Life & Work with David Swanson of LA Rock Collective

Today we’d like to introduce you to David Swanson and The Rock Collective. Their team shared their story with us below:

The LA Rock Collective started as a way to help Bands work together to overcome the ‘pay-to-play’ model used by many of the venues in Los Angeles. Several iconic venues associated with Rock n’ Roll require Bands to guarantee between $500 to $1000 in ticket sales in exchange for a 30-minute set on their stages. In addition, these venues keep all of the revenue that these Bands help generate in food and beverage sales. Something about all of this just didn’t feel right to David Swanson, The Rock Collective creator.

“This just seemed so predatory.” said Swanson. “Keep in mind that most of these Bands work full-time jobs to support themselves. After that 40-hour work week, they write music, rehearse, promote and book their shows. With whatever money they have leftover, they pay for their rehearsal space and buy instruments, music programs and supplies. These Bands aren’t left with a lot of money or time. To require them to buy their way on stage is just wrong.” Swanson went on to say, “These Bands are some of the best Rock Bands in LA. If you saw them play, you’d think that they should be paid to play.”

Swanson started the LA Rock Collective by approaching some of the Artist in Bands that he already knew through spending years in various recording studios. He also scouted out Bands on Instagram. Swanson said, “I approached the best Bands I could find. I told them that I believed they could work together to pool their draw and create incredible booking leverage.” The original ten Founding Bands bought in, and the rest is history.

The LA Rock Collective launched at the Hollywood Hard Rock Cafe in January 2022. The Launch Party was covered by several media outlets including Spectrum News, Blurred Culture and No Cover Magazine. Fox News (LA Affiliate) and Dr. Drew Pinsky (Dr. Drew Podcast) have also done features on The Rock Collective. With consistent draws of over 180, The Rock Collective Monthly Rock Parties have become known as the LA Rock Scenes biggest night of the month.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The Rock Collective has had its fair share of setbacks. Swanson elaborated, “We started at the Hard Rock. I’m so thankful for Brian Orozco for taking the risk on us. Brian let me know we broke a sales record for them. So, I was happy it was mutually beneficial. After a few shows, Brian left for Lucky Strike at LA Live and we lost the venue. That was a disappointment. But I pushed forward. After that, we moved over to BlackRose LA. Sam Garfield, Kellie Lopiccola and Nick Field were incredibly good to us. It was a great venue, and it was perfect for us. But once again, we lost that venue. Such a bummer. There were issues with the electrical system and there was no air conditioning there. The landlord refused to fix any of the issues. So, they decided to close it down look for another location. From there, we did a few shows at Catch One in LA. Very cool venue. But I don’t think the fit was right.”

When asked about how The Rock Collective ended up at Lucky Strike in Hollywood, Swanson explained, “After leaving Catch One, I simply approached Sean Herzfeld. He’s a super cool guy. I explained what we did, and he told me he was in. He gave us a few dates and we’ve had our January and February Rock Parties there.” These setbacks were upsetting for Swanson. “I put a lot of energy into this. So, when you lose a venue, it can be really upsetting. But I don’t look at failure as being permanent. I see it as a learning experience. You take what you can get from it, and you grow. You have to learn and adapt to succeed at anything. And that’s what failure teaches you along the way. That’s what we did and look where we are now.” Swanson said.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Ironically, David Swanson (AKA: Dr. Swanson) is a Psychologist in Private Practice. He treats children, teens and families. Swanson has also written a book called “Help – My Kid Is Driving Me Crazy. (Perigee, 2009)” In addition, Swanson has appeared on several local and national television and radio programs including the Today Show (NBC) and The Early Show (CBS). Over his career, Swanson has become known as a nationally respected expert on issues related to children and families.

So, what would inspire Swanson to get involved with Rock n’ Roll Bands? As with his Practice, the answer is, once again, ‘kids.’

Swanson has three children of his own. Will, Nicolas and Andrew. Will, Swanson’s oldest, is the lead singer of HVNTED (www.HVNTED.com). The Band has had their fair share of success recording with big names such as Stacy Jones, Keith Nelson, Bruce Robb and others. The Band has had their music played on several local and national radio stations including KROQ, 91X and Ted Styker’s ‘Out of Order.’ HVNTED has also been featured on CBS and Fox news.

Swanson’s youngest son, Andrew, has also created quite a buzz. He performs under his Artist name, GORGS (www.GORGSMusic.com). GORGS has had a great deal of success in a short amount of time. His first EP was uploaded as a Topic on YouTube and gained over 50,000 streams in the first few weeks. His YouTube video for ‘Halloween’ hit 100,000 views in the first 30 days. GORGS has collaborated with several well-known Trap Metal Artists including Bill $aber and Do Not Resurrect. And he’s now receiving label attention.

“I’ve gotten to know a lot of the Bands in the Collective through my kids.” Swanson said. “Being in and out of recording studios over the years has introduced me to different Artists and Bands. Many of those Bands are members of that first Founding Group of the LA Rock Collective. I love their music and their passion. Of course, when you get to know people, you start to care about them. Those predatory, pay-to-play practices were really offensive to me because many of the guys who I’ve grown to know were the ones who were affected by it. I just wanted to help.”

The Rock Collective has had several A&R Representatives from well-known labels get involved. These music executives have both inspired and guided the Bands within this quickly growing Community.  Previous speakers include:

Jonathan Rego
A&R, Fearless Records
Nico LaRocca
A&R, Thriller Records
Vicky Hamilton
Grammy-Winning Music Executive
Former Manager for Guns n’ Roses, Motley Crüe, Poison and others

Additionally, The Rock Collective has partnered with an number of brands to offer members of the Community some unique opportunities. Among the brands…
Highwire Daze
Music Publication
Hidden Bands
Music App
Eargasm
High Fidelity Earplugs
Frank Stallone Guitars
Guitar Company
Lucky Strike Hollywood
Music Venue
Eric Bradley
Artist Relations, Major Music Chain
Sticker Plug LA
Promo Materials

The Community has also gained relationships with a number of outstanding Photographers who cover The Rock Collective’s Monthly Rock Parties. As a result, Bands benefit from amazing pictures and video.  These photographers include:

Vivian Ortega
Jessica Greif
Jack Lue
Stephen Brownlee
Teresa Highbridge
Linda Emord

“It’s great to see our Community come together like this.” Swanson says. “I’m really looking forward to big things ahead.”

Contact Info:

• Website: www.RockCollective.net
• Instagram: @LARockCollective
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@larockcollective
• Email: [email protected]

Image Credits
Photographers Jack Lue Vivian Ortega Jessica Greif Linda Emord Stephen Brownlee