The Future of the Past is the fifth album from John Nilsen & SWIMFISH, a folk rock band from the Pacific Northwest helmed by pianist/composer/songwriter/guitarist John Nilsen. John was inducted into The Oregon Music Hall of Fame in the fall of 2024 and for very good reasons. He has recorded more than twenty-three albums that have sold well over a million copies and has performed all over the world, including all fifty states (at least once) and on four continents. I met John at an early Whisperings Solo Piano Radio concert in Portland, OR back in 2004, and he played several solo piano house concerts here in Florence, OR, too.

One of the things that is unique about John and his music is his versatility. The son of a piano teacher, he was classically-trained, but also encouraged to improvise and compose from a young age. I was the most familiar with his piano music, but I have to say I really like this SWIMFISH album, too, which is much more of a folk rock collection of twelve songs composed by John, who sings lead vocals and plays the piano on the album, (but plays a lot more guitar than piano). SWIMFISH also includes Don Woodward (guitars, harmonic and vocals), Bob Logue (guitars and vocals), Dave Captein (bass), Mike Snyder (drums and percussion), Bob Stark (keyboards and electric slide guitar), Jason Moore (congas) and Paul Mazzio (flugelhorn).

All twelve songs on the album tell stories with poetic and meaningful lyrics as well as outstanding musicianship. “Traveler” is directed toward someone always on the go who has traveled the world, but who has never known the peace of “a quiet place I go in the valley down below.” “When I Was A Child” is a gentle autobiographical song that is a nostalgic look back and a reflection on how fast time goes by. There is some great electric guitar on this one! “Fallin’ Down” is a dark look at how things are going politically - very powerful! (John plays the piano on this one!). “Lend a Hand” asks “Don’t you want to lend a hand when someone’s reachin’ out?” - very timely and heartfelt! “Out On the Highway” kicks up the energy with a song about being out on the road - something John knows very well! “Sci-Fi Lover” tells a fanciful tale of a fictional character with a “hot spot condo in Marstown” and a “silver saucer to get around.” This one is high-energy, too, and lots of fun! “May Be For the Best” has a lively country-rock vibe and lots of great guitar work! It starts to tell several stories, but says that it “may be for the best” if the rest of the story isn’t told. I can only imagine! “Walk Away With You” brings the album to a close with an easy-going ballad that features guitars, piano, horn and percussion. I especially like the instrumental passages in this one!

The Future of the Past is a fun and inspiring album from start to finish with lots of variety, interesting lyrics and plenty of style! It is available to download and stream on Amazon and Apple Music/iTunes, and will be available as a CD on Amazon on January 23, 2026. It can also be streamed on many services including Spotify and Pandora. Both thumbs up for this one!