I’m Kevin Stuart Swain, born in Lytham St. Annes, England. I was just 3 when my family moved to Canada, settling in Vancouver. Music caught my ear early, and I fell for the bass—jazz’s flow felt like home. With some lessons and school band time, I got better, and at 14, my group won the Canadian Junior Stage Band Festival. That spark from jazz still guides me, shaping a long path as a songwriter, producer, engineer, vocalist, and guitarist, trying to blend heart into rock’s energy.

My rock story started in Vancouver’s rough scene. I played bass and helped write “Blonde On Blonde On Blonde” for Excerpts From Montmartre Letters, a record Brandon Wolf (Barney Bentall) put together, with Paul Rudolf (Hawkwind, Pink Fairies) producing at Little Mountain Sound. Years later, I co-wrote “Sandra Doesn’t Live Here” with Idle Eyes, produced by Michael Beinhorn and mixed by Bob Rock and Mike Fraser—it reached #42 on Canada’s RPM chart. Touring with Idle Eyes had its moments—like a third encore that turned into a scuffle with singer Tad Campbell—but we’ve patched things up and might tour again. I’ve been lucky to play with folks like Doucette, Jim Byrnes, Terry Watkinson (Max Webster), Stonebolt, Prism, Lee Aaron, Sean Kelly (Nelly Furtado), Anthony Della Croce and Bernie Aubin (Headpins), John Webster (Aerosmith, Bon Jovi), and Roger Fisher (Heart).

In 2012, Thor’s guitarist Frank Soda asked me to headline Metalfest with Jon Mikl Thor, and it grew into something special. I’ve produced and co-written albums with Thor—Hammer of Justice, Christmas in Valhalla, Rising, Alliance, and 2024’s Ride of the Iron Horse, where I played all guitars and bass on seven tracks. I also produced the “Der Thunderstryker” video. We’ve got Rock the Universe on the way. “Because We Are Strong” from Alliance, co-written with Thor, became a favourite, and I made a video for it with Lou Ferrigno. Touring with Thor across the US, Canada, and UK has been a ride—challenging gigs turned good, like when I played “I Saw Her Standing There” at The Cavern in Liverpool and the crowd loved it. Achim Mayinger from Rocktimes kindly said my guitar work “maintains the whole thing with beautiful, discreet solos.” I’ve also produced Danko Jones and David Stone (Rainbow) for Thor, and with Al Harlow, we reworked The Kinks’ “Victoria” for Thor’s Victoria 1925 merch, honoring the Victoria Cougars’ 1925 Stanley Cup.

I spent seven years on Al Harlow’s Now, released in 2023, producing it, playing bass, and singing backups. My song “My Mind Is Running Away With You” did well—people seem to like its hooks. In 2021, $tereo $aint$ put me at #3 on their “Top 10 Producers to Look Out For,” saying nice things about my work being “authentic and artful”—that meant a lot.

I’ve done other projects too. “We Will Fight Forever,” co-written with Thor for Pact of Vengeance (Killerwolf Films), features Neil Turbin (Anthrax)—I directed its video to fit his voice. I’ve produced Chuck W. Chapman’s albums, Burn It Down and the upcoming Outcast Among Outcasts, adding guitars and ideas; Cherie Currie (The Runaways) sings a song on that one I really love. Two years into living in Calgary since 2023, I’m still at it—producing, playing, and helping out where I can.

From that jazz bass kid to Metalfest, it’s been quite a journey. Working with Thor, Al Harlow, and so many others, I’ve tried to mix sounds and times, hoping to keep the music honest and moving forward.