Swollen Members Enjoy Life On the Road

Canada's hardest working indie hip-hop duo, Swollen Members , are on the road sharing their beats with audiences across the nation. The two Vancouver-based MCs are currently joining Project Wyze as Bif Naked 's crowd warmers, and Madchild , Swollen rapper extraordinaire and owner of Battleaxe Records, is happy with the tour so far. "I think one of the cool things about this tour is it's a mixed audience of people so we're getting to open ourselves up to a new audience, because, obviously, a lot of people are there to see Bif Naked," Madchild says. Evan if audience members are lured to the shows by Bif or Project Wyze, it doesn't faze the Swollen Members boys because they tend to win most of the crowds over anyway. The duo (Madchild and fellow MC Prevail ) have a strong reputation for pleasing a crowd regardless of their musical leanings. "Some of the shows have been more like, we really have to warm up the crowd," Madchild says. "Like last night, in Hamilton, it was a great show but it was a real crowd warm-up. By the last song, ‘Lady Venom,’ everyone was jumping." On this tour Madchild is also especially excited about his home away from home – the tour bus. Usually, the guys will rent a utility vehicle for their tours but this time around they're enjoying the plush luxury of a luxury bus that includes perks like TVs and a DVD player. "The tour bus is the shit," he says with obvious glee. "It's like a party when you walk on the bus a lot of nights after the show." Of course, every great thing has a down side and Madchild does miss his family and his two dogs, Thor and Bam Bam. He's also getting a bit antsy being away from the office at Battleaxe Records, but he says that fans across the country are doing their best to make him feel at home wherever he goes. "The best thing about touring Canada is that you don't really feel like you’re away from home even though you are," he says. "Everything is completely familiar." Here are the remaining dates of Swollen Members’ tour. All dates are with Project Wyze and Bif Naked unless otherwise noted. Check back for more dates in the new year. December 11 London, ON @ The Drink December 12 Kitchener, ON @ The Lyric December 13 St. Catharines, ON @ Front 53 December 14 Toronto, ON @ Kool Haus (with Joydrop, Bif Naked and Mudmen)—April Labine