In August of 1996, Swift released her first self-titled album followed soon after by InsectInside (1997). From there, Swift, Montgomery and a handful of other musician-friends headed to the Canadian East Coast for a week-long tour. Swift returned home to graduate from the University of Toronto in 1998 with a degree in East Asian Studies and four years of musical experience, including the tour, under her belt.

After graduation, Swift began touring full-time, doing as many as two-hundred shows a year across Canada and the United States. From there came two more albums, Can't Corner Me, and Permanent Marker, in 1998 and 1999, respectively, before a live album released in 2000, titled The Wage is the Stage. “So many people were coming up to us and saying that they really liked our albums, but that seeing us live was better. That's something that we get a lot. So in 2000 we decided to record some material from our shows and put out a live album.” Ember Swift's popularity continued to grow and in 2002, the band released their seventh album, Stiltwalking.

In 2004 an eighth album, Disarming, was released and one of the songs on it caught the attention of a staff member from The L-Word. “We had just finished playing a show last summer when we were approached by this person who said they were interested in using our music as part of the soundtrack to season three of The L-Word,” Swift recalls, “Lyndell and I were hesitant to give her a disc at first because we knew our new album was going to be coming out at the beginning of 2006.

But in the end, we gave it to her and the result was “Elle est la” being used.” (Fans will recall this song playing in the background during a Jenny and Moira/Max scene). The song, sung completely in French by Swift, likens one's conscience to a seductive woman who is “always there”. Performed live, it offers Swift the chance to showcase her flare for the melodramatic. She usually sings it equipped with an imaginary cigarette longue.

For Swift, the importance of live music is something she cannot stress enough. “I love the intangible art-form of live music. It's about energy and sounds and connecting with people, physically, emotionally and mentally.” Live music is something Swift really encourages people to support, particularly considering the direction the music industry seems to be heading these days.

“Now people can go online and download individual songs or even whole albums without connecting with that artist or ever seeing them live. That seems so strange to me, since I think there really is a deep connection that can be felt between the artist and the audience.” Swift continues, “I think there will always be a draw for live music because of its magic intangibility, but it is up to us to continue to support it."

Swift is also a fervent supporter of independent musicians and their music. So much so that she founded her own record label, Few'll Ignite Sound, in 1997.

“I started the label as a way to separate the business from the art and I realized that having a professional framework behind my music would be an asset.” What began as a small file folder in her Toronto bachelor apartment grew into a small business staffed by Swift, Montgomery, and a collection of close friends.

Currently, the label only represents Ember Swift, as Swift firmly believes that artists should own their own music. But the label does serve as an excellent resource for other musicians from all over the world looking to maintain their independence and own their own music. Swift encourages those interested to visit the label's website (listed below).

To date, all of her albums except for her first, have been released under Few'll Ignite Sound. The label's mission statement, “May the few who ignite sound fuel a change in the night. May the few who fuel change ignite sound into light”, appears on Ember Swift clothing merchandise and on many of the albums, reinforcing Swift's own convictions and those she desires of others.

Throughout her life, Swift has remained committed to exploring the union between art and activism. “Music is my vehicle for activism. I'm not a visual artist or a lobbyist or a political candidate. I'm a musician that combines music and activism and if I can use my music to work towards change, then I will.” Swift also remains a supporter of many organizations she views as contributors to creating change, several of which are listed on her website, including People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) where Swift participated in an ad-campaign promoting vegetarianism.

These days, when Swift is not playing in cities across Canada and the U.S., promoting The Dirty Pulse, or responding to the recent buzz her ninth album has been generating, she is likely to be found at her 19th-century country farmhouse property, quietly contemplating the beauty of nature while rearranging plants in her garden. Who knows what Swift will dig up next. Whatever it is, it's bound to fuel some sort of change. After-all, the sound has already been ignited.

For more info go to EmberSwift.com or Fewllignitesound.com

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