Dogs roam through unlit neighborhoods, the stems of tallgrass snap in the prairie wind, a piece of driftwood rots on the lakeshore. These are Swinging songs—still lives from a midwestern-gothic where darkness undercuts any transcendence.

Led by singer-songwriter/guitarist Ash Vale, these scenes are buoyed by the crystalline trio of pedal steel (Nick), impressionistic lead guitar (Jakob), and Wurlitzer (Danny). Meanwhile, Jasper and Caleb (drums and bass, respectively) maintain a heartbeat that often slips into a murmur. The effect is less of a band than of a midnight choir on a still, unanswered night. If the world were a just place, most bands would sound like Swinging, and more bars would feel like the Rose City Book Pub. In lieu of that impossibility, we've preserved a slice of magic from a bitterly cold night in late December. Watch as friends and Stumpgrown alumni bask in Swinging's lilting alchemy and ask questions in our first ever live session. We wish you had been there, but we made sure to film it for you anyways. Mixing & Production: Noah PenwellSound Engineering & Copywriting: Max SimonHosting & Direction: Caroline DrewVideography: Joaquin TrujilloPhotography: Alahn Ek