When asked to describe Swift Robinson’s sound, drummer Sonny Hopkins apologizes. A lot. He’s hard pressed to define this long-standing Clemson band’s sound, what with its eclectic mix of punk and hard rock, reggae and jam music.

However, the band didn’t start out with this hybrid style. Hopkins said Swift Robinson started out as more of a jam band. The band will play the Esso Club on Halloween night, but Hopkins said they spent many hours in dorm rooms and apartment buildings defining their sound before they made it to live venues.

“It used to take an hour just to move everything around in the dorm room so we could practice,” Hopkins said. “We had to move beds and stack amps on top of sinks. We only got in trouble with an RA once.”

Three years of such practices have led the band to its current incarnation. Swift Robinson, which is rounded out by bassist Ben Robinson, guitarist/vocalist Eddie Williams and guitarist/vocalist Casey Bennet, has played gigs in Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia and, of course, Clemson. With its current success as a launching pad, the band plans on graduating and pursuing a musical career in either New York or Philadelphia.

For now, the members are just happy to play gigs in their native Clemson. Their performance at the Esso Club on Halloween will be slightly different from their usual live show. They will all be dressed as the Beatles and plan on devoting an entire set to the Fab Four.

“We’ve got a pretty huge fan base so we wanted to do something special for them,” Hopkins said, “I’m glad we’re playing another set of our own music because I’m not a huge Beatles fan, but I manage to bang on the drums despite having to play some softer stuff.”

As for the set consisting of Swift Robinson tunes, expect to hear some new material like “Teflon Brain” and “April Fools.” Hopkins described “Teflon Brain” as indicative of most of the band’s material; it starts heavy and slow and builds to a steady, driving rock section.

“April Fools” has become a popular Swift Robinson song of late. Hopkins said the band often uses it as a closer because of its heavy bass line and crashing cymbals. The song’s rock stylings speed up into a reggae verse and allow the band to jam on their instruments for an energetic finish to its sets.

Siwft Robinson is now half finished with a new album. Five tracks were recorded at the Brooks Center in Clemson and the band plans on finishing the rest of the album within in the next couple of months in Kinston, N.C. Hopkins said the new songs are shaping up very nicely.

“All the money we make from gigs now is going into recording and the planned move up north,” Hopkins said, “It’s a positive feeling having all your hard work pay off. I’m not going to lie; it was great being able to quit my job and play music full time.”