If three is indeed a charm, then Aunt Pat’s third studio album “SWIM”, released on IOU Records, is the charming follow up to 1996’s “AUNT PAT” and 1998’s nationally acclaimed “PATOO.” Featuring eleven new songs and three live/acoustic tracks, “SWIM” revisits Aunt Pat’s well crafted songwriting and musicianship, and then adds a pinch of soul to the mix. The band is comprised of sisters Kerry McShane (vocals, piano), Mollie McShane (vocals), brother Brian McShane (bass, drums, guitar, vocals), and brother in law Blake Allen (vocals, guitar). “SWIM” is definitely a long awaited loosening up for us.” Says Blake, “We had a lot of fun in the studio this time, and everybody contributed ideas to the songs. We probably spent more time laughing than recording.” From the soulful funk of the title track “Swim”, to the reflective “You’ll See”, to the classic melody line of “Up Here”, the band showcases its three lead vocalists and its trademark harmonies. “We’re a throwback to bands like The Beatles, CSNY, and Fleetwood Mac, where there was more than one vocalist and a lot of backup harmony.” Adds Blake, “But you don’t see many harmony bands with a rhythm section like we have in Brian (bass) and Chuck Treece (drums).” Chuck Treece began playing with Aunt Pat after the release of their 1996 self-titled debut. “Chuck took us to school on rhythm” offers Brian, “He changed the way we approach making records, and how we play live shows.” Chuck has played for Bad Brains, Urge Overkill, D’Angelo, Pearl Jam, and Billy Joel, along with his ongoing project “McRad.” In 1998 he played drums and co-produced (with Marc Moss) on Aunt Pat’s “PATOO”, which received extensive national radio airplay including the band’s hometown WXPN in Philly. While recording and mixing “PATOO” in Woodstock, NY, Aunt Pat met and recorded with the legendary Levon Helm of The Band. “We ran through ”Hard Inside” together in the studio, just practicing the harmonies. He’s the sweetest guy… he’d squinch up his face and chuckle all the time, so we left his chuckle in on the end of the song to remember the day by”; Kerry says of the mandolin and vocal tracks that Levon contributed to the song. Meanwhile, “PATOO” has gone on to distinguish itself with honors from Performing Songwriter Magazine as one of the top Independent CDs of 1998, and Indieacoustic.com has named it as one of the best 50 independent CDs of the 90’s. The song “Georgia” (remix) finished second in Garageband.com’s April 2001 song competition, which was voted on by its listeners and hosted over 10,000 bands worldwide. With a philosophy of keeping things in the family, brother Dan McShane manages the band along with his duties as owner of IOU Records. That’s Mollie’s oil painting on the cover of “PATOO.” “See…painting’s great ‘cause no one has to agree with you…” chuckles Mollie. And adding his talents on guitar and harmonica to select tracks on “SWIM” is brother Michael McShane. Also a gifted singer/songwriter, Michael has begun work on his first solo project, Cow Muddy. With their live show ranging from a full electric band to a stripped down acoustic set, Aunt Pat has shared the stage with acts as diverse as Dar Williams and Spacehog, along with The Neilds, Vigilantes of Love, Susan Werner, Great Big Sea, and John Sebastian. Their new album “SWIM” includes three live/acoustic tracks recorded at The Fire in Philadelphia. So dive into some Aunt Pat music and look for their upcoming shows at auntpat.com.