Mar 05, 2004  |  By: YUSEF NAJAFI  | COMMENTS     

SINGER/SONGWRITER EMBER SWIFT does not want to be famous. The 29-year-old Canadian, who identifies herself as “queer,” has toured the world with her band of the same name on her own terms, as an independent artist.

“I don’t do this to be famous,” she says, “I do this to be true to myself.”

Swift brings her blend of folk, punk, jazz, politics and noteworthy vocal ability to Jammin’ Java, in Vienna, Va., on Sunday, March 7. She and Lyndell Montgomery, who together make up the group called Ember Swift, are expected to perform material from their upcoming CD, “Disarming.”

It will mark Swift’s eighth album release on her own label, Few’ll Ignite Sound.

“I’m still very proud of our current record,” she says, referring to “Stiltwalking.” The 2002 release not only showcased Swift’s unique sound, but was also the songwriter’s most political album. This in part was due to the change Swift has seen in her queer audience within the last eight years as a performer.

“I use the word ‘queer’ because it is more inclusive to all categories of people who have been appreciative of the music,” she says. “In the last few years they’ve become more politically aware, and more interested in activism, and the messages in the music.”

Swift uses songs such as “Include My Food,” in which she sings, “Everything we purchase, invest in or consume has the power to demystify and to perpetuate this capitalist gloom,” to voice her concern about what she views as global problems. It’s a strategy that allows her to connect with audiences everywhere.

“The songs have more of a universal content,” Swift says. “They enable me to play in the U.S., and also in other countries.”

Besides the heavy politics, Swift has received a lot of attention from gay and straight fans for “Boinked,” a song about visiting an ex-lover’s wedding — in this case Swift’s ex-girlfriend, who is marrying a man.

“It’s a commentary to lighten the energy on the record,” she says. “Straight and queer people have told me ‘I’ve had that experience too.’ It is a really strange set of emotions you go through.

“A lot of times in those formal environments you are suppose to act and speak a certain way,” Swift says, “but I think honesty is the only procedure people should follow at all times.”

BORN AND RAISED in Ontario, Canada, Swift grew up in a household that encouraged her music. She wrote her first song at age 9, before learning how to play the piano.

“When I was growing up I used to play and make music all the time,” she says, “even though I had other things to do, like homework.”

Swift used high school pageants as an outlet for performing music, before swapping the piano for the acoustic guitar. It wasn’t until she graduated from high school that she began performing her own material in coffee houses and clubs in Canada.

She released her first self-titled album in 1996, and also received a degree in East Asian studies at the University of Toronto.

An eight-year partnership developed when Swift met and performed on stage with electric violinist and bass player Lyndell Montgomery.

“One day Lyndell asked me when the next gig was,” Swift says, “and that was a very important question because it hinted that she was interested. So we formed a friendship and a musical partnership, and eight years later we’re still making music together.”

Creating music as an independent artist has given Swift complete control over her image and allows her to choose the people with whom she works.

“The indie root is the one with the most integrity, control and sustainability,” Swift says. “I make more per album than any major artists makes. I sell [fewer albums], but I’m not compromising or sacrificing my beliefs for any corporation’s bottom line.”