Review Fix Exclusive: The Swellers’ Jonathan Diener Talks ’The Light Under Closed Doors’

November 30, 2013 Patrick Hickey Jr. Music 0

Review Fix chats with The Swellers drummer Jonathan Diener, who discusses the band’s new album, “The Light Under Closed Doors,” as well as the band’s creative process and legacy.

Review Fix: What are the band’s influences?

Jonathan Diener: Musically everything from 90s punk rock to Weezer, Saves The Day and Jimmy Eat World. Lyrically, everyday life and real situations affect the songs.

Review Fix: The lyrics to many of the songs are brooding, but poetic, what’s the band’s song writing process like?

Diener: Nick and I are always working on songs separately and when they’re close to done or something really stands out we’ll show each other. I tend to always be writing lyrics, while Nick will focus on music first then lyrics fit his songs afterward. On this record I would send him a big bulk of lyrics even for songs I haven’t heard and he would fit them in. It’s definitely 50/50 on this one. We each have our full songs and then lyrics that spill into each others.

Review Fix: How was “Becoming Self-Aware” written?

Diener: After a breakup that happened in the middle of a three-month tour, I had a week to spend in Michigan. I decided to stay the hell away from my occupied apartment during the strange transition period and couch surfed with a new friend each night. I learned a lot of valuable lessons, saw good in people for the first time and knew it was time to take control of my life again. The week ended with me getting a tattoo of our DIY label, Snowbird Songs’ logo on my arm so I always remember the new chapter in my life.

Review Fix: What do you think makes the band special?

Diener: We’re normal dudes who work our asses off. We take the time to perfect our songwriting craft and our live show. When we play live we make sure it not only sounds good and big, but the natural energy we have is a huge factor. We love what we do and whether it’s a basement or an arena, you’ll see it.

Review Fix: What song on the album do you think is the best example of what the band is capable of?

Diener: I think “High/Low” shows our dynamic side while, “Favorite Tune” shows the melody and tightness. Each song is a different in a way and when you hear the full album you’ll hear what we do best.

Review Fix: What do you think the band has to do in order to get the recognition you deserve?

Diener: We’ve been trying to find that out for almost 12 years now. I’d personally like to be on big tours, be a household name and make a living off of this. Realistically for now we’re just having fun and not letting crazy goals or big picture ideas get in the way anymore.

Review Fix: How did you decide on an album cover?

Diener: I was sitting in my room looking at our previous albums and their artwork. Each one has a different vibe and color scheme so I wanted to team up with my friend, Ben Sears and do something in his style. Always black and white. Very dark and ominous with this glimpse of hope. The character on the album is from our previous records (loose interpretation of Nick and I) and the bird is from Snowbird Songs, the label we started when we left FBR. It’s all about letting go.

Review Fix: What are your goals as a band?

Diener: Have fun and be remembered.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 13870 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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