Biography
Guitarist and vocalist Sean McCarthy, along with his younger brother Dan on drums, spent their formative years in Boston, Massachusetts. During 1997 Sean and bassist Tina Helms left the Television Set after parting with that band’s drummer, and because Dan’s own project Dagobah was simultaneously winding down, the siblings and Helms quickly pooled their resources. Studio time already reserved for the Television Set was reassigned to the new trio, which tracked two songs and immediately recognized a strong musical rapport. They adopted the name the Swimmer and went on to record an unreleased six-song demo whose material later surfaced on a split EP with Victory at Sea and on the group’s debut full-length.
The Swimmer placed the track “What I Learned From Firecrackers,” cut in winter 1997 under producer John Harris, on the Boston compilation Halcyon Days issued in fall 1998. Local recognition followed swiftly, prompting a signing with Kimchee Records. While laying down their first album with co-owner Andy Hong at the helm, the musicians learned that another act named Swimmer was already releasing material on Madonna’s Maverick imprint. To sidestep potential litigation, the trio took Helms’s surname as its new identity in fall 1999.
Still short of material for a full-length, the band accepted Hong’s suggestion to issue a split EP with Victory at Sea, with whom they were already booked to tour that summer. Helms contributed “Plants May Not Have Brains But at Least They Know How to Take Care of Themselves” and “The Smallest World in the World,” the latter later appearing on the band’s debut album. The two groups celebrated the EP’s release with a June 29, 2000 show at Boston’s Middle East nightclub and began an East Coast and Midwest tour two days later. Although copies circulated on the road, the CD reached stores only in August.
Once the Victory at Sea dates concluded, Helms played scattered one-off shows in Boston and surrounding Massachusetts towns alongside the One AM Radio, the Album Leaf, and the Lapse. That October the band staged its own album-release event for The Swimmer on the 22nd at the Middle East, supported by Tristeza, the Headset, and the Mercury Program. A winter tour of the Midwest and East Coast followed in February 2001, during which the group shared stages with Arab on Radar, Rose of Sharon, and Tim Kinsellas of Joan of Arc. Returning to Boston at the end of March, Helms resumed local performances while beginning work on its second album.
On July 14, 2001 the band embarked on its first coast-to-coast tour, traveling from the Midwest to the West Coast in support slots for the Album Leaf and Tristeza. Back in Boston by mid-August, the musicians contributed “Penthouse” to Mister Records’ 1.5 compilation spotlighting New England acts.
The Swimmer placed the track “What I Learned From Firecrackers,” cut in winter 1997 under producer John Harris, on the Boston compilation Halcyon Days issued in fall 1998. Local recognition followed swiftly, prompting a signing with Kimchee Records. While laying down their first album with co-owner Andy Hong at the helm, the musicians learned that another act named Swimmer was already releasing material on Madonna’s Maverick imprint. To sidestep potential litigation, the trio took Helms’s surname as its new identity in fall 1999.
Still short of material for a full-length, the band accepted Hong’s suggestion to issue a split EP with Victory at Sea, with whom they were already booked to tour that summer. Helms contributed “Plants May Not Have Brains But at Least They Know How to Take Care of Themselves” and “The Smallest World in the World,” the latter later appearing on the band’s debut album. The two groups celebrated the EP’s release with a June 29, 2000 show at Boston’s Middle East nightclub and began an East Coast and Midwest tour two days later. Although copies circulated on the road, the CD reached stores only in August.
Once the Victory at Sea dates concluded, Helms played scattered one-off shows in Boston and surrounding Massachusetts towns alongside the One AM Radio, the Album Leaf, and the Lapse. That October the band staged its own album-release event for The Swimmer on the 22nd at the Middle East, supported by Tristeza, the Headset, and the Mercury Program. A winter tour of the Midwest and East Coast followed in February 2001, during which the group shared stages with Arab on Radar, Rose of Sharon, and Tim Kinsellas of Joan of Arc. Returning to Boston at the end of March, Helms resumed local performances while beginning work on its second album.
On July 14, 2001 the band embarked on its first coast-to-coast tour, traveling from the Midwest to the West Coast in support slots for the Album Leaf and Tristeza. Back in Boston by mid-August, the musicians contributed “Penthouse” to Mister Records’ 1.5 compilation spotlighting New England acts.
Albums
Singles
