"Down-dirty, bump-and-grind, moaning-and-groaning blues roots music. I'm thinking that these guys are channeling R.L. Burnside or some other departed Hill-country or Delta blues master."
— Tampa Blue, Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange

"Whiskey-soaked deep woods field holler for the modern age."
— Willie Nile

"Ruben Dobbs has done a masterful job evoking the spirit of Robert Johnson and John Lee Hooker on his new album, "SWAMPCANDY". You get the feeling he's been down to the crossroads. He is a man possessed"
— Bob Waugh - Program Director, WRNR-FM

"Ruben Dobbs channels raw blues power with aggressive slide guitar playing and robust vocals that bring to mind the ghosts of Son House and Leadbelly."
— Cary Wolfson - "Blues From the Red Rooster Lounge"

Swampcandy has shared their aggressive, stomping Mississippi Delta Blues and cross-genre sets locally, nationally and internationally —Including: the Baltimore/Annapolis/Wash. D.C. & Virginia area, and venturing even further to Philly, NYC, Chicago, Minnesota, Colorado & the San Francisco Bay Area. This unforgettable, rock your boots band, has even amazed the ears for fans throughout the U.K.!
In the midst of Swampcandy's overflowing schedule, this unique duo is no where near slowing down . In addition to creating new material to consistently please their ever growing fan base , they are also gearing up for and are excited to announce their upcoming 10/2011, US South East Tour, which will flow down the East Coast to the Florida Keys in order to grow their fan base in the region and spread their music.
Swampcandy was started as a solo project by Ruben Dobbs in 2007, after years of playing and fronting bands that ranged from Zappaesque to Americana to Pop Metal. In 2010 Swampcandy added Joey Mitchell, a talented upright bass player that plays kick drum. He is sought after regionally for his skills on the bass ranging from Jazz to Bluegrass and everything in between. The signature sound of Swampcandy is found within their ability to shift tempo and dynamics in order to emphasize lyrical content. To watch them play one would think they share a brain.
While Mississippi Delta Blues is the back bone of the Swampcandy sound, the vast pallet of Ruben Dobbs, as a song writer, brings a rainbow of influences to the table to create a stimulating performance free from the cookie cutter sound of an artist strictly tied to one genre. In their non-blues tunes hints of old country, old time and bluegrass can be found as well as gypsy jazz and more modern influences like Radio Head and Gillian Welch. His voice and lyrics speak to the listener from the depths of experience. The sound comes from the mountain. from the farm, from the swamp and from an honest pure place where nothing can hide.