Once upon a time....
...there were these two guys, "Jiggy" Josh Pierce and Martin Graham who, while toiling away through countless other projects in the mid '90's, would often wonder "what if". What if we started our own band? One where the music comes from our hearts...
A band that would appeal to fans of Rock Music everywhere, yet not give in to the "flavor of the month" club that claims so many other bands.
A band through which, while remaining true to our Southern Rock roots, we could explore all the various styles of music we love.
Again, what if.......
Time Rolls On
Through the natural course of life, the two became separated for several years, but were reunited in late 2004, and began to vigorously pursue their idea of new, original "Southern Rock" music. After working with several musicians that opted for other avenues of creative expression, they welcomed a very talented and unique singer named Rusty Bruton to the band. Raw and gritty, yet warm and soulful, Rusty's voice helped to propel the song quality to a new level.
The three knew instantly they were onto something great, yet something was still missing. A great rock band needs guitars! Loud guitars! Screaming guitars! The three knew what they wanted to hear in a guitarist, but where to find this proved to be more of a chore than originally expected.
Bring on the noise!!!!!
After playing with, and subsequently deciding against, more than a few guitarists, Jiggy called his old buddy Steve Senes, who agreed to come down to the swamp and give it a listen. From the first note, the guys knew they'd found what they were looking for. The result is one that can only be called Modern Southern Rock.
The end product is an ever growing collection of strong, genuine songs, reflecting the ideas, dreams and values of four Southern men, and a live band that effectively delivers the party to anyone and everyone.
So come one, come all - join the Superswamp revolution!
...an original "dreamer" of the concept of SSH, Martin Graham's travelled a long and, definitely, winding road. Beginning in the early 90's, Martin was tearing up the Carolina club circuit, playing with various hard rock and metal bands, and quickly made a name for himself as a tight, percussive and well rounded player. While attending college in upstate South Carolina, Martin developed and cultivated his love for Jazz music, which brought even more elements into his widely varied playing style!
Throughout the early to mid 90's Martin perfected his craft playing with various local and regional powerhouses, including the legendary George McCorkle of The Marshall Tucker Band. It was during this time that he learned the importance of a good solid foundation to the music. He learned that, while the drums are the basic foundation over which music is formed, the bass is the train that gets you there. So through tireless pursuit, Martin became the quintessentially solid bass player he is today.
In the early 90's, while playing with Jiggy in another band, he grew tired of the "same old - same old" that is the cover band scene, hence his disappearance for years. Through this time, while working hard & tending to family needs, neither his drive to create the music he feels in his soul, nor his endless discussions with Jiggy on the matter ceased, and it was during this time that the fundamental plans were laid for what is now SSH.
So on he trudged, satisfying the obligations of life, working the jobs, all the while honing his skills on his instrument, until finally he'd had enough. The pull of the SSH concept had grown so strong that it was impossible not to get things moving. So he and Jiggy convened to lay the foundation. What Jiggy didn't know was that Martin had learned to play a little guitar in order to write the musical ideas he had in his head. The basis of quite a bit of the SSH material you hear today resulted from these early times, as does the "swamp style" general attitude and personality that is Superswamp Heroes.
Ever since "discovering" the sound & theatrics of a Kiss concert at the age of 7, loud pounding music has played a central roll in Steve's life. They say the early influences are the most influential; in Steve's case, this has definitely proved true. Growing up in a very rural Maryland town 50 miles south of Washington DC, out of range of any cool radio stations (no MTV), exposure to new music wasn't exactly easy to come by. From that time, Steve knew how he wanted to spend his life. Being content with the escape provided through the music of such bands as Kiss, Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Van Halen, Ozzy and Twisted Sister (to name a few), Steve didn't actually start playing seriously until the age of 15; after hearing the insane playing of Yngwie Malmsteen. At this point, the guitar took over.
Soon after, maybe 2 or 3 months, Steve joined his first band. Being in the only real hard rock band in the area, and original music to boot, Steve learned early on to love the stage. Driven by comments from others that he'd never be able to play like Van Halen or Jimmy Page, Steve retreated into an almost unimaginable practice regimen. On days when he actually went to school Steve was playing his guitar 8 to 10 hours a day. Upon finishing High School, this only increased to 15-17 hours a day, every day. All the heavy practicing began to pay off early as Steve began entering (and winning) every guitar conest within driving range (including one judged by Steve Vai - which he won).
Soon after, local gigs gradually changed to regional, then national touring gigs. Through this, Steve had the opportunity to play alongside such greats as Eric Johnson, Paul Reed Smith, even the inimitable Steve Vai. Besides the obvious musical lessons provided from such a life, Steve was exposed to a different view of the world as he toured nationwide nearly continuously, from DC to Seattle at the height of the Grunge phenomenon, LA (including a week during the Rodney King riots - that's a story in itself), Texas (including an insane night trying to keep up with his hero, the late Dimebag Darrel of Pantera (R.I.P.) in a drinking game - should've known better, Dime's 'tolerance' was legendary) and everywhere in-between. After more than five years of constant touring in pickup trucks and small vans, making no money, Steve got a wild hair to move South and play Country music. Yeah, from Metal to Country!
Well, the Country thing only lasted a few months, but liking his new surroundings, Steve decided to stay. Spending the next thirteen years playing with widely varied cover bands provided Steve with an almost ecclectic range of influences, from Brent Mason to George Benson, to Eric Johnson, the DeLeo Brothers (STP), all the fantastic funk players, a collection far too extensive to list here. More recently, three years of nearly 350 gigs a year with various bands has instilled in Steve a deep love of good old fashioned Funk and R&B along with loud, heavy guitar based rock.
During this time, Steve never lost the drive to play hard, guitar driven rock, and in mid 2006 made the choice to stop "giving in" to the "career musician" path of compromise & toil, and get back to playing the music he truly loves. After giving his notice and playing through it, Steve got a call from a great friend about checking out his new band, who needed a guitarist. Figuring it would be fun, Steve agreed, and the fun began. That friend was Jiggy Josh Pierce, that band is Superswamp Heroes!
Being raised in the Southern tradition of hard work and hard living sculpted a natural talent into one of the most honest voices you'll ever hear in Southern Rock. For years, Rusty tooled around with area bands, playing bass guitar and having a damn good time doing it. Rusty would often write songs of his own; simply to perform them at parties and family get togethers.
One performance, in particular, at a family gathering left a big impression on Rusty's aunt. Now that aunt just happens to be Martin Graham's mother. That's right!! Martin and Rusty are first cousins! While having dinner with Martin and Jiggy, Mrs. Graham suggested her nephew to be the vocalist the two were in search of. The two agreed to audition him, and the rest is history!
Rusty has a one of a kind voice and his soulful truth shines through on every song he sings. Rusty's performance in the studio has proven impeccable, often delivering the feel and emotion of the subject line in just one take!
Live, Rusty has been called "The General", commanding the stage and capturing the heart of the crowd. Rusty's natural talent and pure honesty captivates the audience every time Superswamp Heroes takes the stage.
To anyone who knows, or has known Jiggy, he's always been destined to be the drummer for Superswamp Heroes. Even back in the day, as a kid, the guy was always banging on something, be it his Mom's pots and pans, an array of magazines on a table, or whatever, that drummer's instinct has just always been there.
Growing up in Clinton, South Carolina, Jiggy gravitated towards other musicians because of the common bond, and his drive, talent and easy to love personality made him a standout. It was also during this time that he started to take notice of the many varied aspects of life that are commonplace in small town America, good and bad, and that would later become the basis for much of his later lyrical contributions to SSH.
Once out of school, Jiggy had already outgrown the local scene and set his sights on bigger fish - Nashville! Arriving in "Music City USA" and playing with so many other gifted musicians confirmed what he'd always believed, that music was his calling, how he wanted to spend his life. During this time, Jiggy also gained valuable studio experience, cutting tracks for both his and other artists' projects in various Nashiville studios. While Jiggy will always greatly value the lessons learned during the time he spent in Nashville, he also longed for the simplicity of life he'd grown to love in South Carolina. So when family issues came calling, home he went.
Back in Clinton, Jiggy went to work at a variety of day to day jobs. By and by, he settled into "regular life" and focused on advancing in the workplace. Through all of this, though, the "burn" never left him. It only grew stronger. Following his instincts, Jiggy relocated to Myrtle Beach. It was here, while playing and recording with a Southern Roots/Americana band that he found his musical soulmate in Bass player Martin Graham. Through regular gigging and numerous recording situations, Jiggy's powerful, impeccable groove and Martin's fluent, imaginative bass lines instantly clicked, forming a freight train of rhythm; the bond was solidified. Unfortunately, "real life" was tugging the other way, and Jiggy and Martin had fewer and fewer opportunities to jam. During their earlier time jamming together, however, the two had hatched and cultivated the idea for their "ultimate" band. Though it was only a concept, it had burned a lasting impression in his mind.
Once the seed was planted, Jiggy knew it was only a matter of time before it would bloom into reality and set out to perfect his playing. It is this kind of dedication, being blessed with the experiences of making music with some of the finest musicians anywhere, along with a healthy scoop of talent, that've made Jiggy the valuable asset he is to the band, as well as the "groove-machine" you hear when listening to Superswamp Heroes.
Joe began his music career in Kansas City, Mo as a guitarist with many popular local acts. Joe's talent was evident to everyone who watched him perform. While his style and technique were well above adequate, it was his sound that was truly remarkable. It was obvious to all involved that the guy had an uncanny ear for detail.
As time progressed and Joe put more and more gigs under his belt, he became more interested in the overall presentation of the bands with which he played. Through careful attention to what was going on around him, and seeking the advice of those who had been "in the business" longer than him, Joe gradually educated himself in the art of sound engineering. Gig by gig he learned the ins and outs of "what does what" and how to make things sound better. After a few years he'd gained respect and a reputation as a talented live sound engineer as well as a gifted musician.
Having plyed his art for several years in honkeytonks and other clubs in the area, Joe realized that he'd become more interested in the technical aspects of a band performance than with the actual performance, and turned his full attention to sound and production. With his previous bands he'd learned a thing or two about the visual as well as the audio presentation and put that to use in assisting other bands to better their shows.
In the early 90's Joe decided he'd worked the Kansas City scene for all it was worth and followed the persistent knocking of opportunity from Myrtle Beach's entertainment scene. Once in South Carolina, Joe quickly became involved with some of the top theatres in the area and cemented his reputation as an amazing engineer. Never one to allow himself to become complacent, Joe also immersed himself in the live music scene, mixing a plethora of bands in and around the Myrtle Beach area.
And so it seemed a perfect fit when Joe's path crossed that of SSH in late March of 2007 at a benefit show. Joe loved what the band was going for, the guys flipped over Joe's immaculate mix, and the relationship quickly solidified.
Realizing that his part is equally important to the overall SSH presentation, the band quickly decided to make Joe a bona fide 5th member of Superswamp Heroes..
