Dance Gavin Dance is an American rock band from Sacramento, California, formed in 2005. The band currently consists of vocalist Jon Mess, lead guitarist Will Swan, rhythm guitarist Andrew Wells, and drummer Matthew Mingus. The band formerly included lead vocalists Jonny Craig, Kurt Travis, and Tilian Pearson. The lineup has changed several times since their inception. Swan and Mingus are the only band members who have appeared on every studio album.
Kurt Travis is an American singer, songwriter, and musician from Sacramento, California. He is currently part of the American post-hardcore bands Royal Coda and Push Over and the math rock duo Gold Necklace, and was formerly a vocalist in the rock bands Dance Gavin Dance and A Lot Like Birds.
Stolas was an American post-hardcore band from Las Vegas, Nevada formed in 2011. The band consisted of Carlo Marquez, and Sergio Medina. The band was signed as the first band on Blue Swan Records in 2013, a record label launched by Will Swan of Dance Gavin Dance. They have released one EP, Losing Wings (2012) and three studio albums, Living Creatures (2013), Allomaternal (2014), and Stolas (2017). The group signed to Equal Vision Records in 2016.
Tilian Pearson, also known mononymously as Tilian, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer born in Clearwater, Florida. He was the 3rd clean vocalist for the post-hardcore band Dance Gavin Dance. Pearson began his music career as the lead vocalist and guitarist in the progressive rock band Tides of Man, releasing an extended play and two studio albums before leaving in 2010.
Hail the Sun is an American post-hardcore band from Chico, California. Formed in 2009. the band currently consists of lead vocalist and drummer Donovan Melero, lead guitarist Shane Gann, rhythm guitarist Aric Garcia, and bass guitarist John Stirrat. They are known for their eclectic progressive rock and math rock style, along with traditional elements of screamo and post-hardcore. They released their debut studio album, POW! Right In the Kisser! (2010), and EP, Elephantitis (2012), independently before signing to Blue Swan Records the following year. The group released their sophomore studio album, Wake, in 2014. In 2016, the band departed from the label, signing to Equal Vision Records and released their third studio album, Culture Scars on June 17, 2016, which charted at number 38 on the Billboard Top Rock Albums chart.
Will Swan is an American musician born in San Francisco, California. He is most prominently known as the lead guitarist and founder of the American post-hardcore band Dance Gavin Dance and as the founder of his record label Blue Swan Records. He is also the guitarist for the American rock bands Sianvar, Secret Band, and Royal Coda.
Blue Swan Records is an American record label based in Sacramento, California. The label was founded by American musician and Dance Gavin Dance guitarist Will Swan and has hosted a variety of post-hardcore, metalcore, and progressive rock bands. In 2021, the label signed a publishing contract with BMG Rights Management and partnered with Rise Records.
Sianvar is an American progressive rock band from Sacramento, California, formed in 2013. The group currently consists of lead vocalist Donovan Melero, guitarists Will Swan and Sergio Medina, and drummer Joseph Arrington. The band is signed to Swan's independent record label Blue Swan Records. They released their debut self-titled EP on January 5, 2014 and their debut full-length studio album, Stay Lost, in August 2016. The band announced an indefinite hiatus on April 8, 2019.
Artificial Selection is the eighth studio album by American rock band Dance Gavin Dance, released on June 8, 2018, on Rise Records. It is the follow-up to the band's seventh studio album, Mothership (2016) and is their third consecutive studio release with the same line-up. The album was produced by Kris Crummett, Erik Ron, and Dryw Owens, and was self-produced by Dance Gavin Dance, making it the first release by the band to feature more than one producer.
Royal Coda is an American rock band based in Sacramento, California, formed in 2017. The band currently consists of lead vocalist Kurt Travis, guitarists Sergio Medina and Will Swan, bass guitarist Steffen Gotsch, and drummer Joseph Arrington.
The Skeptic is the third solo studio album by American singer-songwriter and Dance Gavin Dance vocalist Tilian Pearson, released on September 28, 2018, through Future Friends and Rise Records. The album is a follow-up to his second studio album, Perfect Enemy (2015), and is his first solo release on Rise since departing with Vital Records. The album was produced by Kris Crummett, who performed drums and percussion on the record, while Pearson performed guitar, keyboards, and bass guitar.
Royal Coda is the eponymous debut full-length studio album by American post-hardcore band Royal Coda, released on April 27, 2018, on Blue Swan Records. The album was produced by Dominic Nastasi and Mike Watts. It is the only release to feature the original trio of lead vocalist Kurt Travis, guitarist Sergio Medina, and drummer Joseph Arrington before guitarist Will Swan joined the three musicians the following year.
Eidola is an American rock band from Salt Lake City, Utah, formed in 2011. The band consists of lead vocalist, composer and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Wells, lead guitarist Sergio Medina, bass guitarist James Johnson, rhythm guitarist and unclean vocalist Matthew Dommer, and drummer Matthew Hansen. They self-released their debut studio album, The Great Glass Elephant, in 2012. The group signed to Blue Swan Records in 2014 and released their second and third albums, Degeneraterra (2015) and To Speak, To Listen (2017). In December 2017, lead guitarist Brandon Bascom left the band and was replaced by Royal Coda guitarist Sergio Medina.
Wolf & Bear is an American post-hardcore band from Sacramento, California. Formed in 2013, the band consists of vocalists Marcus Cisneros and Tyler Watt, lead guitarist Cameron Nunez, rhythm guitarist Louie Baltazar, drummer Jacob Koval, and bass guitarist Tim Feerick. The band originated in the Central Valley hardcore punk music scene, later signing to Blue Swan Records and releasing a split with post-hardcore band Adventurer in May 2016 and their debut studio album, Everything Is Going Grey, in October 2017.
There’s A Place I Want To Take You is the second studio album by American recording artist Kurt Travis, released on May 17, 2019, through Blue Swan Records and his own label, Esque Records. It also serves as a follow-up to his debut studio album, Everything Is Beautiful (2014). The album's lyrical content deals with heartbreak and emotional turmoil while, sonically, Travis pursued folk-inspired songwriting, using elements of indie rock, electronica, dream pop, and power pop. It was produced by Mike Watts and recorded at VuDu Recording Studios in Port Jefferson, New York and features a guest appearance from singer-rapper Andrés on two tracks.
Compassion is the second full-length studio album by American post-hardcore band Royal Coda. It was released on November 7, 2019, on Blue Swan Records, and serves as a follow-up to their self-titled debut studio album. It is the band's first album to feature guitarist Will Swan and was produced by Kris Crummett.
Afterburner is the ninth full-length studio album by American rock band Dance Gavin Dance. Released on April 24, 2020, on Rise Records, the album serves as a follow-up the group's eighth studio album, Artificial Selection (2018). Recording sessions for the album took place over a three-month period between August and October 2019 with producer Kris Crummett at Interlace Audio in Portland, Oregon, while the vocals were recorded with producer Drew Fulk in Los Angeles, California. The album is considered a musical progression for the band, as the group experimented with funk, Latin, rap, and metalcore which accompany their post-hardcore and experimental rock style. It is the group's final studio album to be released during bass guitarist Tim Feerick's lifetime before his death in April 2022.
"Prisoner" is a song by American rock band Dance Gavin Dance. It was released to digital download and streaming services as the lead single from their ninth studio album, Afterburner, on February 21, 2020, by Rise Records. The song features an uncredited guest appearance from Royal Coda and Eidola guitarist Sergio Medina.
The Architect is the fourth full-length studio album by American rock band Eidola, released on September 17, 2021 through Blue Swan Records and Rise Records. The album serves as a follow-up to their third studio album, To Speak, To Listen (2017), and is their first to not feature rhythm guitarist Brandon Bascom, who departed from the band in December 2017 and was replaced by Royal Coda guitarist Sergio Medina. It is also the band's first release since their record label Blue Swan Records partnered with Rise in February 2021. The album was produced by Ian Cooperstein and Kris Crummett with recording sessions taking place at Interlace Audio in Portland, Oregon.
Gold Necklace is the self-titled debut studio album by American progressive rock duo Gold Necklace, composed of American musicians Kurt Travis (vocals) and Brandon Ewing. The album was released on November 12, 2021 through the independent record label Kill Iconic Records, a label owned by Hail the Sun frontman Donovan Melero. Produced by Josh Benton, the album was written and recorded at Pus Cavern Studios in Sacramento, California between March and July 2021. Joseph Arrington wrote, performed, and recorded drums for the album. Gold Necklace is a progressive rock and jazz-fusion album with influences of funk, soul, R&B, and jazz.
