by Troy Farah (JackCentral)

Canadian hip hop group Swollen Members just dropped a new album, Armed to the Teeth, and recently passed by Flagstaff’s Orpheum Theater on Oct. 27 while on tour with Big B & The Dirtball, Common Market, and Bliss n Eso. The Lumberjack had the opportunity to sit down with Prevail (Kiley Hendriks), one member of the troupe, to ask the representative of Swollen Members a few questions.

The Lumberjack: How did you get an interest in hip hop originally? Where did it all start?
Prevail: My cousin came over from the East coast with a tape, and as soon as I heard it, I knew it was something that I wanted to do. It peaked my interest as soon as I heard it. I was on the flipside — it was heavy metal that I grew up on, but hip hop was such a new art form, and I felt I was becoming part of something unique.

LJ: How is your current tour going?
P: Dope, man; we’ve been killing it. The beginning was real dope, and we ended up hooking up with of Souls of Mischief, Strong Arm Steady and Mr. Brady. They’re doing their own tour, and we ended up crossing over on our first show of the tour. So it all started out with a positive light.

LJ: Have you been to Flagstaff before?
P: Yeah, but it’s been a while. We’re looking forward to coming back. It’s been too long.

LJ: Tell me about your new album, Armed to the Teeth.
P: This is definitely our most energetic album with lots of momentum. It’s something for all the Swollen Members fans that have been with us since the beginning — people listening since Balance. It’s got street energy, got some club bangers. We were in the studio for two years, did a lot of experimenting. We’re not afraid to try different styles, and with that mentality, we erased any boundaries.
We were living in the Battle Axe Fortress — set up in a big studio and flew back and forth to Vancouver. We definitely concentrated most of our effort in that area.

LJ: What new directions did you take with ATTT?
P: We added this hungry young cat, Tre Nyce, and he reconnected us to the sound that’s going around today. We’ve been in the game long enough and instantly see the quality in a song. We wanted to make sure that we came out with something new and fresh, yet current for our listening audience.

LJ: What guest appearances do you have on the album? Any favorites?
P: Bollywood Chick is the lead single, and we just shot the video for that in L.A. It should be released very soon; it’s just in final edits, and we’re excited. There’s a good chance it will be our most highly accessible video. The album features Everlast and Slain of La Coka Nostra, Tre Nyce waving the Battle Axe flag, Glasses Malone, Agony and Strong Arm Steady.

LJ: What’s it like under your new label, and have you noticed any differences in management or distribution opportunities?
P: Beautiful. We have a great relationship with Suburban Noize. They’re real good to us, and judging by the projects they did in the past with Cypress Hill, Kottonmouth Kings, they have a great work ethic. It’s opened us to a whole new world of listeners.

LJ: How is the Canadian hip-hop scene different from the U.S.? Which do you prefer, and have you seen a larger following in the United States since the band formed?
P: The work ethic is the same among those who really take it seriously; the real difference is a number game. The population in the U.S is 10 times the population in Canada. We have a great history in the U.S. It’s traceable. People say to me, “I remember seeing Swollen Members five, six years ago.” Back then, we were just barely laying down the foundations. We didn’t know that it was all going to lead to this. It left a paper trail, as I like to call it.

Swollen Members will be wrapping up their tour over the next five weeks, stopping in their hometown, Vancouver, Canada on Nov. 12.