By MICHAEL-SHAWN DUGAR
Inland360.com
LEWISTON — Since they were kids, Zach and Colton Swon have been chasing their music dreams. As adults, their dream is now reality.
The country music duo went from pleading with their parents to take pit stops on a road trip so the boys could audition for record labels, to performing “Swoncerts” across the country as signed artists.
The Arista Nashville signees will treat Lewiston to its first Swoncert Sunday at the Clearwater River Casino.
“It’s gonna be a good Swoncert, man,” said Zach, 29. “We love any place we get to go.”
Though the Swon brothers’ attempts at fame began early, it wasn’t until Season 4 of NBC’s “The Voice” in 2013 — when the brothers finished in the top three as members of Team Blake — that they finally found the national spotlight.
“We’ve been chasing this for a long time, and that gave us the launching pad that we needed,” said Colton, 25. “That introduced us to a lot of fans and it got our music out there.”
By the time they were on the show Zach and Colton had plenty of experience performing, which helped them overcome the nerves that TV cameras on a national stage can bring. Zach was more worried about tripping over a cord or having his fly unzipped on stage than the performances themselves.
And for those pursuing careers in performing arts, here’s a tip from Zach Swon on overcoming nerves on stage: Don’t picture the audience naked.
“I don’t know who came up with that,” he said, “But it’s not a good idea. There’s a few people you don’t wanna picture naked.”
They say it’s still surreal when random fans spot them in an airport and act like they they’ve known the brothers for years.
“I don’t think we realized how many people watched ‘The Voice,’ ” Zach said. “It’s pretty amazing to have a song out now and people know your face and can sing your words back to you. It’s a good feeling.”
The two brothers have always been close. They do everything together, not just music. They golf together, live together, in addition to pushing each other musically. Of course, they have their brotherly disagreements on the road because, as Zach says, “Nobody fights like brothers.”
But their disputes don’t distract from the goal. They want success, and they want it together.
“We try harder because we want to see each other succeed as much as we want to succeed ourselves,” Zach said. “I don’t think we’d make it as solo artists, nor would we want to. We do this thing together, and it’s pretty cool.”
On stage the chemistry is there, Colton said. They’re reading each other’s minds — sometimes regretfully — while connecting with each other as well as the crowd. Whether it’s throwing T-shirts or engaging in a sing-a-long, they do all they can to show the audience the appreciation they deserve, Zach said. It’s the interactive experiences that makes a Swoncert different from a traditional concert.
“You’re going to see two brothers make fun of each other on stage,” Colton said. “We love what we do; we try to get everyone involved. Even if they don’t like our music, they walk away liking us.”
The duo are planning to release their major-label debut album next month, which features their hit single “Later On,” which is currently in the Top 20 on the country radio charts.
If you go
WHAT: The Swon Brothers
WHERE: Clearwater River Casino Event Center, east of Lewiston
WHEN: Doors open at 5:30 p.m., concert begins at 7 p.m. Sunday
COST: Tickets start at $35, all ages
WEBSITE: crccasino.com
Dugar can be contacted at (208) 883-4628 or mdugar@dnews.com.
