Swampcandy Puts the Stomp in Music

Do not call Swampcandy's music “the blues.”

According to Ruben Dobbs, who started the project in 2007, “aggressive, stomping Mississippi Delta Blues" may be the "backbone" of the duo's sound, but Swampcandy is not defined by any genre.

Dobb's musical journey began as a young teenager when he began writing songs. At just 15, he produced his first album.

Now an Arnold resident, Dobbs grew up on a farm in Harford County, where his father and uncles introduced him to all types of music including blues, country, and classic rock. 

A Broadneck High School graduate, Ruben was profoundly inspired by the late Kevin Pallett, a Severna Park resident and former Broadneck music director who was killed in a motorcycle crash in 1992. Pallett was one of the reasons Dobbs chose to make music his career.

Now, the music has come full-circle for Dobbs; after playing, recording and producing genres as varied as progressive rock to a rock opera, he returned to his roots and the music that initially inspired him. In 2010, standup bassist Joey Mitchell joined his group "Swampcandy." In the summer of 2010, the duo successfully completed a two-week tour in the United Kingdom.

The music, which can be heard on reverbnation.com, is multi-textured, primal, and ranges from sweet to raucous. Slide guitar is smooth and liquid in their “Drink Whiskey with Me.” “Lose your Money” hearkens back to one of Dobb's original muses, Muddy Waters. “Positive Drinking” is old-school country, and “San Francisco” has a bluegrass twang.

The duo has an upcoming tour of the Southeastern U.S. this fall, which will cover the East Coast and end up in the Florida Keys. Meanwhile, fans can hear Swampcandy locally on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. at Ram's Head Tavern. They will be also be playing at Fado on Thursday, July 7 at 6 p.m., as well as the Plein Air Festival at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michael's on Wednesday, July 20, at 7 p.m.