‘Tomorrow there’ll be hell to pay’

Squirrel Nut Zippers create an afterlife beyond swing dancing and lawsuits

 INTERVIEW. Though the band may be best known for the song, “Hell,” and their contributions to the short-lived swing revival of the late ’90s, Squirrel Nut Zippers’ music should never have been so easily defined. With a catalog ranging from Delta blues to gypsy jazz and southern roots, SNZ’s genre-jumping proved they were far more eclectic than their mainstream hit. Formed in 1993, the band’s unexpected success led to unfortunate lawsuits with former members and the candy company from which they took their name, and eventually to their demise in 2001. After recently reuniting, drummer Chris Phillips says “it took a lot of years to get over the emotions that come with those litigations.”

What led to the band’s end?
There’s a transition when your little art project turns into a piece of commerce. We wanted to make a living, but after a while you realize you’re caught in the gears instead of steering the ship. We all got burned out and people wanted to go in a different direction. We never officially broke up; we just quit calling each other.

When and how did the band reunite?
We were just finishing up our legal dealings with former band members and … I called up Katherine [Whalen, vocals and banjo] and Jim [Mathus, vocals, guitar, trombone] and said “let’s do some shows again.” I think they thought I was joking at first. There was a little bit of trepidation, but this band is a family affair and it was always really special.

How strange was it to get caught up in the swing revival? Do you think that pigeonholed the band?
We look at the swing-revival as a thing we were never responsible for. We were always an eclectic band, but never truly a swing band. We just don’t have the zoot-suits and the big band thing. We’re not those people.

Are you writing new songs?
We’ve been working on things in the laboratory, but we’re not trying to push to put things out right away. We’re not the same band that we were. It’s been 15 years. Jimbo said something interesting. He said, ‘I’ve been trying to write Squirrel Nut Zippers material, but I’m not 25 and I’m not doing puppet shows listening to Kurt Weill anymore.’ I think that’s really telling. As a songwriter, he’s looking for a new way to express what the Squirrel Nut Zippers are with the same quality to make it us. That’s the great thing about taking some time off. We could all play music outside of the band and explore our interests and we’ve all been able to bring stuff back to the table. We’ve got an element of punk rock in us and had we not had that we might not have had the success we ever had.

Squirrel Nut Zippers
Friday, 9 p.m.
The Paradise
967 Comm Ave., Boston
MBTA: Green B Line to Pleasant
$20, 18+, 617-562-8800
www.thedise.com