Oxbow Mini Interview (playing Shellac's ATP this December)
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Name Of Band: Oxbow
Hometown: SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA
Year Formed: 1989
Bio: The quiet kill off the country road, the time before the time when everything went wrong and the last 16 hours of that great love affair are the seminal beginnings of OXBOW.
Designed to be the last aural will and testament of failed humanity, OXBOW actually garnered listeners from among the ranks of the fucked, with their 1989 release FUCKFEST (cfy; (and later, pathological)). Followed by KING OF THE JEWS (1991) (cfy), THE BALLS IN THE GREAT MEAT GRINDER COLLECTION (1991) (pathological), LET ME BE A WOMAN (1995) (brinkman/crippled dick hot wax) recorded by the estimable STEVE ALBINI, SERENADE IN RED (SST (1997)/CDHW (1996)) also recorded by ALBINI and GIBBS CHAPMAN (FAITH NO MORE, RED HOUSE PAINTERS), AN EVIL HEAT (2002) (neurot) by GIBBS CHAPMAN, LOVE THAT'S LAST (CD+DVD) (2006) (Hydra Head) by various, and THE NARCOTIC STORY (2007) (Hydra Head) co-produced by JOE CHICCARELLI (THE RACONTEURS, FRANK ZAPPA, ELTON JOHN), and NIKO WENNER, as well as various singles and dance remixes, OXBOW has met with increasing critical acclaim and popular support.
The OXBOW core membership -- DAN ADAMS/bass, GREG DAVIS/drums, EUGENE ROBINSON/voice, and NIKO WENNER/guitars+keyboards -- has been supplemented by the subtle stylings of LYDIA LUNCH, KLAUS FLOURIDE, JARBOE, MARIANNE FAITHFULL, RICHARD KERN (SONIC YOUTH et al), JON RASKIN from the ROVA SAX QUARTET, and a string section that would make Barry White wince.
Though claiming San Francisco as their hometown, OXBOW performed first in London, England in 1990 and toured Europe and the U.S. in 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2011. OXBOW has also performed in Tokyo, Osaka, Berlin, New York, Vienna, Oslo, Prague, Portland, Paris, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Rome, Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco, Ghent, Athens, and almost every other place people will pay them to hear them play.
Do your best to describe the sound of your band in one sentence:
The coruscating tone and timbre of the axe and sorrow.
What are the most recent activities of your band?
Musically? Recording the Thin Black Duke, performing classical renderings of our tunes at Supersonic's Festival, playing the Scion Festival with Psychik TV, and our friends in SLEEP. Criminally? Probably the same.
How excited are you to play this event?
Since we've been endeavoring to play this event since this event had started and it has been a bitter and angering affront each time we were NOT chosen it's nice to have the bandwidth to find something else to be full of miserable recrimination about. THIS year at least.
Do you have a connection with Shellac / an idea why you were chosen to play?
Steve Albini is a sage judge of talent and having recorded no fewer than two of our records knows this better than most. Plus the whole "sexual favor" thing.
Which of your releases do you feel ATP attendees should check out first?
Every single one of our releases is genius, solid gold genius, so like a roulette wheel it matters not where the ball drops. As long as it drops on Oxbow.
Is there one of your tracks you think specifically represents you best?
Are you even listening to me?
Are there any other currently confirmed bands you're excited about seeing?
EVERY SINGLE ONE. Seriously.
If you were curating, name three bands you'd want to play your event...
Outside of OXBOW?
1] Barry Adamson
2] Whore Paint [https://www.facebook.com/wppvd]
3] Petit-Robinson-Meow [http://www.facebook.com/RobinsonPetitMeow]
If you could pick one record release in the last year which would you recommend?
Poland's TERRIBLE DISEASE: Get Infected
What have your previous experiences at ATP been like? Any favourite memories?
hahahaha....NONE. really really looking forward to this. almost as much as when I got out of PRISON!!!
that was a joke.
I'm still IN prison.
wait. That was a joke too.
cheers,
Eugene
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Oxbow play ATP's Nightmare Before Christmas festival curated by Shellac this November 30th-December 2nd. The event is sold out but interested parties can sign up to a waiting list in case of future ticket releases here.
Read some previous mini interviews with bands playing this event:
Scrawl
Three Second Kiss
Bear Claw
Arcwelder
Mission Of Burma
Alix
Red Fang