The Washington DC area is known for many things outside of politics, baseball, and having some of the worst traffic congestion in the country. Washington DC and its surrounding suburbs now boast the arrival of Hand Painted Swinger.

Long before Kelly Clarkson had us swooning for her on American Idol, Hand Painted Swinger humbly began as the PestStrips, a well sought after band that played the Washington, DC, Baltimore, MD, and Northern VA music scene exclusively, performing 5-15 monthly shows throughout the 1990’s. The PestStrips recorded a full length CD of original music in 1996, entitled "Sticky", which was nominated for a "Wammy Award" by the Washington Area Music Association. The PestStrips received favorable reviews for "Sticky" and promoted it until they stopped performing live in 2000.

Long time friends Jim Higley, Billy Plank, and Bob Shellhouse reunited in 2004 to write and record all new material. Today, the 3 long time members are known as Hand Painted Swinger and were recently joined by David Vespoint, ex-bass player of Interscope recording artist, Love Nut, to round out their sound.

Now well over a decade after they originally began, with an impressive library of original and cover songs under their belts, Hand Painted Swinger are now back playing the local music scene once again promoting their latest CD "Speed Hump." "Speed Hump" finds the band in true form emphasizing steady pop-roots-rock soundscapes met head on with tasteful song crafts. The band uses an effective mix of melodies and heartfelt lyrics that truly exhibits their maturity as musicians to captivate audiences everywhere.

Hand Painted Swinger is currently promoting their latest CD, "Speed Hump" and are playing a limited number of live shows throughout the DC, VA, and MD area to entertain their fans. Come on out to the next show and check them out for yourself.