Shwayze

"Malibu. It’s where Mathew McConaughey flexes his pecs for paparazzi while shirtless on the beach. It’s where Courtney Cox and husband David Arquette recently sold their home for the modest asking price of more than $30 million to Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt. It’s where Julia Roberts built her multi-million dollar, eco-friendly estate as a tribute to Green living. And it’s where Cher, Jennifer Aniston and Mel Gibson share the same 310 area code as the Malibu trailer park community that brought us Shwayze."

Twenty-two year old Shwayze, born Aaron Smith, made his debut at Malibu Inn, a local hang-out/ chill-spot in 2005, as the opening performer for the failed band, Whitestarr. Just like most newcomers, Shwayze too experienced a tough crowd who even tried to kick him off stage. Embracing the moment however, Shwayze introduced himself as "the only black kid in Malibu," which set the crowd off. It was at this point that he first made contact with Whitestarr frontman Cisco Adler.

Cisco, the son of A-list impresario Lou Adler, and Shwayze hit it off becoming not only collaborators but best friends as well. Cisco provides the rock/ acoustic sound you hear, while Shwayze mixes things up with hip-hop. This melting pot of beats and melodies provides for a relaxed, breezy tone true to the West Coast. Shwayze describes their music saying, " It’s California chill, West Coast stoner music.”

Being new to the entertainment industry, Shwayze has not yet made his own mark on history. He has been influenced by some of his all-time favorite artists, including: Prince, Tom Petty, Beck, Bob Marley and Outkast. Yet, he sounds more like a Sublime, Slightly Stoopid and Sugar Ray combination mostly. Basically, if your in a bad mood pop in some Shwayze and feel yourself wind down.

The first major song by Shwayze "Buzzin' " talks about "backyard blockparty by the bar" where he met a girl and fell in love. "Buzzin' " is also the title of his new tv series on MTV. The Song "Corona and Lime" (posted above) is another favorite of Shwayze listeners and portrays his combination of styles well in addition to using metaphors the listeners can easily pick up on and relate to.

When it comes to pushing a particular message Shwayze does not have one imparticular. “I was single, Cisco was single, and we partied in the pool, partied at the beach, chillin’, hangin’ out with chicks. That’s what we were writing about,” he says. It seems they create music for its original intention, sheer fun. Its refreshing not to be bombarded with lyrics which try to tell you what to say or how to act, Shwayze just tells it like it is, how he deals day to day. He is not trying to change the world, but instead he truly puts energy into making the best out of whats given to him.


This sums up what we know of Shwayze to date, but I believe we will be hearing more from him soon, so keep your ears peeled and minds open!

Let It Rock

This video illustrates the ways someone can become a "rockstar". After all the movies, songs, etc. glorifying the lives of popular stars, others feel they should have the right to be "happy" and to have "fun" just like they do. Once the advertising industry realized this desire of the masses, they embraced it. Products such as Rockstar Energy Drinks and Let It Rock Perfume are just a couple ways marketers decided they would quench the average Joe’s thirst to feel like a rockstar. While we typically associate sex and drugs with rock and roll, we should not be so quick to judge; if clothing, scents, music and drink choice boost the confidence of people we should respect this and not reprimand others for their choice of lifestyle if it is not self-destructive. Ultimately, living like a rockstar may not be such a bad idea...