emmet swimming

Emmet Swimming came together in 1991 among students at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. The lineup features Todd Watts on vocals and guitar, Luke Michel on bass, Erik Wenberg on guitars and vocals, and Derrick Decker on drums, who stepped in after original drummer Tamer Eid. The group took its name from Emmet Till, the young black boy shot in a small Mississippi town for whistling at a white woman and later counted among the martyrs of the American civil rights movement. Watts recalled, "The idea of the name was basically that a 14-year-old boy should be swimming in the river, not dying in it."

The band emerged from the same collegiate environment that produced other mid-Atlantic roots rocking jam bands such as Hootie and the Blowfish, Everything, and Dave Matthews Band. Like many acts in that scene, Emmet Swimming developed its audience through extended touring, especially around Washington, D.C., and performed at the H.O.R.D.E. Festival in the summer of 1998.

The independent debut Dark When the Snow Falls appeared in 1993 and earned Debut Album of the Year honors from the Washington Area Music Association. Songs from the record were included in the films Gabriel's Dream (with R.E.M., Peter Gabriel, and They Might Be Giants) and Crimson Lights. After the follow-up Wake sold 8,000 copies through limited distribution, Epic signed the group, resulting in its first major-label LP in 1996. Arlington to Boston also arrived that year, followed by Big Night Without You in 1998 and Earplugs 50¢ in 1999.

Particularly popular with college listeners, Emmet Swimming stood out for its intense live shows and the seemingly contradictory blend of upbeat music with somber lyrics. Singer Todd Watts once commented that "We've tried really hard to make the live shows kind of an emotional roller coaster, and I think that's true of the album(s) as well."

A long hiatus began for the band in late 1999, though it has never disbanded.