Swiss Alps - Penpals

Central Pennsylvania-based musician Devan Kochersperger writes:

Hey Mark,

I never made a conscious decision to make the band that became Swiss Alps. What began as a joke idea of recording songs with my then-girlfriend, Jackie, to tour the country via Megabus and perform only felt real when blogs started covering what we had written together and concert offers started rolling in.

It was a fun, romantic notion that we could combine our abilities to craft songs together to overcome our individual weaknesses. I had been in plenty of bands before, but playing with her made the experience much easier and personal. But, as many people before us have also had happen, differences came up and we ended our relationship at the conclusion of the summer.

At age 23 I suddenly found myself to be alone for the first time in years, a college graduate without a real job, all while moving back into my parent’s house again. I realized that I could either continue feeling like I was in a bizarre dream, or I could fill the void in my life by writing more music. With a new band lineup organized this fall, we’ve been performing much more often in Philadelphia (a gig at The Fire last month with Suburban Living was especially memorable).

The long and frequently frustrating drives down the Schuylkill Expressway gave me plenty of time to reflect on what I miss from my past, and what I need to do in the future. Ultimately, these ruminations became Swiss Alps’ next EP, //. Although it was strange writing these songs alone this time, in many ways that became the self-fullfilling thesis of the entire project.

-Devan

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