t h ee o h s e a s
a change in sight
THEE OH SEAS are one band mighty glad to see the back of 2011. While last year saw them bring out two highly-acclaimed albums, according to vocalist/keyboardist BRIGID DAWSON, the year was marked by tragedy and loss. By BIRDY. “I think you can hear a lot of that especially in Castlemania,” says Dawson of one of the band’s two latest albums. “I’d love to be able to say that it’s been a good year but there’s been too much sadness for everybody in the band. I feel like it’s been a good year in terms of putting out two good albums. In my opinion, we’ve been really productive on that front. We’ve also toured a whole bunch and we had the summer off just to have a bit of a rest. Apart from that, we’ve had a year in which we had at least a few people that we know pass away, so it’s never pleasant to have that kind of thing mark your year.” It’s in Castlemania where the darkness that marred 2011 for the band is most obvious, as Dawson agrees. “That was really more about John (Dwyer, vocals) sitting down and putting that together,” Dawson explains. “That’s probably the short answer to it, anyway. John basically came up with a bunch of songs and made all these home recordings which he took to the studio and spent some time layering them. He took quite a lot of time over that. I think the reason why Castlemania sounds a bit different to Carrion Crawler/The Dream is because the latter was done by the band in its entirety. It only took about four or five days as well, so it was a very quick process, as opposed to Castlemania. Castlemania is also darker because the people that we lost recently were very close friends of John’s — he really cared about them a lot, so it’s no wonder that you’re hearing a lot about death in there.” And while one album may be darker than the other, Dawson agrees that both have one thing in common – Thee Oh Seas are at their live rockin’ best. The live
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approach is becoming more and more popular among bands. But Dawson says for her band it’s not about following the trend. “I think it comes down to the cyclical nature of music — it’s been going on for decades,” she explains. “Right now, I think the live approach is really popular with bands because it’s easier — it’s much more natural. But it’s also something that’s come back again since the 90s and the whole garage rock thing. There was a backlash happening against the mainstream back then and I feel like the same thing is happening again. “Another thing is that the more simple and basic that you keep it, the better your music is going to sound. It’s never okay to over-do something, I don’t think audiences like that. Having an overcrowded record with 17 guitars on it is never going to sound great.” Besides, too many tricks in the studio can leave fans disappointed with a band’s live performance, says Dawson. “This has happened to me quite a few times, I have to admit,” she laughs. “I’ve gone to see a band I really love – well, a record of theirs that I really loved at the time. But seeing them live was almost like seeing a completely different band. I’m not going to name any names, but as a fan, I felt really ripped off. That’s something that I would never want to put our fans through. You’re pretty much tricking people into liking your music when you add things in the studio that you damn well know you won’t be able to replicate on stage.” Thee Oh Sees perform at Woody’s, Byron Bay, on Tuesday January 17, and Chino’s Bar, Newcastle, on Wednesday January 18.
reverb magazine issue #066 — Jan–Feb 2012 19