Zwarté is a hard rock band with a glam rock flare, not unlike T.Rex or Sweet, that was founded by primary songwriter, lead vocalist Randall Zwart and his brother, drummer and vocalist Bob Zwart, both of Sioux Falls, SD. also consists of lead guitarist Eddie Filareckand bassist Baron Duncan.

Zwarte Zwarté (Minor Major Music) 1992

1. She Wouldn't Wait (3:37)
2. Lizzy (3:28)
3. Easy Street" (3:20)
4. Isn't That A Shame (4:38)
5. Miss Me (3:08)
6. Slippin' Girl (4:06)
7. Lucy (4:16)
8. Smart Young Girl (3:30)
9. Loco P.D. (4:11)
10. Laughing Girl (2:01)
11. Room 1000x (3:28)
12. Winslow (4:20)

Zwarte are a band I was unfamiliar with until receiving this CD in the mail from a friend. Upon first listen I couldn't help but think of early Kix, for this is who this band reminds me of, both in style and in appearance. After a few more listens I would actually say the band falls somewhere between the campy, glam sounds of T-Rex and the hard anthemic rock of Kiss. Their songs have plenty of sing-along choruses, and I can see why they were such a popular band in the home state of South Dakota. (At least I think that is where they are from.) The disc starts off on a rather mellow note with a ballad. I think I would have liked to have heard a full throttle rocker here, but alas, there really aren't any on this CD. Most the songs are of the power ballad variety with a few mid-paced rockers like "Lizzy" and "Loco P.D." thrown in for good measure. Have heard this band has several other CDs out. I am curious if they ever got any heavier or turned up the adrenaline a bit.

Easy Street Zwarté – Easy Street (Minor Major Music) 1992

1.  Take Out The Trash (4:40)     
2.   On My Way (3:42)
3.   Late Bloomer (3:18)
4.   How Can I (4:29)     
5.   Yes I Can (4:50)      
6.   Bean Breath (:41)      
7.   Black Hat (6:05)      
8.   All I Care About Is Me (3:15)     
9.   Stone Cold (4:16)      
10.  Easy Street (7:01)  

"Easy Street" is Zwarté's second release and continues in the same vein as their debut; simple, fun, hard rock with a ton of hooks. The music falls somewhere between Dire Straits, The Sweet, Tom Petty and perhaps light Kiss. However, their presentation has that smokey bar room feel to it. They sound like a bar band, but they sound like one of those bar bands that everyone loves and goes to see on a regular basis, singing along to each and every song. My bet would be that these songs translate into much harder rocking (heavier) songs live. "Stone Cold" is not the Rainbow hit, although that would have been cool

Zwarte IV Zwarté - Zwatré IV - We Came Here (Minor Major Music) 1999

1. How 'Bout This One (2:53)
2. After The Rain (3:49)
3. Then She Went Away (5:17)
4. We Came Here (3:20)
5. Lay By Your Side (4:19)
6. Gonna Come Down (4:02)
7. Break-Up Man (3:58)
8. He With You (3:33)
9. In The Night (4:56)
10. Sturgis (5:08)

"Zwatré IV - We Came Here" is the band's fourth independently released full-length CD. I must say, that within itself is impressive as most bands who don't break out into the mainstream or at least get some label backing don't usually last that long. In any case, the band is still treading the same musical territory, reminding me of a more slightly more aggressive Tom Petty, Dire Straits, or at times a less aggressive Nazareth. A few songs even have a bit of a southern draw, especially on album opener "How 'Bout This One" and cuts like "In The Night." Much of these comparisons have to do with Randall Zwart's rough, midrange vocal style, vocal melodies, as well as the band's retro guitar riffs. For some reason I also hear a bit of a glam-rock (Sweet/T-Rex) influence on the band, although this certainly is not the image the band is going for. One thing for sure, the band knows how to write a hook, and had they come around a few decades earlier, I imagine they would have been much more well known. I am actually quite surprised that I enjoyed this CD so much, as it really doesn't have any full on hard rock or heavy metal assaults. However, as I said, the band knows how to write a hook, which had me popping this disc into my car CD player several times after receiving it. Best of all, after the CD went off, there was still those infectious choruses in my head..."We Came here...we came here...to get you off." Zwatré are good time rock 'n' roll.

Loud American Zwarte - Loud American (Minor Major Music) 2000

1. "Scream" (3:15)
2. "Wanna Dance" (3:34)
3. "Loud American" (3:59)
4. "Gimme Shelter" (4:20)
5. "Butt-Crack Blues" [Jukebox Version] (3:17)
6. "Moonshine" (3:28)
7. "Pay The Money" (3:46)
8. "I Kissed Her Lips" (3:18)
9. "Uncle Pervy" (2:46)
10. "Kickin' Cryin'" (3:42)
11. "Be On My Way" (2:58)

Zwarte does what Zwarte does best, they play rowdy, bar room, American, mainstream rock and roll. They aren't what I would describe as a heavy band. Rather, they have more in common with bands like ZZ Top, Foghat and a bit of the Fabulous Thunderbirds to boot. "Scream" is probably the 'heaviest' song on this CD, and it is just a straight forward hard rocker. "Wanna Dance" is also a rocker, although not quite as manic as the opening track. "Loud American" is a cool, groove based song. The chorus is very cool with the high background vocals that almost sound like Axel Rose (Guns 'n Roses). "Gimme Shelter" is a Stones cover, and a classy choice at that. (Holy Soldier pulled off a great cover of this as well.) "Butt-Crack Blues" is just funny. As the title suggests, this is a blues song about big butts. "Moonshine" is an acoustic country-blues song. "Kickin' Cryin'" is another roudy rocker. The CD finishes out with a melodic, acoustic ballad. I bet these guys would be a kick to see in a club because their CDs sure are fun.

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