Oregon Festival of American Music proudly presents Swang. An acoustic swing string band founded by Alan Phillips and based out of Eugene, Oregon, SWANG performs popular swing and jazz tunes from the 1920s through the 1950s. Their goal is to capture the party-like atmosphere of early jazz using contemporary acoustic stringed instruments. They select from Dixieland, big band, Broadway, country swing and popular songs. This is perfect music for setting a light-hearted mood. It crosses generational boundaries to set toes tapping in the ranks of grandparents and grandchildren alike. Traditional jazz instruments can often overwhelm the crowd with their volume and strident tone. By using stringed instruments instead of wind instruments (like trumpets, clarinets and tubas), SWANG can play intimate acoustic settings or use a sound system to fill any size space.
The members of SWANG include Alan Phillips (leader, guitar & vocals), Tim Miller (bass), Ron Stanley (dobro), Con Sheffer (fiddle), and Jeff Alberts (percussion).