Zak Wood / Colorado Daily

Eric Halborg, bassist for the Swayback, at his day job at Dragon Deer Studios in Denver.

Local bands The Swayback and Hearts of Palm get the honor of opening for RX Bandits at Friday's annual University of Colorado Homecoming concert on Farrand Field.

But the bands' members will go back to their day jobs on Monday.

Fans may not always realize that members of their favorite local bands work "real" jobs to support their musical dreams. At the rate these Colorado acts are taking off, though, they won't have to design bridges, create graphics projects or tend bar much longer.

Of course, the Swayback and Hearts of Palm aren't the only local bands whose members work multiple jobs. Even members of national acts with local ties -- such as Low vs. Diamond -- had to pound the pavement to support their musical habits.

Artisitc side

The Swayback has impressed local music fans with its hard-edged blend of rock and electronic beats. The group has packed the Fox Theatre and headlined this summer's Electric Daisy Carnival in Denver.

The band recently recorded a few tracks with famed producer Andy Johns in Los Angeles. The studio pro has worked with the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, and he's keen on taking the Swayback to the top.

"Our manager also works with Andy -- that's how we got hooked up," Swayback bassist Eric Halborg said. "We're going back to L.A. to work on the vocals. Andy doesn't usually work with new bands, so this is exciting."

Halborg wants to make the Swayback a priority, but he's also passionate about his other career.

Jonathan Till, of the group D. Biddle, and Halborg operate a graphic-arts collective called Dragon Deer. The company has churned out CD cover art for everyone from the Flobots to the Photo Atlas.

"Jonathan and I both have the aesthetics of being a little on the avant-garde and artier side of design," Halborg said. "We're both musicians and artists -- and we're both on the same page.

"We use this company as a freelance umbrella."

Halborg has worked on graphic-design projects that range from Burger King's P. Diddy ad to a poster for the newly signed Denver band Meese.

"Sometimes I juggle both jobs," Halborg said. "I've been in the band van and done ads on my laptop. There's a lot of flexibility with the graphic-design work -- and that supports the music."

Building bridges

Martijn Bolster is a design engineer by day and the Swayback's drummer by night.

"I grew up in the Netherlands and became a civil engineer," Bolster said. "I recently worked on the new Minneapolis I-35 bridge (the span that collapsed in 2007, killing 35 people) as the project's design manager. The way you build a bridge is very important and it's very challenging work, but I still flew back to play Swayback shows."

Bolster says he works on "complicated projects" such as highways and bridges for his day job at Longmont-based Flatirons Corp. His next project involves a cable bridge in Louisiana.

However, Bolster still loves playing music.

"My boss and supervisors are very lenient," Bolster said. "I can't not do this band, but sometimes the band has to give, and sometimes the job has to.

"Both jobs are very cool."

Slinging drinks

Hearts of Palm recently changed its name from Nathan and Stephen. The Denver band always packs clubs with its brand of indie-pop, and it's part of the local Morning After Records' roster.

"This year we changed the band's name and released a free EP with Illegal Pete's," vocalist Nathan McGarvey said. "We gave out over 5,000 CDs and it went great."

Hearts of Palm recently slimmed down to a five-piece band, so all the group members work extra jobs.

"I'm also a philosophy major at Metro, and I work as a bartender at the hi-dive," McGarvey said. "It's great fun. It's a flexible job, and I get to meet lots of musicians. Working there is a nice cushion."

Nathan said his fellow band members hold jobs that range from caterer to med student. No worries, Hearts of Palm still manages to practice and score gigs.

Showing homes

Leor Manelis loves to play drums for the indie-rock band Hello Kavita. But he also likes his job selling local real estate.

Hello Kavita is a fairly new band, so it pays for Manelis to keep his day job. Believe it or not, the Boulder real estate market has been very good to the drummer.

"Boulder's in a real-estate bubble, so the real-estate market is still pretty good," Manelis said. "I have a lot of flexibility playing music with this job. I get to meet all these people, and I've helped musicians find their own properties."

Going full-time

Some locals have gone on to national fame and fortune via working day jobs.

Low vs. Diamond features three former University of Colorado students. The group's now been hailed by Rolling Stone as one of the top new bands in the country.

However, even these band members had to work side jobs.

"When I first got to L.A. I had lots of jobs," keyboardist Tad Moore said. "I worked as a real-estate appraiser. I also worked the phones for an escort service!

"That was really weird, but I was happy to be working."

These days, though, Moore is able to perform full-time with Low vs. Diamond.