“Dude, I hate leaving the ’Bu,” drawls Shwayze over the phone from his beloved beachside city. “Everything I need is right here. And you can’t imagine the girls. It’s paradise.”
That same laid-back attitude is dusted all over Shwayze’s music, a red-eyed remix of West Coast legends like Sublime with the melodic singalong qualities of Sugar Ray singles from the ‘90s—you know, the ones you still turn up and rock out to on the radio while driving up PCH in your boyfriend’s convertible. Tunes like “Lazy Dayz” and “Polariod” are hilarious observations of life in L.A. set to sun-bleached beats and sticky melodies.
Radio is exactly where Shwayze has made a serious impact, with the acoustic hip-hop shuffle “Buzzin’” catching the ear of industry power player Ryan Seacrest, who shocked the rapper by asking if he’d play the 2008 Wango Tango Festival, in the plum spot right before Miley Cyrus, no less. KIIS-FM’s annual blowout showcases the hottest pop acts of the moment, a fact that is hardly lost on Shwayze, who is sonically supported by L.A. scene-maker Cisco Adler and DJ Skeet Skeet.
“Oh man, it was crazy!” he recalls. “We were doing a live radio interview with Ryan, and out of the blue he was like, ‘You guys are great. Would you play Wango Tango?’ I just looked at Cisco, and we were both like, ‘Hell yes!’”
Already signed to a deal with Geffen, the three amigos are also set to take part in this year’s Warped Tour.
“I’m hyped on that,” Shwayze raves. “I’m expecting to kick it with lots of cool artists in the same situation as us. It’s the best tour to be on. I’m friends with Travis from Gym Class Heroes, who are Warped Tour veterans and also coming this year. They’ll be like our big brothers out there on the road.”
Simultaneously, the guys will be filming their new MTV reality show, Buzzin’, which follows the extended Shwayze family (including their manager Jordan and Shwayze’s homeboy Warren) from tour dates to promo events and any other shenanigans that the censors will allow them to show on television.
Still, Shwayze is sad to leave his beloved ’Bu behind for the duration of summer.
“I don’t even really go out clubbing that much,” he admits. “I’ll kick it at the Malibu Inn, or just get some Thai food at Cholada. Man, the locals are gonna be pissed at me for putting that place on blast!” He laughs. “Me and the boys just like hollering at the girls at taking them back to the private beaches that people don’t even know about. That’s when the real party begins.”
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Scott T. Sterling is Music editor for Metromix Los Angeles.
