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.”
