Nashville, TN, based Folk Rock artist Swingin Hammers, real name Benjamin Rupe, releases his new single 'Hangman' on February 1, 2019.
Swingin Hammers pens songs with the seriousness of writing an epitaph. “I’m made to carry the heavy things,” says Benjamin, who took on the moniker Swingin Hammers at the start of 2017, when Rupe’s purpose as a singer/songwriter became clear. “I can’t handle a feather, but I can handle a tombstone.” The entertaining live performances of Swingin Hammers might deceive just how weighty Rupe’s lyrics are, but each Swingin Hammers... Read More Nashville, TN, based Folk Rock artist Swingin Hammers, real name Benjamin Rupe, releases his new single 'Hangman' on February 1, 2019.
Swingin Hammers pens songs with the seriousness of writing an epitaph. “I’m made to carry the heavy things,” says Benjamin, who took on the moniker Swingin Hammers at the start of 2017, when Rupe’s purpose as a singer/songwriter became clear. “I can’t handle a feather, but I can handle a tombstone.” The entertaining live performances of Swingin Hammers might deceive just how weighty Rupe’s lyrics are, but each Swingin Hammers song testifies that he knows exactly what he’s doing and what he’s not doing, in lockstep with his mission as an artist.
These songs do share much in common with the big-voice Americana of Chris Stapleton and Parker Millsap but there’s a rich texture and accessibility to Rupe’s singing that’s more aligned with the blue-eyed soul of modern crooners like Sam Smith and Gavin DeGraw. Mixed with a warm rhythm section, varied playing on electric guitars and lap steels, and the occasional keyboard, the final product of Swingin Hammers’ music - whether on recording or in concert - packs a punch that crosses genre lines, while still fitting snugly within the growing resurgence of Americana, roots rock, and traditionalist country music.
"For as long as I can remember I’ve been swingin hammers. Of the four of us boys, I was the first to throw a punch. I lied to get my way. I didn’t trust that anybody knew better than I knew. I was born with a fighter nature in me. I can’t get rid of it anymore than I can get rid of my right arm. To cut it off would leave me less than whole. So when I came in contact with Jesus, I was surprised at what he said to me. He didn’t want to kill the fighter in me. He didn’t want me to stop swingin hammers."
