Swear and Shake to open Governors Ball

The Governors Ball is one of the summer's hottest tickets, featuring Kanye West, Kings of Leon and Guns N' Roses as headliners and hot up-and-comers from around the world.

But it's area indie-folk band Swear and Shake that gets the honor of kicking off the three-day event at Randalls Island, which singer-guitarist Adam McHeffey of Center Moriches calls "a dream come true."

"It's a pretty big step for us," McHeffey said. "When I saw the lineup for Governor's Ball, I thought, 'Who knows my exact musical tastes to a T?' They really have their hand in all the right pots. It was a show that I would love to go to, let alone play it. It's definitely one of the coolest festivals we've been a part of."

Of course, Swear and Shake was founded less than three years ago at SUNY Purchase, where McHeffey and singer-guitarist Kari Spieler were studying, with McHeffey's Center Moriches friends bassist Shaun Savage and drummer Tom Elefante completing the band. (Elefante recently left to spend more time at home, replaced by Ben Goldstein, who produced the band's debut album, "Maple Ridge.")

And things show no sign of slowing down. Swear and Shake also was chosen to play the official Governors Ball after-party at Bowery Ballroom, as well as playing Mountain Jam, in Hunter Mountain, N.Y., on Saturday -- playing on the same stage as Gary Clark Jr. and Deer Tick. Besides working on their new album, Swear and Shake will go on tour, opening for ZZ Ward.

Part of their success may be due to the massive interest in Americana and indie-folk music, with Mumford and Sons touring arenas, and The Lumineers topping the charts. However, part of it is also due to the band's ever-improving songwriting and live show.

McHeffey said the band got picked for Governors Ball after one of the organizers saw them play at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn. "It was kind of a bust of a show," McHeffey said, adding that comedian Sarah Silverman was having a show in a different part of the club at the same time, which took away most of their crowd. "But we just made the best of it, and we were super energetic. ... Everything just comes together in a weird way."

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