Tommy Halloran's Guerilla Swing

Tommy Halloran, one of the hardest working musicians in St. Louis, has put together a new quartet dubbed Guerrilla Swing, consisting of Mark Wallace on upright bass, Kristian Baarsvik on saxophones, Kyle Honeycutt on drums, and Halloran on guitar and vocals. Guerrilla Swing pays homage to the great tradition that is jazz with their vintage swing sound, while simultaneously creating music that is relevant to our modern times. As a longtime host of open-mic nights, Halloran’s around musicians both in the heart of their career and at the beginning. From each night’s varied experience, he’s developed upon the sound that’s been in his head since childhood. While some musicians have ridden the varying waves of swing’s popularity, Halloran’s always been true to the genre. His parents played classic jazz and blues around the house, and he’s now well into two decades of public performance of that music. The key is that he’s doing so by employing only the songs that he loves, playing chestnut-heavy sets sprinkled with a number of originals. Halloran likes his sets played straight, without artifice, but with the natty attire that you might expect. Seldom will you see this cat around town without a collared shirt, hat, and blazer. He’s a sharp player, a sharp dresser—and all the way authentic.