrical pop. Active from 1981 until late 1982, the band featured Malcolm Swann on vocals, electric harpsichord, guitar and string synthesizer, Jeff Sawatzky on bass, synthesizer pedals and vocals, Vincent Evans on guitar, synthesizer, 'vibro slide' and vocals and Phil Young on drums, congas and vocals.
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Sawatzky recalls the origins of the band to Billboard Canada: "I was 17 when I first met Malcolm Swann. 1981. The band Office was trying to coax him into joining as our lead singer. The kinship was pretty much instantaneous. Finally someone as talented and crazy as I was. My crazy was a little introverted but Malcolm’s crazy was CINEMATIC. Tap shoes and bowties.''
According to Museum of Canadian Music, ''Office became known throughout Edmonton and Calgary for unusual stage presentations that matched the sharp humour and elaborate arrangements of its songs. The performances were theatrical and deliberately provocative, but the musicianship remained central. Synthesizers, electric harpsichord, processed guitars and an active rhythm section gave Office a sound that moved freely between art rock, progressive rock and punk-informed new wave.''
"In July 1982, Office released its only vinyl release, a self-titled three-song EP comprising the tracks 'Matricide,’ 'King’s Road' and 'Physical.' Swann wrote or co-wrote the first two songs, while 'Physical' was a cover of the Olivia Newton-John hit. A career highlight for the short-lived band was an opening slot for Duran Duran in Edmonton in July 1982."
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Some extra recordings by Office, including a session at CBC Radio-Canada in Edmonton, have since been preserved and made available through Sawatzky’s Office and Voice archive.
Museum of Canadian Music reports that ''Office disbanded in late 1982. Although they left behind only one independently released EP and a small number of surviving radio and live recordings, the group occupied a distinctive place in Edmonton’s early-1980s underground. Its combination of progressive musicianship, synthesizers, satire and confrontational stagecraft connected the city’s art-rock past with the emerging punk and new wave scenes.''
The next move for Swann was to Voice, in 1983. Sawatzky tells Billboard Canada that ''We formed Voice together and with the help of Maury Duchamp we talked [drummer] Sherri Leigh Iwaschuk and [keyboardist] Dwayne Goettel into joining. Our musical spirit finally had some purpose and we turned Voice into a powerhouse in less than a year.
''Things went a little sideways when Malcolm actually fired me from the band. I wanted to keep being progressive and edgy and Malcolm wanted to be The Thompson Twins.''
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Sawatzky and Iwaschuk later worked together in Vancouver on Sarah McLachlan's 1988 debut album,Touch.
Museum of Canadian Music writes that ''Built around synthesizers, drum programming, live percussion and Swann’s expressive vocals, Voice carried forward the electronic experimentation and theatrical sensibility Swann and Sawatzky had developed in Office while moving toward a more melodic, shadowy sound shaped by intricate sequencing and post-punk atmosphere.''
"Voice's recording debut was a limited 1983 cassette featuring ‘Holiday,’ ‘Smile’ and an alternate version of ‘Lime.’ Sawatzky later preserved live and studio recordings from the original lineup, including material recorded at Edmonton’s Primetime club. After his departure, Voice developed into a five-piece featuring Swann, Goettel and Iwaschuk with Rod Wolfe on bass, keyboards and vocals and Bill Damur on guitars, lute and vocals. The expanded instrumentation brought a broader harmonic range and stronger compositional focus, adding guitar, bass and lute to the group’s electronic foundation.''
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''The transition from Office into Voice also placed Swann and Sawatzky at an important point between Edmonton’s theatrical art-rock culture and the electronic music that would emerge from the city later in the decade.'' The late Goettel's subsequent impactful work in Psyche and Skinny Puppy also brought Voice's music increased attention.
On Facebook, Sawatzky explains the work he has been doing in preserving the legacy of Office and Voice. ''When I first started doing these remastered audio/video things, it was pretty much a selfish endeavour. I didn’t really give a f*& what anyone thought, I just knew these songs needed to be preserved and made public…not just in an archival sense but in the fact that this was all such beautiful music and unfortunately both Office and Voice were overlooked in the grand scheme of things.
''Malcolm was incredibly enthusiastic about what I was doing and loved it when I shared some new video with him. His enthusiasm kept me going as well as the incredibly good response I got from the Skinny Puppy family who love hearing where Dwayne came from. I’m very proud of what I’ve managed to accomplish in just one year…saving music history one song at a time.''
Post-Voice, in 1987 Swann joined loveslaughter, an Edmonton band led by Dave Bacon, formerly a member of punk favourites SNFU. On Facebook, Bacon posted that ''We were a three-piece band, but we added Malcolm into the fold on keyboards, sax, and background vocals. We were getting lots of media, partly because of my SNFU history, and largely because of Malcolm’s history in the music scene as leader of the bands Voice and Office. Those new wave bands the punks referred to. He had some pull that worked in our favour.''
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Bacon informs Billboard Canada that ''Malcolm did contribute some to songwriting, mostly with arrangements. We recorded some stuff but broke up before anything was released. There is some of it floating around in people’s possession. My copy was lost when the SNFU van was stolen.''
As news of Swann's death circulated, plenty of tributes were posted on social media or sent to Billboard Canada
Veteran Edmonton-based artist Wilfred Kozuk (Wilfred N & the Grown Men) sent Billboard Canada this tribute: ''Malcolm's bands Voice and Office were happening in Edmonton around the same time as Wilfred N & the Grown Men. I remember seeing them - fresh and intriguing.
''But I really only met Malcolm a little later when he was a waiter at Bistro Praha in Edmonton. We chatted a few times at music conferences and I knew him more recently again when he worked at Long & McQuade music. He sold me the perfect short scale bass guitar (violin bass) when my wife was learning to play bass with me during the pandemic. Malcolm was always very kind and pleasant towards me. He had a lot of friends and admirers and there is quite an outpouring of love for him.''
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Jim Gray, former frontman of popular '80s Edmonton band Darkroom, offered this tribute to Billboard Canada: ''Malcolm was a uniquely strong force with a plan. He had his own style, and would never bend in a time when being different was hard to do. I was shocked and saddened to hear of his passing.He will be missed. Condolences.''
In a tribute he posted on Facebook, Dave Bacon recalled that ''I moved to Edmonton in 1983 from Saskatoon. I was mostly involved with the punk rock scene after arriving. Over the first several months I often heard the name Malcolm Swann.
''Eventually I was introduced to Malcolm and what I discovered was that he was actually my kind of people. I interacted with Malcolm here and there, but mostly downtown, and mostly around Bistro Praha, where he worked. Small talk. Music talk. I loved his quirky, well-mannered customs.
''Something I will never forget about Malcolm; his sense of decorum, his loyalty to his friends, and what a great human he was. Malcolm was funny, polite and refined, always looking out for people. He was an amazing server in the culinary world. But above all, a talented, gifted musician.
''Over the last several years both of us became somewhat hermetic and so our social relations were less frequent. But we always had time for each other whenever we met. We had been so close for so many years. I will miss him, as I have for some years, but now there is no way to bump into him and make like no time has passed. Thank you, Malcolm for 43 years of memories, friendship, and love. Thank you for always being on my side.''
Sheri Leigh Iwaschuk sent this tribute to Billboard Canada: ''It’s been decades since I’ve seen Malcolm. When he called late last year, we picked up basically where we left off. I had a lot of respect for Malcolm and I felt he had that for me too. He was a gentle soul. He was a gifted soul. He spent hours honing his craft. I saw him do this even when he didn’t know that I did.
''He rehearsed every move, every note, every pose. He took his musical career very seriously, and was really good at it. He spawned in me a curiosity of culture that I had not yet experienced in my young life. It was probably his interest in mentoring people like me that created that interest. Rest well, my dear friend and musical colleague. Our years together in Voice launched a very high standard for myself, and I am eternally grateful.''
Jeff Sawatzky posted on Facebook that ''We knew each other for 45 years. First met when we talked him into joining Office back in 1981. We kept in touch and I'm glad I got to see him, albeit briefly, last year. He was the voice of Voice and he was a splash of Technicolor in a black and white world and I'm a better person and musician for knowing him. Goodbye, Mr. Swann.''
International
Jennifer Finch, longtime bassist and songwriter for legendary American punk/alt-rock band L7, has died on July 18, after a battle with an aggressive form of brain cancer. She was 59.
Her death was confirmed by her family and bandmates, just days after the band announced she would be unable to take part in L7’s farewell world tour because of her illness. In a statement, L7 writes that ''We are shattered by the loss of our beloved bandmate, sister and friend, whose fierce spirit, humor and boundless creativity helped shape L7 and changed all of our lives forever.
“Jennifer was a true original who lived entirely on her own terms, and the impact she made on music, art and everyone lucky enough to know her cannot be measured. We love her beyond words and will carry her with us always. Rest in power, our dear friend.”
Following Finch's diagnosis, friends and family launched a GoFundMe campaign to assist with professional in-home nursing care, rehabilitation, medical equipment and home support. The response from the music community was immediate, with donations exceeding US$375,000. Contributors included Brett Gurewitz, Garbage, Kathleen Hanna, Sub Pop Records, Jeff Ament, Maynard James Keenan (Tool) and Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman.
A Billboard obituary reports that ''Finch was a core member of L7’s classic lineup, anchoring the band’s guitar-heavy attack with a bass style that was blunt, melodic and built for maximum impact.
''Alongside Donita Sparks, Suzi Gardner and Dee Plakas, she helped define L7’s place at the intersection of punk, metal, grunge and alternative rock, where the band’s distortion-heavy songs carried sharp humor and political bite.
''Formed in Los Angeles in 1985, L7 broke through during the alternative boom of the early ’90s, becoming known for songs including 'Pretend We’re Dead,' 'Shove,' 'Andres' and 'Fuel My Fire.' Their 1992 album, Bricks Are Heavy, produced by Butch Vig, became a cornerstone release for the band, pairing sludgy riffs and shout-along hooks with a restless, anti-gloss spirit
''The loss of Finch closes the career of one of the defining musicians of the American punk and grunge movement. As a member of L7 during both its breakthrough years and its reunion era, she helped establish the band’s uncompromising sound while contributing songs, artwork and creative direction that extended well beyond the bass guitar. Her death also comes only months before L7 was due to begin its 'Last Hurrah Tour,' the group’s planned farewell to audiences after more than 40 years.
Billboard also observes that '' Finch’s work with L7 was part of a broader creative life that extended beyond the stage. She was also a photographer, writer and visual artist, building a multidisciplinary practice that reflected the same raw, self-directed spirit she brought to music.''
Finch joined L7 in 1986 after earlier playing with Sugar Babydoll alongside Courtney Love and Kat Bjelland. She remained with the band throughout its most commercially successful period, recording the albums L7 (1988), Smell The Magic (1990), Bricks Are Heavy (1992) and Hungry For Stink (1994). She also wrote several songs for the band, including “(Right On) Thru,” “Everglade,” “One More Thing” and “Shirley.”
She left L7 in 1996, Finch forming OtherStarPeople before later founding The Shocker. She remained active as a musician while also building a respected career as a photographer, documenting Southern California’s punk scene. Her photographic collection, 14 and Shooting, was later exhibited at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
L7 reunited in 2014 with Finch, Donita Sparks, Suzi Gardner and Dee Plakas, leading to extensive international touring, the acclaimed documentary L7: Pretend We’re Dead and the release of Scatter The Rats in 2019, the band’s first studio album in two decades. Finch contributed the song “Garbage Truck” to the album.
Despite her illness, Finch asked her bandmates to continue with the concerts. Japanese bassist Tsuzumi Okai had been announced as Finch’s temporary replacement for the U.S. dates.
Amongst those paying homage to Finch and her legacy was famed Canadian rock producer and engineer, Garth Richardson. On Facebook, he posted that ''I'm gutted to hear about Jennifer Finch. I had the opportunity to work with L7 with Joe Barresi. Jennifer and band mates paved the way in so many ways. We will top a glass in her honour RIP Ms Finch. We will miss you!''
Joe Melson, an American songwriter best known for co-writing many Roy Orbison classics, died on July 1, at age 91.
Parade credited him with being “behind some of rock’s greatest operatic ballads” and helping to shape the sound of Roy Orbison.
Orbison’s Facebook page has paid tribute, stating that ''On July 1, we said goodbye to the man who heard, in Roy, a voice the world didn’t know it needed yet. In 1959, a young songwriter named Joe Melson tapped on the window of Roy’s car in West Texas. Roy was sitting there, guitar in hand, working out a melody the way he often did. That knock on the glass changed everything. Joe heard something in Roy — a voice built for heartbreak, for the operatic, for songs that didn’t just tell as story but ached. What followed was one of the great songwriting partnerships in America.”
The post credits Melson with writing hits such as “Only the Lonely,” Crying,” “Running Scared,” “Blue Angel'' and “Blue Bayou'' with Orbison. “Songs that didn’t just chart, they invented a sound,” the post continues. “It was Joe’s voice you hear on that famous ‘dum, dum, dum, dumby doo-wah’ opening ‘Only the Lonely,’ setting the stage for Roy to soar. Joe used to call his songs ‘mood elevators.’ He and Roy built over 120 of them together.''
“Joe was rightfully inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018, a long-overdue recognition for a man some called the most unsung hero in songwriting,. But to our family, he was something simpler and dearer: the friend who saw what was possible in Roy before the rest of the world did, and who never stopped being proud of what they built together. We send our deepest gratitude for a partnership that gave the world ‘the Roy Orbison sound.’ Rest easy, Joe. Thank you for hearing it first. – The Orbison family.”“
''Only the Lonely” and “Crying” are both in the Grammy Hall of Fame and both made Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list.
Alan Walden, the artist manager, promoter and publisher who helped launch the careers of Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Allman Brothers Band and Otis Redding, died on July 16, at age 83.
Walden died in Macon, Georgia, after spending several weeks in hospice care. His daughter Jessica Walden confirmed his death.
An obituary in Parade reports that ''Walden was one of the architects of Southern rock long before the genre became a national phenomenon. Alongside his older brother Phil Walden, he helped build Capricorn Records into the label that introduced The Allman Brothers Band to a wider audience and became synonymous with Southern rock. Earlier in his career, he worked closely with soul icon Otis Redding, helping manage the singer during his breakthrough years before Redding's tragic death in 1967.''
WPGA News notes that ''Walden helped launch the careers of artists including Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Outlaws and Otis Redding. In 1965, Walden opened Redwal Music alongside his brother Phil Walden and Redding, working to break racial barriers in the music industry.
Larry Brumley, overseer of Capricorn Sound Studios, said the three partners purchased a building on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in downtown Macon with plans to give Redding a local place to record. "Tragically, Otis died in a plane crash just a few months later.”
Parade reports that ''Alan Walden's influence stretched well beyond those legendary acts [Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Allman Brothers Band and Otis Redding]. During his decades in the music business, Walden worked with artists including Sam & Dave, Percy Sledge, Clarence Carter, Arthur Conley, Al Green, Etta James, Boz Scaggs and The Outlaws. He also co-founded Redwal Music, whose catalog included classics such as 'Respect,' '(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay,' 'Soul Man' and 'I've Been Loving You Too Long.'''
''After leaving Capricorn in 1970, Walden founded Hustler's Inc. and auditioned a large number of groups before discovering Lynyrd Skynyrd. In an interview, Walden recalled that '"I went on a talent search for that 'special' band and auditioned 187 bands in one year and I only kept one! The 13th band I auditioned was LYNYRD SKYNYRD!!! I changed my lucky number from 5 to 13!"
Walden took the Jacksonville band to Muscle Shoals to record demos before eventually helping secure its first recording contract. He managed the band through its formative years, helping lay the groundwork for enduring classics including "Free Bird," "Sweet Home Alabama," "Simple Man" and "Gimme Three Steps." He later parted ways with the group in 1974 but retained enormous pride in what they had accomplished together.
Reflecting on the artist who meant the most to him, Walden reserved his highest praise for Redding. "I began with Otis Redding who remained my favorite and accomplished more than them all put together," Walden told Swampland. "He put the 'S' and the 'O' in SOUL MUSIC. It never got any better than OTIS!"
Walden was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 2003 in recognition of his contributions to the music industry.
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