Shwa (New CD Out!)

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“Hook-heavy, radio ready songs with elements of Travis and Coldplay but stand on their own merits.”
– On Tap Magazine
SHWA LOSBEN has come a long way from his small hometown in Pennsylvania. Growing up in Holland, PA, just outside of Philadelphia, Losben discovered his musical talents in early childhood. He eventually traveled around the country and overseas, performing in Austin, Chicago, Washington DC and New York City as well as in Rome and London.
Losben (who goes by “Shwa,” short for Joshua) showed his musical ambition by age 10 when he started playing trumpet. “I was last chair in second trumpets for three years,” Losben recalls. “That’s really bad.” By the 7th grade, he had switched to guitar, started a local rock band, and played his first show at age 13 in Junior HS. “It was terrible. I think we did a Pearl Jam and a Beatles cover. I’m pretty sure we were booed heavily,” Losben said. He later played in more “respectable” bands in high school, then moved to Washington DC in 1999 to study International Relations at American University.
It wasn’t until the end of college that he started taking music seriously. He wrote over 60 songs and played open mics throughout the region. During his senior year, he landed a regular stint at the Grog and Tankard in DC where people flocked to see him play not only because of their lenient carding policy. “People started memorizing the words to my songs. It was a great feeling,” Losben said.
After college, he poured his savings into a college tour around the country. At a Thrills concert in early 2004, he met Jim Beardow, a British guitarist with whom Losben immediately meshed and began working on material for their first full band album, "Just a Thought". “I was listening to a lot of Blur at the time and Jim’s favorite guitarist was Graham Coxon. We hit it off right away,” Losben said. They recorded the album that summer under the name “Shwa” at future drummer Mark Reiter’s studio. In 2006 Reiter officially joined the band along with current bassist Justin Ramsdell.
"Just a Thought" garnered significant critical acclaim. The Washington Post named their first single “Come On” as an editor’s pick for the top 10 songs of 2005. XM Radio played Shwa twice in the same hour. Washington DC radio stations DC-101, Y-100, and Z-104 used the words "amazing", "fantastic" and "wow" to describe them.
Tribe.net soon named Shwa the winner of a recording package at the prestigious Indre Studios in Philadelphia, where top artists such as Weezer and Ben Folds Five have cut tracks. The darker "Click Track", a six song EP, was recorded there during the summer of 2005, and was released in May 2006. “It was a pretty ambitious record. I think there are like 30 guitar solos on it,” Losben said.
When the band wasn’t busy finding replacement bassists and drummers, it built a large following of devoted fans, particularly in the Northeast US. They performed regularly in notable venues including The Black Cat, Iota Club and Café, Jammin’ Java, World Café Live, The Point, Club Passim, Paradise Lounge, Rockwood Music Hall, Arlene’s Grocery, and Pianos.
In the summer of 2006, Losben went abroad to London where he also performed in local music venues and practiced speaking with a British accent. During his stay, Losben began writing more songs, which he would later record in 2007 for his first solo album "Chop Chop".
Recorded in the summer of 2007 and produced by longtime friend Taylor Davis and Austin legend Johnny Goudie, "Chop Chop" consists of 10 songs plus a bonus track, all drawing from Losben’s life experiences. “Lyrically it’s a big step,” Losben says. “Every song tells a story from a unique perspective. In a lot of ways, I feel like I’ve found my voice with this album.” Written with candid, narrative lyrics, the songs give detailed accounts of specific memories and people. Tracks entitled “Myriah”, “Abigail” and “Good on Paper” describe women he had met, while title track “Chop Chop” gives a cold observation of working in passionless jobs and “Never Too Soon to Compromise” describes the negative side of a rockstar life.
Drawing comparisons to early Elliott Smith, "Chop Chop" features rich vocal melodies over diverse instruments including guitars, bass, keys, electronic beats, mandolin, and cello. “We were just having a great time recording and wanted an album that reflected that,” Losben said. “At one point we had Dony (Wynn) banging on a toaster with a spoon and Taylor playing mouth trumpet into a microphone that we ran through distortion. It was a lot of fun.”
The product is an honest, indie rock record. “We wanted to make something organic,” Losben said. “I like that there’s a lot of layers to it, but there’s still a lot of space. I think it’s a pretty unique album.”
Shwa will tour in support of "Chop Chop" in early 2008.
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Press for Shwa:
The Washington Post: "Just a Thought finds former solo singer-songwriter Shwa leading a new alt-rock quartet that bears his name and packs plenty of rhythmic vitality and melodic appeal."
Claire Kember (Xfm; TotallyRadio; Radio One UK) “A collection of finely-crafted love lorn songs with strong melodies. It carefully balances the listener’s inclination to sing along, with the urge to throw yourself about to the bursts of jagged and fuzzed up guitars and pissed off drumming. A great combination. Proper musicianship."
Plymouth State University’s The Clock: “Losben’s eloquent songwriting style and indie-rock sensibility sets his music on a higher level from so many other acoustic guitar-wielding solo acts.”
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