MUSIC FEATURE Angst and opportunity
Another theme running through the Ogres tracks is apparent both in the lyrics and production: angst. Though not uncommon in Childers’ songs with past bands, the regular references to life and death are hard to ignore in light of the pandemic that underscored the band’s formation. In “Proletariat Gate Guard,” Childers ends with the lyrics, “Maybe God ain’t real, maybe death is nothing, maybe everything we’ve been told’s a lie.” In “Fences,” which Childers says was inspired by his experience at the country club, he repeats the refrain, “Stay alive ‘til we end up dead.” He wrote the song while fighting off his own COVID infection. In a less terrifying way, COVID also influenced the sound of Ogres. Unable to play his regular DJ gigs around the city, Aswell decided to pick up a bass guitar his friend had lent him. It was his first time playing guitar since he was a child. The riffs he came up with were the foundation for what would become Ogres. “I was like, ‘Oh shit, I kinda remember how to play this thing, that’s cool,’ and then I just started making instrumentals,” Aswell recalls. “Maybe even the first one I played for Robert, he was like, ‘Oh hell
yeah, I’ll kill this.’” The team is comfortable with their process at this point and has been releasing singles weekly in the lead-up to their Sept. 18 show (visit qcnerve.com on Sept. 9 to check out their latest premiere there). Childers is preparing for what will be a rare firsttime musical experience as front man. “I fronted Luciferean Agenda, but I mean, I had an instrument. Now it’s just me stomping around,” he says. Still, he’s excited to share what he and his longtime pals have been working on. “Ogres is a garage band, a punk band that uses MPCs, electronic devices, turntables and samples while still being a punk band that has live instrumentation. We will bring the same energy as a punk rock show or a hip-hop show, where it’s hype.” Despite their wide range of musical backgrounds and busy schedules, all four members agree that Ogres will be the priority moving forward. “We’re all pretty diversified with our artistic endeavors, but I think when we all get together, it’s pretty clear that the synergy of all of us getting in the same lane has proven to be very rewarding and exciting and just feels like it’s got a good amount of potential to it, too,” Aswell says. “This is the focal thing now.” And so after the show, it’s back to the kitchen (just not the country club kitchen). RPITKIN@QCNERVE.COM
Pg. 15 SEP 8 - SEP 21, 2021 - QCNERVE.COM
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