The Swellers

Embracing a skatepunk approach laced with pop touches, The Swellers trace their sound to the influence of NOFX, Bad Religion, and No Use for a Name. Singer/guitarist Nick Diener, bassist Nate Lamberts, and drummer Jonathan Diener formed the core trio in Fenton, MI, during the summer of 2002. After issuing two self-released efforts—Long and Hard in 2002 and End of Discussion in 2003—the group completed a debut full-length, Beginning of the End Again, and inked a deal with the Ann Arbor-based indie Search and Rescue Records. Lamberts departed before the album appeared in order to pursue college, opening the door for bassist Lance Nelson and second guitarist Garrett Burgett to come aboard ahead of the band’s first national run on the 2005 Vans Warped Tour. While keeping up a busy touring pace that included a well-received 2006 swing through Japan, the Swellers wrote and tracked their follow-up, My Everest. Issued in summer 2007, the record heightened the group’s profile and secured a contract with Fueled by Ramen along with a support slot beside Paramore; Ups and Downsizing, their initial Fueled by Ramen release, arrived the same day the tour commenced.