Album Notes

Swink is an original acoustic-based folk/rock/blues band led by singer/songwriter Kathy Forste and guitarist/songwriter Gordon Hobbs and bassist Neal Wolahan.

Kathy is a poetic singer/songwriter from Kansas City, Missouri. Her music has been described as gutsy folk/rock/blues and her voice been compared as a cross between Mary-Chapin Carpenter and Janis Joplin. Gordon is an inventive finger-style guitarist/songwriter. Neal is a powerful "on top" east coast bass player.

Currently, the band is promoting our new CD, "Too Late For Regrets." Kathy wrote eight of the eleven songs, Gordon wrote two, and Gordon and Kathy wrote one of the songs together. The sound of the CD is acoustic-based, but goes far beyond a typical acoustic sound. The CD is packed with powerful ballads, intelligent social statements, fun love songs and a toe-tapping bluegrass instrumental. Kathy's vocals have a raw emotional delivery on such songs as "In This World" and "Too Late For Regrets." Gordon plays wonderful ear-pleasing melodies on the instrumental "Livonia" and the Irish ballad "Come Back, Jamie" and shows off his rock n' roll chops on "Intimate Strangers" and "Waiting for a Savior." Neal plays a melodic yet steady bass on "Me and Scarecrow" and "Angry at the World." Other highlights include the country-influenced "Give Me A Smile" and the lush, beautiful song about lost love, "Amber Room."

Each member of the band has a long history in music. Kathy started writing songs when she was 7, started playing guitar at age 13, graduated with a minor in music and has been playing solo and in bands for the last 8 years. Gordon has been playing guitar in some band or another since he was fourteen. His style of playing is a combination of finger-picking and flat-picking. He comes up with some of the most memorable and creative riffs you'll ever hear. Neal's background is in the East Coast punk scene, where he played in a variety of bands. He moved to Kansas City in the summer of 2001 from Washington, DC, where he played in a very popular original band, Despondent Astronauts; who themselves recorded three highly acclaimed CDs.

Kathy and Gordon have been playing together since the winter of 2000 and have played throughout the states of Missouri and Kansas. Recently Kathy and Gordon opened for Oscar- and Grammy- nominated singer/songwriter Stephen Bishop ("On and On", "Theme From Tootsie", "Separate Lives"). Kathy was recently commissioned by KMOS-TV in Warrensburg, Missouri to write, sing and produce a theme song for the television station expressing the PBS national promotional campaign theme "Stay Curious." The song was nominated for a National Educational Television Association Promotional Award.

Swink has also made its mark in the movies, having three songs featured in the independent film "The Ballad of the Tucker Brothers."

Swink is an innovative acoustic-based band. Each song offers something undeniably different, from folk to rock and from blues to country. We have an original sound that cannot be pinned down but is uniquely Swink. Swink is hoping to attract a bigger and more appreciative audience that enjoys original music. Please give Swink a listen. We would love to play for you and introduce you to a sound and songs you won't soon forget.