Chatting with Rafferty Swink of psych-rock band Evolfo

Rock At Night

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By Chyrisse Tabone, Rock At Night Tampa Correspondent

OR DOWNLOAD AND LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW ON iTUNES HERE

Recently I received a copy of a soon-to-be-released EP, Last of the Acid Cowboys by New York City-based band Evolfo and I decided to give it a whirl after seeing a video for the song “Wild Man”. The funk-driven groove and fantastic award-winning animation video further enticed me to listen to the EP. So, I burned a copy of it and took it on a three-hour trek across the state of Florida–and probably hit “repeat” about six times. The five-song EP consists of a mix of songs averaging three-minutes in length and can be described as a mix of retro genres: 60’s R&B (e.g., the soundtrack of “The Commitments”), 60’s psych/garage rock (e.g., The 13th Floor Elevators), 80’s New-Wave (e.g, B-52s), 60’s British Mod, guitar-twangy alt-rock music (e.g., The Toadies), and the Black Keys (which are retro-revival garage rock anyway). The EP of danceable music has a party vibe, a nice kick due to cool organ riffs and chord progressions, and finally a punchy horn section, which consists of a sax, trombone, and trumpet. Listening to the EP made me pine for a full album, which I hope will transpire in the near future.

So, of course, this EP had the makings of “let’s interview this band” all over it. Rock At Night interviewed Rafferty Swink, the man behind the cool retro organ/synth playing. First off, I wondered what the name Evolfo actually meant and thought perhaps it was a derivation of “evolution.” I was so wrong. It actually is “of love” spelled backwards and Evolfo is actually a second generation band which actually was conceived by Matthew Gibbs (vocals/guitar) back in high school. The band was later reformed during his college days at Berklee in Boston, where he met fellow members approximately five years ago. According to Swink the band played more “groove-based funk music” at the time. Now, the music has finally come into its own, which he describes as “psych-rock that we all love” with a 60s soul core and more “traditional rock and rock” rooted in a Memphis or New Orleans sound. Think Stax Records. Swink continues, “The sound is more genuinely us” and he further explained how Last of the Acid Cowboys was recorded using an 8-track tape machine and vintage analog equipment.

During the interview, Rafferty Swink and Rock At Night discussed the upcoming West Coast tour to Oregon and California; analysis of the songs from the new EP Last of the Acid Cowboys; and how Evolfo achieves their vintage sound of genre-bending music.

Last of the Acid Cowboys will be released September 16 and will be available in digital format and even cassette tape (yes, they are serious about vintage) on the record label, King Pizza Records. According to Swink, it will not be pressed in vinyl yet—but there is always wishful thinking on my part.

Members: Matthew Gibbs, Angelo Spampinato, Rafferty Swink, Ronnie Lanzilotta, Jared Yee, Kai Sorensen, Benjamin Allen Adams

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NY Dates and West Coast Tour

	Date	Venue	Location		Tickets
	Aug 20	ToeJam 421 w/ Band of Young Saints,…	Milton, NY		Tickets
	Sep 15	Evolfo EP Release Show feat. Street Smells // The Mad Doctors w/ Street Smells, The Mad…	New York, NY
	Sep 21	DOUG FIR LOUNGE w/ Ezra Bell, redray…	Portland, OR
	Sep 22	The Dugout	Olympia, WA
	Sep 24	Hi Fi Music Hall	Eugene, OR
	Sep 25	Grizzly Peak Winery	Ashland, OR
	Sep 26	Talent Club	Talent, OR
	Sep 28	Velvet Jones w/ clean spill, Earl And…	Santa Barbara, CA		Tickets
	Sep 29	Moe’s Alley w/ Spiritual Rez	Santa Cruz, CA		Tickets

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Rock At Night’s theme song is “Get On Down If You Feel Up To It” by Billy “Bass” Alford