David M Rangel / September 24, 2025 / Interview
Aside from a hiatus in the early 2000s, Sweet Water have been making records since the early 90s. The Seattle quartet navigated multiple major labels throughout that decade. While their 1995 record, Superfriends, with its MTV single, “Superstar” may have been their most obvious commercial moment, the band have continued to make respected, solid records with evolving, ever-changing sounds. Their latest album, Shine On, came out Friday, September 19th. We caught up with Cole Peterson (bass) and Adam Czeisler (vocals) to talk a bit about both the past and wax current with the new record.
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Indy Review: Hey, guys. I appreciate you taking the time to be here. So, Shine On is your first full-length in over 10 years….
Cole Peterson: Yeah, we’ve put out two EP’s but our last full-length was Clear The Tarmac.
Adam Czeisler: Yeah, that was in 2009. That’s crazy.
CP: And the thing is, we probably would’ve put out another EP, because we’re impatient. It’s like, let’s write four or five songs… let’s go! Rich Credo, our guitar player, he was kind of the vision behind this whole thing. He was the one that was like, no, we’re doing a full record. Can you elaborate, Adam?
AC: Yeah. We didn’t have any songs. We maybe had some titles. But Rich didn’t care, that’s his attitude. He’s like, book the studio! It was pretty deep into the pandemic. Prior to that, we had been going into our practice space doing our normal thing. Cole would bring in a song and we’d work on it and twist it around. Or we might come up with a riff and then I would just record it. So we would organically come up with these things in practice. And then, I would take it home and try and get something cool with some lyrics and sing on it and then bring it to practice. That’s our normal thing that we had been doing for a while. And then the pandemic came, and everybody was getting bored. And Rich said, “We’re going to make a record and I have booked the studio. So, show up, we have three days”. So, I dusted off the recordings I had. I took some from our folder and shared them with people. And we showed up at the studio, and ended up laying down 16 tracks.
CP: Yeah, and this isn’t Adam‘s studio, which is behind him on our Zoom call, which is legit. The guitar player from Pearl Jam has a studio called Litho. So Rich booked studio time there, so we could have a real thing! That’s kind of how Rich runs his life. He likes to take chances. We didn’t really have anything. We just showed up and laid stuff down and then it got really fun. We were just all so psyched to be together playing music during the pandemic. There was such a great energy. We really had nothing. No lyrics, just music. The song, “Shine On” was the first song on the record we completed. And I laid down some acoustic guitar in my own studio. And I brought it back and Chris (Friel), our drummer, laid down drums on top of that. Not every drummer can lay down drums on top of already existing tracks. We brought in some piano…some Wurlitzer… and our friend John Haig played on it. And that was the beginning of the record.
IR: The first record in such a long time is a pretty big deal. Are you guys going to be touring it? Or do you have a specific release show planned?
CP: Yeah, the immediate plan is that we have shows booked around the northwest. Next week, we are going to Portland to play there. And then we have a record release party back in Seattle, on October 11 at a club called Neumos. In the fall, we will be doing a show at a kind of alternative/punk rock winery. And we are parents, with jobs. So I think that’s what we’re going to be doing is picking up shows within six hours of Seattle. That said, I could see us flying to New York or LA to play shows, if things pan out.
AC: And my dream is to be on one of those Summer rock festivals in Germany or the UK. They have shows with so many amazing bands where people go and camp out. That’s my dream.
IR: Your bandmate, Rich, recently made a statement that the new record reflects who and where you are now. So, without putting words in his mouth, what does that mean to you? Who are you and where are you now?
CP: I think that’s a fair statement by Rich. He used this record to work through a lot of things. And I’m not speaking for him. He’s talked about this stuff and he’s a very transparent guy. He was going through a divorce during the process of making this record, and was writing lyrics. I think that was very cathartic to Rich. I think Adam kind of took that vibe.
AC: For sure. In particular with the song “Out of Control”. We had the music and Rich came over to my house as he was going through this divorce. I played the song, and he just started singing these lyrics and I recorded them into my phone. I just kept playing and playing, and it all came out of him. It was amazing. and I said to him, you just wrote the song. So, I took what I recorded and edited it. I was going to have him sing it. But in the end, it made more sense for me to sing it because people get a bit confused. So I sang it and it turned out great. It was like we were capturing a real experience. I feel like if you hear that song, you know it’s something real.
IR: Throughout all of your records, from the first one to now, there seems to be a reinvention of yourself with different sounds. Can you talk about the process or mindset that makes these records so diverse?
AP: With our first record, we essentially redid demos we had done earlier. And they basically sound like those demos. But when we went into the big studio, it was a little tight because we had so much pressure with the major label. And if you listen to the demos of those songs, they are kind of better because they have that energy and there was no pressure. We just toured and toured after that. I feel the first record could’ve been a little better. Then we were on the road every single night and just got a lot better. And we were immersed in music every night, seeing other bands. So once we started making Superfriends, our songwriting was getting better and we just knew more about what we were doing. We just executed it better. It could have been a hit record because there were great songs and great everything. But record label problems happened, and it didn’t work out. But I was really proud of that record. I still am. And Cole wrote ”Superstar”.
That was what got the label excited to make that second record. And I don’t know about the mindset of reinvention. In my mind, it’s just like I want to make a great record. And I always feel like I could do better. And the definition of better, of course is subjective. When we did the Firebird record, I was listening to The Who, Live at Leeds. And there was just this energy that I loved with one singer, one guitarist, super stripped down, but creating this massive energy. And we had a mindset for each record. Sort of like the zeitgeist that was happening around us at the time. So it’s been many years, and we are not staying static. I still love The Stooges, but I would not want to make a record that sounds like them, now.
CP: And over the past couple years, Adam has become this amazing producer. And the new record represents Adam‘s newfound skill at that.
IR: Tell me about your songwriting process. Is there a main writer? Are there typical routines you go through?
AP: It’s changed. In the early days, I pretty much wrote all the lyrics and vocal melodies. That was like the singer’s job. And the band wrote the riffs and that’s how that worked. But, pretty early on, Cole and I started writing together. If it was his song, I might write the second verse. Or if it was my song, he might write the chorus, or who knows. And it’s pretty collaborative like that. Ultimately, because I’m singing it, I kind of have the final say, because I have to deliver it. Very collaborative as far as that. As far as music, I think it’s half-and-half between Cole and Rich.
CP: I think with this record, Rich brought in a lot more guitar parts. Adam and I used to egg him on with guitar parts. But this time, he came fully prepared with multiple parts, the solo, etc.
AC: And speaking of Rich, I love the fact that he thought about it ahead of time, what guitars he was going to use. He had this kind of blueprint to use LOTS of different kinds of guitars. We didn’t have every instrument in the world, but from a guitar point of view, we went really lush. And I think he just really shined on this record.
IR: You guys spent most of the 90s on major labels. For the edification of younger readers, what are some of the differences for Sweet Water, in putting out records then, compared to now?
CP: I don’t think we had the same experience as a lot of bands had, where the labels just tried to come in and run the show. Right now, we control the artwork, we control the songs and can put them out on Spotify, or wherever. But back in the day, we would make demos and send them to our A&R people. And they would ask for more, because they didn’t hear a single. That kind of thing. And we would make some more. And then it would be like, “Oh, this “Superstar” song, OK, let’s go”! So all of a sudden we are down in LA recording it. So then we would have a meeting with the label people, and they would decide whether the record was done, or whether we would have to do another session. So there was all that.
AC: Right. Oversight, like there was someone watching and judging. But hopefully someone also helping and coaching. But it was more watching and judging. Whereas now, we don’t have that. So that’s one major difference. But also, the making of the record. Back in the 90s there was no digital anything. Everything on those records back then, we had to play at that moment, live. I mean, you could do an overdub, but if there were three choruses, you would have to sing all three. Everything was a true performance. But that’s kind of cool, when you look back on it. But, I do love the digital.
IR: Besides the entertainment factor, what are you guys hoping listeners will take from this new record?
CP: I hope people hear the joy behind the music. We had a lot of fun. It’s four guys who have known each other for 45 years, or something crazy like that. So when we get together, there are a lot of inside jokes, a lot of shorthand. It’s a lot of fun. Basically when we make a record, part of it is an excuse for me to get together with the guys. And songs are kind of like puzzles, so we have four guys working on this puzzle together. I think at some level, hopefully people will hear the joy and friendship in the music. We are best friends and we love each other, and I think that comes through.
IR: What are some things you guys are engaging in that keep you inspired or entertained?
CP: To my detriment, I am kind of the social network guy on the team. I’m the one posting all the clips and sharing all the news. So, what that means, is that I’m endlessly scrolling. It’s insane how I can pull out my phone, and see 30 seconds of Bob Dylan. And 30 seconds of The Clash and then it goes into NWA. And it’s so hard to put it away. So, I personally am immersed in the whole Instagram, doom-scrolling world. So when I hear someone like Rich or Adam talking about this amazing book they are reading, or this amazing painting they are doing, I am always blown away.
AC: For me, I feel like when I’m doomscrolling, it’s very flat. It’s not a very deep experience for me. So I try to stay away from that. I try to find really good shows. I love a show called The Studio. It’s about the producer who made The Godfather and all the crazy stuff he had to go through. You have to subscribe to Paramount+. But it’s highly worth it. And I also like Ted Lasso. Basically, anything comedy or Hollywood behind the scenes. I like science oriented shows.
CP: Rich is very well read. I can’t speak for him, as far as what he’s reading. But he reads quite a lot.
IR: Well, this has been fun. Is there anything further either of you would like to add?
AC: Well, for one thing, we would like people to know where to go to find more of our music. So, http://www.sweetwaterrocks.com. Cole handles that site and all of our Facebook and Instagram postings, and he’s a master at it. And the other thing is thanking everyone who has been interested in our music. And thanking all the fans who have, you know, given us so much support, and so much inspiration and so much interest. Over the years, it’s the thing that has amazed me the most, and made me the most proud, that we can connect with real people in their real lives, with some of the art we’ve made. And they connect back to us, it’s a circular thing and it’s a wonderful relationship.
CP: And it’s so crazy that we can have this conversation with you, David, when you’re in Milwaukee. The gatekeepers are gone. In the 90s, we would play a show in Portland. And if a radio station didn’t get behind our show, it was out of our control. But now, I can send out a blast to all the fans in Oregon and let them know “hey, we are going to be playing Dante’s in downtown Portland”, and all of a sudden we have three or 400 people at the show. And that’s great. We are huge music fans of so many artists. And there is a lot of love and a lot of joy in making these ten songs. And we are not going to stop. I’m ready to write the next record.
AC: Me too. And we still have six more songs. Maybe we will put out an EP the next time around.
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Shine One is out now. Stream it here.
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