The Swindles were originally formed in 1997 by two Rochester, NY singer/songwriters, Tammy Renee Brackett and Dee Adams. The musical, Radio Gals, inspired the name, which was originally the “Swindle Sisters”. The Swindle Sisters in Radio Gals would do just about anything to be heard on the radio. (They also had some gender issues. But, we won’t go into that here.) Dee left the band just before the band recorded This is the Life. Now known as the “Swindles,” the band performs and records original folk/rock written by Tammy.
In 1999, Tammy founded Rochester, NY’s popular Women’s Songwriter Circle,
which was formed to support the creation and performance of original music. The
Swindles hosted Circle performances where the finest local female artists
presented their music to an ever-growing group of fans. Starting 1999 with a
bang, the Swindles released their first CD. The sampler, titled Swindle
Sisters, featured six original songs and was the first release on the White
Dog Records label. The summer of 1999 brought with it a new CD for the
Swindles. Too Bad You Missed It spent weeks at the top of the MP3.com
charts. The Swindles released their latest CD, This Is The Life, in
April of 2000.
The Swindles were featured guests on Rochester Band Spotlight, WNNR Rochester, in the fall of 1998 and Rochester Sessions on WITR in 1999 and 2000. They have spent mornings with the Brother Wease Morning Circus on WCMF, Rochester. Morning radio shows around the country are playing the popular Swindle Sisters single, “The Coffee Song.”
The year 2000 started with a radio release of the new CD. They then headed to the Midwest where they were a hit on the live performance TV show, Sundog, in Madison WI. Tammy and Jean tirelessly promoted the CD with coffeehouse performances in all corners of Wisconsin and New York. (and a few Holiday Inns in between)
The demand for Swindle performances kept the band so busy in 2000 that Tammy developed an overuse injury to her hand. After repeated warnings from her Medical Doctor, she decided to take a break from playing and finish her bachelor’s degree. Unfortunately, this meant that the rest of the band was also forced to take a break. They now play as a group only on special occasions.
The current members of the Swindle Sisters, (until Tammy fires them again) are: Dr. Jean on Bass and Mandolin, John Head on Drums, and Tim Brackett on Lead Guitar. Tammy recieved her MFA (that's a Master of Fine Arts degree for you people under the rock.) in 2006 and began working as a Visiting Assistant Professor at the School of Art and Design - Alfred. She teaches Time-Based Media which includes video and sound. Jean recieved tenue in 2006 and continues to teach Biology at Alfred University. John Head spends much time on the road as a Technician for Xerox. Tim Has started his own sound business, Mountain Valley Production Systems .