The Swirlies

Swirlies is a band from Boston that formed in 1990. Similar to My Bloody Valentine, they have been referred to as shoegaze musicians. Notorious for loud, wall-of-noise guitar music, as well as a twisted quiet side, Swirlies have a fondness for the phrase "sneakyflute music" to describe their endeavors. Their live shows usually culminate with the mechanical failure of some piece of equipment, the interminable tuning of Damon's guitar, or Andy rapt with anxiety by the side of the stage. They have been known to inadvertently break things in hotel rooms and rent-a-vans, and are particularly skilled at signing undesirable (for the band) contracts with people they barely know. These activities have earned them a "bad-boy (and girl)" image in the music industry, thus sending them into such a state of financial ruin that several members have gone on to pursue more lucrative graduate student stipends.

Swirlies released a series of EPs and four albums on the Taang! label before moving on to Bubblecore Records for 2003's Cats of the Wild Volume 2. A handful of singles have also appeared through Slumberland, Pop Narcotic, Simple Machines, Nervous, and others. The band has also released a number of cassettes, CDs, and downloadable albums on its Sneakyflute Empire label, including a rock opera addressing harbored feelings of enmity towards Meg Zamula. Orthogonal to the Zamula affair, bass player and keyboardist Andy Bernick releases Swirlies-related and other material on the Richmond County Archives ur-label, whose guiding principle is the collection and presentation of free music in its natural, chaotic state (NOT to be confused with "lounge music"). Controversial Swirlies offshoot The Yes Girls toured the US and Denmark opening for Mew and also released a limited edition album in 2000 through Sneakyflute Empire/Pehr. Damon Tutunjian also produced Mew's debut album and have appeared on all their albums in one way or another.