"This raw and ragged New York band draws from the starkness and spiritual purity of Appalachian folk, the menace of punk and the rowdy theatricality of Tom Waits, jumbling sacred and profane." - Ben Sisario, The New York Times
In late July of 2010, New York quintet O'Death - Singer/guitarist Greg Jamie, Gabe Darling on banjo and ukelele, drummer David Rogers-Berry, bassist Jesse Newman, and violinist Robert Pycior - returned to the stage after a year-long hiatus to play a critically-acclaimed set at the Newport Folk Festival. In many ways it was the perfect start to a new era in the band's existence, and a logical precursor to their upcoming third LP, Outside. After endless touring on the rollicking one-two punch of their debut Head Home (Ernest Jenning) and sophomore barnburner Broken Hymns, Limbs and Skin (Kemado), the band was sidelined in the midst of their 2009 tour when Rogers-Berry was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma. Ten months of chemotherapy and a shoulder replacement later, the group returned to the studio with a new outlook on life, and began work on their most fully conceived project to date - an affirmation of sorts.
In the past, O'Death has been most visible via their chaotic live shows, but the band was determined to add more depth to their catalog. "I think we were interested in making something more personal, and trying to write songs that are melodically engaging and not just the crazed ravings of mad men," says Rogers-Berry of the process behind Outside. Jamie continues, "None of these songs were played live before recording, which is a first for us. I think that's important to why the album sounds the way it does. We gave ourselves the chance to explore sound in a way that is not concerned with a high-energy live show." The result is a record that lives up to its name with spacious and cinematic arrangements, layers of subtle percussion, and at times an impenetrable wall of found sound.
O'Death recorded the album over a two-month period, easily the longest they've ever spent on a production. Producer/Engineer Billy Pavone, who was also behind the board for Head Home, came along for the ride. The extended recording time allowed the band to write in studio, as well as cultivate the organic noise for the record in an intimate setting. As Pavone observed, "Creating the album in the recording, and not in the mix, was a leap of faith for me. It was challenging to let go and allow the album to breathe a bit, and be its own creation– unique and very different from some of the sounds we hear so often in the world of digital manipulation.
The result is a record that is both the most subtle and massive accomplishment of the band's career, a darkly triumphant and free-flowing album that represents exactly where the songwriters have found themselves in this moment. As Pycior notes, "I love the dynamic disparity in the album: the fragile parts of 'Bugs,' 'Ourselves,' and 'Don't Come Back...,' the huge endings in 'Alamar,' 'Look at the Sun,' and 'Pushing Out.' and the demented final tone of 'The Lake Departed.'"
Watch the video for "Bugs" here!
O'Death Live
8/31 Red Palace Washington, DC
9/1 The Pinhook Durham, NC
9/2 The EARL Atlanta, GA
9/3 Muddy Roots Music Festival Nashville, TN
9/4 Hi Tone Memphis, TN
9/6 The Bottletree Cafe Birmingham, AL
9/7 One Eyed Jack's New Orleans, LA
9/8 TBA Baton Rouge, LA
9/9 Warehouse Live Houston, TX
9/10 Mohawk Outside Austin, TX
9/11 Rubber Gloves Denton, TX
9/13 Off Broadway St. Louis, MO
9/14 Empty Bottle Chicago, IL
9/15 Musica Akron, OH
9/16 The Crooked I Erie, PA
9/17 The Bug Jar - Rochester Indie Music Fest Rochester, NY
9/18 Space Gallery Portland, ME
10/8 The Bell House Brooklyn, NY
"Outside" Track List:
01. Bugs
02. Ghost Head
03. Alamar
04. Black Dress
05. Ourselves
06. Look At The Sun
07. Howling Through
08. Don't Come Back
09. Pushing Out
10. Back Of The Garden
11. The Lake Departed
For more information, visit:
www.odeath.net
www.ernestjenning.com
