For those who have seen The Sway Machinery in action, little explanation is needed. The band's combination of rhythmic power and potent folklore takes no prisoners. On stage the energy of submerged worlds is torn out into the light of day. And indeed, the historical tradition of Cantorial music, which is the focus of the band's work, is very much a lost world. The music of The Sway Machinery invites the listener to become like children wandering in the forest, discovering something mythic and wonderful.

The band boasts an unusually accomplished line-up of musicians, featuring guitarist Jeremiah Lockwood of Balkan Beat Box, drummer Brian Chase of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, bass saxophonist Colin Stetson of Arcade Fire and Tom Waits' band, and the trumpet and tenor sax horn section of the band Antibalas, Jordan McLean and Stuart Bogie. The powerful combination of musical personalities yields an unassailable force of excitement.

The Sway Machinery began its work in 2006, a product of a long collaboration between Jeremiah Lockwood and Israeli percussionist Tomer Tzur, joined by a battery of heavy hitting horn players. In 2007, Tomer moved back to Israel, and the band was joined by Brian Chase, one of the best known and loved drummers in the underground rock music scene.

In September 2007, the band premiered Hidden Melodies Revealed, a secret celebration of Rosh HaShana (the Jewish new year) at Angel Orensanz Foundation. This multi-media concert celebrated the power of the Cantorial music tradition in an event that blurred the line between rock show and ritual. The band is currently at work producing a second installation of the project for September 2008 and is producing an album of music from the concert. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.