Echoes de Luxe is the kind of band you want to hang out with. Comprised of Rick Swan, Brahm Bourque, Justin K. Smith and Matt Lesser, EDL is band of East coast friendly misfits with enough style sense to make you feel, well, in-superior. Aww. Well, that’s what bands do – give us non-musicians something to strive for, so you can’t blame them. I sat down with lead singer Rick Swan to talk fashion, mustaches and Jaws. Here you go.
JBJones: So we’re gonna talk fashion today. Not sure if that’s what you signed on for, but –
Rick Swan: Well, luckily they go hand in hand.
JBJones: Not a lot of bands think so.
Rick Swan: Most people see a band before they hear a band these days. It didn’t used to be like that. I remember being a huge Depeche Mode fan and then my dad gave me this calendar of the band for Christmas and I was like 11 or 12, and it put me in a tail-spin: ‘I like the music of this band, but the their look is so strange.’ Of course, it made sense later. But as a band I suppose you don’t want [fashion] to be the focus, but these days you kind of have to accept the fact that it is part of all of it and use it to your advantage.
JBJones: It is. And it’s unexpected. What’s your dream locale to play?
Rick Swan: Hammersmith, PA.
JBJones: Three words to describe the EDL sound.
Rick Swan: Raw yet refined.
JBJones: When did you first pick up a guitar?
Rick Swan: When I was around eight, but that was only for like a day. But, I remember going to a friend’s when I was like 15. He was the type of person you would never expect to have a guitar, and he had this electric guitar in his bedroom, and I was like: ‘If he can play the guitar, I’m definitely going to play guitar.’
JBJones: Rank these: food, water, new guitar, the perfect pair of jeans, being a full-time musician.
Rick Swan: How about being a full-time musician with a bottle of water in my hand? Wearing an awesome pair of jeans and holding a brand new guitar. I think I cheated.
JBJones: It’s okay; you’re probably allowed to cheat. Let’s talk clothes. Three words to describe your style.
Rick Swan: Urban English cool. ..does that sound egotistical?
JBJones: No, not at all! But we’ll add that just in case. Do you have a fashion inspiration or icon?
Rick Swan: I think you can rock anything as long as you own it. You could walk down the street wearing a Cosby sweater and neon sweat pants, as long as you know how to walk with it. I guess that’s what inspires me.
JBJones: And the hair – what’s the inspiration there?
Rick Swan: Well, I’ve done probably every hairstyle you could possibly imagine. Long hair, short hair, spiked hair, mohawks – everything. I guess I’ve just been trying to find what really works. Like with music. But to be quite honest, I think this is the hairstyle I would like to keep for a long, long time.
JBJones: I know you’ve been getting a lot of great feedback on it. (Rick’s hair is amazing. That’s all I’m gonna say. You have to go witness it yourself.)
Rick Swan: It’s been getting some pretty good feedback, from what I have heard. I was in Vegas when it was really long, and people would ask if they could get a picture with me. I think they thought I was someone else, but I have no idea who.
JBJones: This is a little Pop Quiz. Ready? Eyeliner or no eyeliner?
Rick Swan: Man, that’s tough. I’ll tell you, I was probably the only kid in my high school that actually wore eyeliner in Maine, and amazingly enough I never got beat up. Pretty remarkable. I would wear silver pleather pants, purple hair and eyeliner, and no one fucked with me.
JBJones: Well, you just lead into my second question in the Pop Quiz, which is: Black or silver pants?
Rick Swan: Aww. These days I would say black. If you asked me when I was 17, I would say silver.
JBJones: See-through shirt or no shirt?
Rick Swan: I would have to go with ‘no shirt.’
JBJones: Really? Cuz if there is anyone I know who could rock the see-through shirt, it’s you.
Rick Swan: I’d probably have to wax my chest…see-though shirt with chest hair – weird, right?
JBJones: What’s your favorite place to shop?
Rick Swan: Gotta say, I don’t have one. Everything that I really love is either given to me or I found at some vintage shop somewhere.
JBJones: When you are rich and famous, which will you do first: develop a perfume line, a clothing line or a signature guitar?
Rick Swan: If I felt more confident about my actual guitar playing, I think I would do the guitar. But, I have to be honest, it’s tough to find clothes that really fit right, so for my own selfish reasons I would probably create my own clothing line so I always have shit that fits.
JBJones: What’s your signature accessory?
Rick Swan: I rock a bandana. Well, besides the hair. And there’s the ‘stache.
JBJones: It’s a great mustache, and you totally rock it. If you were in a fire and could only grab two of the following, which would you pick: toothbrush, your favorite jacket, your address book, your favorite guitar, your second favorite guitar, your girlfriend’s favorite jacket, or your girlfriend’s guitar. Go.
Rick Swan: Aww. I guess since I’m not tied to possessions that much, I could probably do without my stuff. I’d save both of our guitars.
JBJones: What do you wear when you’re not on stage?
Rick Swan: In a sea of ironic t-shirts, grunge revival, and Ed Hardy – after awhile you’re like: I’m just not. For me it’s about a white v-neck tee, the right pair of jeans, the right pair of shades and shoes and you could stand out in the crowd if you know how to rock it.
JBJones: Fill in the blank: The (blank) album inspired me to wear (blank).
Rick Swan: I would have to say Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind’ album inspire me to wear whatever the fuck I wanted to.
JBJones: Next: The movie (blank) is my ultimate fashion inspiration.
Rick Swan: Hmmm, fashion inspiration?
JBJones: How about music inspiration?
Rick Swan: Well, I’ll tell you the movie ‘Jaws’ is my ultimate life inspiration for bizarre reasons. I think I was about seven when I saw it, and I had just started drawing at that point, and I just had to draw some kind of picture of a shark that would capture the kind of fear/emotion that you saw on screen, and I never really got around to it. When I actually did end up picking up a guitar, that’s when I found out, that this is how I can capture that, and that was IT.
JBJones: (Blank) has the worst style I have ever seen.
Rick Swan: America.
JBJones: Oh, that’s good! So, what’s next for Echoes de Luxe?
Rick Swan: Spreading the word that the EP exists. Live shows. Playing around Southern California and touching base with our people back in New England. Hopefully doing some shows back there.