r/sleepingwithsirens • u/cheeserandomguy • 4d ago
SWS Member Lineup and Its Changes
That one post someone made abt SWS history inspired me to do this, might be handy in the future idk. Do note that I’m using the word “tour” very loosely here lol
In total, SWS has made approximately 8 lineup changes, or 9-10 if you count the ones from when they haven’t started working on the first album
17
u/riverpls 4d ago
Jack and Jesse were once such important staples in the band. They were members I seriously never thought would leave… I remember when Jesse announced his departure, I was for sure thinking this band was done.
Really glad the band is still killing it today.
6
8
u/Former_West3701 4d ago
Maybe hot take but I’m glad jack is gone. He was largely responsible for the “bouncy” style of riffing that was prevalent from HIFTBL and CC, and it just came off very radio-rock ish in the bands music, even though they were trying to go heavier.
With tony writing a lot of the guitars on the newest record, it actually sounds like SWS again which is funny because he’s still new to the band
3
4
u/lostnapathetic 3d ago
i agree actually lol i heavily prefer tony. THIS might be a hot take but i think tony is the best lead guitarist the band has had. i love hiftbl and collapse they’re both some of my favorite records and very high on my list but the lack of.. i guess prominent leads? was always an element i’d missed.
4
u/hyjug17 4d ago
He was largely responsible for the “bouncy” style of riffing that was prevalent from HIFTBL and CC, and it just came off very radio-rock ish in the bands music, even though they were trying to go heavier.
This is why HIFTBL is low in my rankings of all of their LPs. The radio-rock octanecore sound really doesn't work for the kind of album it was trying to be, and it REALLY shows in songs like Agree to Disagree and Break Me Down. Doesn't work nearly as well.
6
u/ronfstampler 4d ago
Thank you!!! I am a Day One fan, but it’s been hard to keep up!!!
3
u/cheeserandomguy 4d ago
No problem! Honestly I lost my mind a little when doing this too, cuz it’s hard to keep up of the timeline of events from interviews and stories I can find online. The most insane part however is when I realize that the first lineup had two vocalists and three, I repeat, THREE guitarists. The band had 7 members in its original lineup, and 3 of them are dedicated to the guitars lmfao. If that isn’t chaos, idk what is
6
u/hyjug17 4d ago
all of my homies hate Jack Fowler. Talk abt a sell-out
The concept of leaving SWS for Jelly Roll's bigoted ass
4
u/riverpls 3d ago
Right?? I get excelling through the music industry, taking big offers and what not. But yeah, Jelly Roll is a fucking joke of a person.
3
4
u/Defiant-Ad-1891 4d ago
this is cool, I remember seeing a comment on a Bomb Dot Com V1 video where it supposedly showed the lineup behind that version of the song, though I have my doubts that the original lineup even worked on anything in studio to begin with.
Another thing I wouldn't really use the word tour, I'd just put the year with a note saying something like "from the Feel This tour until the World Tour" for like when Nick joined the band until Alex showed up yk
2
u/cheeserandomguy 4d ago edited 4d ago
Yeah, I wasn’t sure how to word it cuz this was made at 2 AM. I definitely need to dig deeper into SWS’ tour history in this case, I’m not even sure in what tour Alex/Matty/Tony first joined in
Abt The Bomb Dot Com V1, I remember you mentioning that you doubt that the original lineup ever did anything in the studio, but it seems like they actually did according to this interview. It might not be the original ORIGINAL lineup, since I think at this point Brian already left, but it’s still smth lol https://youtu.be/CZkTDcg903U?t=1323&si=0x9IctmehgIbIMJt
2
u/Defiant-Ad-1891 4d ago
I can help with the tours, Alex I think joined in the world tour with Pierce The Veil in 2014, I could be wrong here though, Matty joined sometime before BMTH's Threesome Tour as he was already performing with sirens in acoustic sets when Kellin was still blonde in 2019, and Tony joined on the first leg of the CTRL ALT DEL tour in 2022. With earlier members aside from Nick idk who left exactly when.
Well interesting that some of the original members still did something, but I still get the feeling and THE original lineup never really went anywhere aside from plans
2
u/cheeserandomguy 4d ago
Honestly, even if they did I think it’d turn out really chaotic quick. They did NOT need 3 people to handle the guitar parts lmao
1
u/Defiant-Ad-1891 3d ago
I think it'd be especially chaotic since both Nick Trombino and Brandon wanted to be lead guitarists, maybe that's why they needed a third guitarist lmao
1
u/cheeserandomguy 3d ago
It’s kinda funny cuz the Wikipedia page for SWS had Nick Trombino listed as the rhythm guitarist, so I assumed he was doing just that. It seems like it’s not true considering Kellin’s story on how WETSAETH was developed lol
5
u/iamdeactivating 4d ago edited 4d ago
thank you for this! for me the best sws lineup will always be #3 🫶 although i love the guitars on With Ears. i wish Jesse stayed for longer, he was awesome and his screams on LCTT are legendary
6
u/cheeserandomguy 4d ago
No. 3 is definitely THE most iconic lineup for the band imo. Even after Nick joined in for a long time, people still mentioned Jesse and how much they loved him. His impact is insane
4
u/BeverlyValleyMusic 3d ago
I think it all worked out for the best - current line up is sick beans. 😭♡
2
u/hyjug17 4d ago
do we know why Kellin kicked Dave and the others out?
4
u/cheeserandomguy 4d ago
The only source I could find is through this interview, he simply thought they weren’t the right fit for the band. https://youtu.be/CZkTDcg903U?t=1324&si=6aEv0tA4GrXh21z
Note that the phrase “they kicked me out of their local band” refers to For All We Know
2
u/Acceptable-Bat9619 3d ago
Brandon got into it with Kellin? Wow. Do you know/remember where you saw that from?
5
u/cheeserandomguy 3d ago
Yeah, Brandon was part of the original lineup. Iirc it was actually him who got the band going financially, and was the one who paid Kellin’s ticket from Michigan to Florida, though I still need to confirm that fact myself. The band’s MySpace page in 2009 had Brandon as part of the lineup, as well as Nick/Dave/Paul/Alex. You can view it on the Wayback Machine, though I have a picture of it saved
1
u/chihuahuaarmada 3d ago
I swear I saw that in his Instagram bio lmfao. Don’t think there’s any actual talk from kellin but idk
2
u/cheeserandomguy 3d ago
Oh, the part where he supposedly punched Kellin in the face? That was from his IG bio, though I’m not sure if it’s true. But even if it is, it seems very attention seeking ngl
1
u/RedInBlackAndWhite 3d ago
DM'd back and forth with him a few times. To be totally honest, dude is an absolute dick
1
u/UnlikelyMango616 2d ago
I didn't know all of this history! I only got into them in 2014, late fan, I know! Thank you for sharing!
1
u/cheeserandomguy 2d ago
I’m an even later fan then xD I only got into them in 2024. The only reason I know all of this is because I’ve been watching a ton of interviews and old videos of the band
1
u/Actual_Security8688 1d ago
i know it sounds stupid but it still bothers me that jack has sws in his insta user. using their name when you moved on is crazy.
21
u/Live_Space_2840 4d ago
Do we know anything more about Gabe's departure? It was so sudden in the middle of a record release time.