Lots of folks will make lots of comparisons when discussing the Clearwater Swimmers, a rock group that features Sumner Bright on guitar and vocals, Sander Casale on guitar, Timothy Graff on drums/percussion, and Connor Kennedy on bass and vocals. Some may cite Red House Painters, others Andy Shauf, Jason Molina and/or Sun Kil Moon. Some are right—and wrong. What comes to my mind when listening to them are Neil Young with Crazy Horse once Frank “Poncho” Sampedro joined the fold for the Zuma sessions. The warm guitar tones spark a succession of sonic tsunamis through the soul, while Sumner comes close to achieving Young’s high lonesome vocals.
“Heaven’s a Bar,” released yesterday, is but the first example, while their self-titled album—slated for release on October 4—provides plenty more.
The band came together after Bright relocated from Maine to Queens, NY, and began posting one-mic demos online; Casale heard them and, to truncate a long story into a few words, a band was born. They embarked on a quick tour together and then recorded the album over three days at Big Nice Studio in Providence, RI, with Bradford Krieger.
The Old Grey Cat 
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