Don Swensen: Music is a Life Essential

I erroneously thought a bass with four strings would be easier to play than a guitar with six strings.”

“Music is my life.” That is quite a statement from a man in his 70s with a career in computer design that took him all over the country. But for Don Swensen, whose first retirement morphed into owning and running Blend wine shop in Key Center, the statement rings true.

“My wife Molly tells me that when I am talking to someone or watching TV, my leg will be moving,” Swensen said. “First, she thought it was restless leg syndrome, but I said no. There is music in my head, and it has to come out. It’s always been there since I was 10, 12, 13 years old.”

Swensen was born and raised in Massachusetts, the second of four sons. “I came from a musical family,” he said. His father sang in a barbershop quartet, and his mother sang in the church choir. His first instrument was the accordion, but he quickly moved to guitar, and at age 13, he joined three friends in a band. One friend played the drums, and the two others were also guitarists.

“They were better than I was, and I erroneously thought a bass with four strings would be easier to play than a guitar with six strings, so I transitioned to bass,” Swensen said. He still has a snapshot of their first paying gig. “That was 59 years ago. The rest is history.”

Swensen spent about 40 years as a computer design consultant, often contracting and working for three to six months at a time for private industry or the federal government. Relatively short assignments meant he couldn’t commit to a band, but he loved getting to know different parts of the country. “I have lived in, worked in, or traveled through all 50 states, Swensen said. “But Hawaii and Alaska were vacations.”

A job with Intel at its plant in Dupont brought him to the Puget Sound area in 2000. “I fell in love with it here,” Swensen said. He also fell in love with Molly. They met at Pinocchio’s (now El Pueblito) in Gig Harbor, where he often went to listen to the music. Tony, the owner, was a family friend of Molly and he introduced the two when she dropped by one evening.

Soon, they were a couple. They married in 2006.

A stable work location meant that Swensen was able to commit more of his time to music, and Pinocchio’s played a pivotal role. In 2001, Jerry Miller of Moby Grape was performing there.

Swensen chatted with the bass player during a break. Later that night, the drummer broke a finger. The bassist took over the drums and asked Swensen to fill in on bass.

Swensen asked Miller to take it easy. “Jerry has a reputation as a very intricate guitarist,” Swensen said. “Jerry then proceeded to play one of his most complicated pieces. The drummer yelled from behind, ‘It’s in the key of C!’ so I knew where he was going.” Swensen joined in the following week as well.

During that second gig, Swensen met another guitarist, and they formed Rebel Storm, playing original Southern rock songs. They received the Horizon Award as the best new band in 2002 by Grits Magazine, a publication about Southern roots and culture. The band toured Europe in 2002 and 2003 but later broke up.

A few years later, Swensen started Mojo Overload, a blues cover band that played in local venues.

In 2014, Swensen retired from his day job and bought Blend. Music was destined to be a part of the new venture. “If I ever owned a bar, I wanted to have live music,” he said.

He brought in well-known musicians, including Kim Archer, Doug McLeod, and Alice Stewart, and they played to sold-out audiences.

Later, “Local musicians wanted to get together and play,” Swensen said. “We had an open jam on Friday nights. It could be three people or 20, it just depended on who showed up.”

Blend also became a go-to meeting place. “I wanted it to feel like coming to sit in a living room,” Swensen said.

During this time, Swensen took on a community leadership role. He joined and then chaired the Key Peninsula Land Use Advisory Commission. He joined the Key Peninsula Community Council and also served as its chair.

Blend closed at the end of 2021. Swensen hoped someone would take over, but the pandemic had taken a toll, and Sound Credit Union, the property owner, raised the rent and announced plans for the building site. No one wanted to buy the business. (“A Farewell to Blending: Key Center Wine Shop Closes,” December 2021.) The building remains empty.

Swensen has embraced his new freedom. In 2021, Tim Hall, a Gig Harbor-based guitarist, approached him, and he joined the Tim Hall Band. They play at least a few times a month, mostly in the region. He jams at a venue in Bremerton. And he still plays with some of the group from Blend.

When Blend closed, the Longbranch Improvement Club moved to fill the gap. On most third Fridays of the month, members and friends gather for TGIF, a BYOB affair with a jam session. Swensen and Terrence Wallace were the organizing force, with Wallace supplying the PA system. Many of the Blend musicians show up, and there are some new musicians. Swensen comes if he’s not booked with the Tim Hall Band.

Swensen isn’t sure exactly where music will take him next. He recently completed a song he started 22 years ago after his son died when he was hit by a car. His son was 22 at the time. “I realized that this year, 2025, marks a time when he has been gone as long as he was here. It is a weird year for me.”