Safari Room and Swansgate

Safari Room is the indie rock outfit and brainchild of Alec Koukol (Omaha-native, now Nashville-local).

“We’re not that different you and me,” Alec Koukol repeats throughout the swelling
bridge of “Garden Talker,” and that line might as well be a mission statement
for Safari Room. Koukol describes “human connection as a founding cornerstone”
as the project’s ethos, and that message is a through-line for Safari Room’s
entire discography so far. The band is known, particularly in Nashville, for
their special brand of indie rock, their live shows and the sense of community
that comes from singing Safari Room’s songs together. That’s Safari Room’s
hope, and that’s what they’re going for on their as-yet-untitled third LP.
These songs are the band’s biggest, boldest, and most personal yet; in other
words, they’re Safari Room at their very best. - Zac Djamoos

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Formed in a small town in North Carolina by 3 close friends, Swansgate was originally set up in the likeness of a jazz trio.

The musical direction of Stu Draughn manifested as a series of long, mostly instrumental, compositions for keys (Stu Draughn), drums (Michael McKinney), and bass (Gabe McKinney).

Over time, the original direction of the band evolved into a more symphonic approach to making music. With more and more elements being added to each composition, Swansgate decided to enlist drummer Mike Kaloudis to replace Michael McKinney, so that he could commit to playing guitar, and keyboards.

Now, Swansgate's live set contains loads of keyboard parts, samples, and other sounds. Currently based out of Charlotte, NC, their debut album, “Becoming Someone” was released independently on April 29, 2022.

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