Day After Day: Swan Dive

Day After Day is an ambitious attempt to write about a song every day in 2024 (starting on Jan. 4).

Swan Dive

The late '80s/early '90s were an interesting time for rock music. Sure, there was still a lot of hair metal and bouncy pop, but there was also a burgeoning "alternative rock" scene happening. Initially referred to as "college rock," the '80s saw bands like R.E.M. and U2 emerge as arena acts later in the decade. And indie labels like SST and Sub Pop were providing an outlet for interesting outsider bands that eventually made a big impact: Black Flag, Husker Du, the Minutemen, Mudhoney, Soundgarden (and yeah, Nirvana). 

My musical tastes were evolving as well, especially after I got to college in '85. I had always listened to Boston-area stations like WBCN, WAAF and WFNX, so I was aware of local acts that were making some noise like the Neighborhoods and Gang Green, but I pretty much stuck with major label stuff. I didn't go to club shows until after I graduated in '89, so I definitely missed out on a lot of cool stuff. 

Like Bullet LaVolta. I had heard of them and probably had heard them a few times on the radio, but they never stuck with me until much later. Formed in 1987 by some Harvard radio DJs teaming up with local musicians like Kenny Chambers of Moving Targets and the Artist Formerly Known as Yukki Gipe (now known as Kurt Davis), the band proudly straddled the line between punk and hard rock. Thanks to the interwebz, this 1988 Harvard Crimson interview with band founder/guitarist Clay Tarver is around to give some of his insight into the formation of BV. Also interviewed is Tarver's roommate and band road manager Donal Logue, who went on to be a character actor you've definitely seen in numerous things. 

With Gipe providing serious stage presence and unhinged lead vocals, BV combined the punk sensibility of bands like the Stooges and MC5 with the flashy solos of Jane's Addiction and big riffs of AC/DC.The band signed to legendary local indie label Taang! Records and released an EP and their first album, The Gift, before signing with RCA. They released Swandive on RCA in '91 (on the same day as Nirvana's Nevermind) and played shows with the likes of Nirvana and the Smashing Pumpkins. Despite being grunge adjacent and constantly touring for a few years, LaVolta never caught on and split up in 1992. There are a few good compilations available, including one released several years back called Force Majeure: The RCA Anthology ('90-'92).

Tarver went on to join the math-rock band Chavez and Gipe (now going by his given name) teamed with Peter Prescott of indie gods Mission of Burma to play drums in Kustomized. I never saw BV live, but I later saw Davis fronting The Konks at the Middle East in the mid-2000s. Chambers went solo and continues to play around. 

After Chavez went on hiatus in the late '90s, Tarver went Hollywood as well, becoming a screenwriter and director and a fairly successful one at that. He was the showrunner of the excellent HBO show Silicon Valley and has directed the movies Vacation Friends and Vacation Friends 2. He also wrote a good piece for the New York Times Magazine about his life as a "rock dad." He occasionally plays with Chavez; the band most recently released an EP in 2017.

As for Bullet LaVolta, their lifespan was short, but they are well-loved by those in the know. Even though most of the key band members are still around, there doesn't appear to be a BV reunion happening anytime soon. I often listen to them on the treadmill when I need a kick in the ass. "Swan Dive" starts off with a psychedelic Jane's-esque intro before erupting into a galloping beast of a pissed-off rocker. Guaranteed to give you an additional mph on the ol' dreadmill (and 10 in the car). Long live LaVolta!