Samantha Newton
I don't like bio's. If you want to know something, just ask! I love music, that's the only relevant thing really. Haunting Oboe Music of Austin TX
http://www.crunkbox.com/articles/articles/93/1/Haunting-Oboe-Music-of-Austin-TX/Page1.html
By Samantha Newton
Published on 01/17/2008
Samantha Newton explores local Austin band "Haunting Oboe Music". Read about what she discovers while getting to know the band and attending their recent show at Antone's.
Haunting Oboe Music.
Honestly, when I see something described as screamo or even electro, I get a little scared.
And I was nervous at first that Haunting Oboe Music would be too much for me.
Would the nightmares that fuel their sound haunt me too?
But, listening to them was quite the experience of intrigue and horror.
Not in the negative sense of the word anyway - but if the word ‘horror’ had any positive adjectives, I would use them to describe the sounds of HOM.
Dark.
Deep.
Largely instrumental; requiring only short oxygen searing lyrics every now and then to get the message across. Their music is mellow in some respect but also so loud, aching to be heard, and unbelievably entertaining live.
Aside from the unique quality of the tracks the guys have already laid down, they have also set forth to push their standards of quality and creativity even more by putting out a short EP each month of 2008. I might not have known about this whole EP adventure if I hadn’t been so intrigued by their live performance at Antone’s.
Initially, what I notice is two drum kits.
I like that.
I like drums, and lots of ‘em. And it wasn’t just two guys playin’ the drums. It was Nick and Anthony working together and jamming the fuck out together. Nick is standing up and it’s just got me really into it.
Not to mention Jonathon, aka perma-grin, playing along with them. Smiling like a sixteen year old whose friends keep hassling him about that first piece of ass. He can barely contain himself long enough to play the trumpet, and then he’s back to hitting symbols, stopping by the keyboard, and jumping around. He looks pretty close to just diving face first into the sea of drum kit with honest enthusiasm.
So, if that didn’t have me hooked already, the man behind the synth and lead vocalist, George, adds creepy lyrics and emphatic facial expressions that definitely keep me interested. Ian (guitar), Jared (bass), Jonathon, George, Anthony and Nick are in the spotlight and giving everything they’ve got.
After reading that sentence it sounds cliché. But that’s what they’re doing. It’s more than just going up and playing a show. It is showcasing their craft.
Their art.
A musical showcase as it were. And it’s visible, that they are putting their whole being into it. Not faking it.
My fellow females may more fully understand how faking it can be so exhausting, and really not enjoyable in any way. It feels a lot better when it’s real. As with the tunes. It’s better when it’s real.
And I’ve been told that sometimes you need to describe a sound, you know for example, it sounds like a bunch of kids who sat on grassy knolls listening to Pink Floyd that grew up and perfected the art of mixing classic rock with modern electro touches and a hint of angry emo. But…it’s hard for me to do that because it is a sound unto itself. The fact that it’s hard to describe is, I think, one of their better assets.
They’re talents lay not only with an amazing stage performance, but can also be seen in their ambitious attempt to release a new EP every month of 2008. Which sounded like such a neato idea, I decided to investigate further. What it boils down to is pushing themselves creatively.
It is a group endeavor; taking them a little further than they may have imagined.
As I’m talking to them, everyone has input. This is a project containing six different people all with different perspectives and ideas to contribute, at times it becomes difficult to orchestrate the talent, yet they come together cohesively.
The artwork they have planned entails twelve different pictures that come together to form a larger whole.
Which is the epitome of what they do and the sounds they make.
The idea of releasing a different EP every month forces the guys to get creative on a deadline. They aren’t necessarily spitting out songs consecutively and saying, ok these six are January, the next six are February. If they record a song and it sounds more bouncy or upbeat, they might save it for a summer month song. The song I heard them recording for February, a great fast tempo one that I heard live and thoroughly enjoyed, is titled Girl Problems. It’s got this swanky little jazz break in it. Very sexy. Which seems appropriate for February, right?
The reason the songs on January’s EP, released next week at Waterloo and on iTunes, are so dark and cold is because they reflect the time and mood of the band and what they feel January sounds like. I heard a couple tracks from the January EP. Behold, a Gremlin and The Only Answer. They played the gremlin one first and it sounded a little lower and darker than the one that followed. It was in a sense more upbeat, but not fast and happy by any means. They definitely instill in the listener a deep thoughts about life kind of vibe. Or maybe it’s an I’m cold and I have horrible allergies and hate the world kinda vibe.
Or maybe that’s just me.
Some people have said that a problem may lie in keeping the songs different and not becoming repetitious. Or perhaps, just laying something down because they need another song.
The guys are definitely set on keeping the songs individualistic and of high quality. They aren’t going to release something that they don’t believe in or that doesn’t represent their overall voice. And just like the weather can change from month to month, so can the voice. Because people change.
Shit…sometimes I feel like my mood fluctuates day to day. Imagine month to month. By September, February’s girl problems are gone and there is something else going on in life to examine and portray. It’s these cycles that we all experience in a year. That we can all understand and become a part of. Haunting Oboe Music is going to give us their version of this cycle.
Doing this, and abiding by the guidelines they have set for themselves is going to be a challenge.
It means a lot that they can do this.
To say to your fans - this is what we are going to do, and then follow through. There is a lot riding on it. There is no room for, oh I guess it just didn’t work out this month.
No room for failure. In the end they will be stronger for it.
I’m expecting to see that EP every month. I’m expecting it to be good. And if it’s not, even just once, it takes away the appeal of the entire project.
Get Excited.
And I was nervous at first that Haunting Oboe Music would be too much for me.
Would the nightmares that fuel their sound haunt me too?
But, listening to them was quite the experience of intrigue and horror.
Not in the negative sense of the word anyway - but if the word ‘horror’ had any positive adjectives, I would use them to describe the sounds of HOM.
Dark.
Deep.
Largely instrumental; requiring only short oxygen searing lyrics every now and then to get the message across. Their music is mellow in some respect but also so loud, aching to be heard, and unbelievably entertaining live.
Aside from the unique quality of the tracks the guys have already laid down, they have also set forth to push their standards of quality and creativity even more by putting out a short EP each month of 2008. I might not have known about this whole EP adventure if I hadn’t been so intrigued by their live performance at Antone’s.
Initially, what I notice is two drum kits. I like that.
I like drums, and lots of ‘em. And it wasn’t just two guys playin’ the drums. It was Nick and Anthony working together and jamming the fuck out together. Nick is standing up and it’s just got me really into it.
Not to mention Jonathon, aka perma-grin, playing along with them. Smiling like a sixteen year old whose friends keep hassling him about that first piece of ass. He can barely contain himself long enough to play the trumpet, and then he’s back to hitting symbols, stopping by the keyboard, and jumping around. He looks pretty close to just diving face first into the sea of drum kit with honest enthusiasm.
So, if that didn’t have me hooked already, the man behind the synth and lead vocalist, George, adds creepy lyrics and emphatic facial expressions that definitely keep me interested. Ian (guitar), Jared (bass), Jonathon, George, Anthony and Nick are in the spotlight and giving everything they’ve got.
After reading that sentence it sounds cliché. But that’s what they’re doing. It’s more than just going up and playing a show. It is showcasing their craft.
Their art.
A musical showcase as it were. And it’s visible, that they are putting their whole being into it. Not faking it.
My fellow females may more fully understand how faking it can be so exhausting, and really not enjoyable in any way. It feels a lot better when it’s real. As with the tunes. It’s better when it’s real.
And I’ve been told that sometimes you need to describe a sound, you know for example, it sounds like a bunch of kids who sat on grassy knolls listening to Pink Floyd that grew up and perfected the art of mixing classic rock with modern electro touches and a hint of angry emo. But…it’s hard for me to do that because it is a sound unto itself. The fact that it’s hard to describe is, I think, one of their better assets.
They’re talents lay not only with an amazing stage performance, but can also be seen in their ambitious attempt to release a new EP every month of 2008. Which sounded like such a neato idea, I decided to investigate further. What it boils down to is pushing themselves creatively.
It is a group endeavor; taking them a little further than they may have imagined.
As I’m talking to them, everyone has input. This is a project containing six different people all with different perspectives and ideas to contribute, at times it becomes difficult to orchestrate the talent, yet they come together cohesively.
The artwork they have planned entails twelve different pictures that come together to form a larger whole.
Which is the epitome of what they do and the sounds they make.
The idea of releasing a different EP every month forces the guys to get creative on a deadline. They aren’t necessarily spitting out songs consecutively and saying, ok these six are January, the next six are February. If they record a song and it sounds more bouncy or upbeat, they might save it for a summer month song. The song I heard them recording for February, a great fast tempo one that I heard live and thoroughly enjoyed, is titled Girl Problems. It’s got this swanky little jazz break in it. Very sexy. Which seems appropriate for February, right?
The reason the songs on January’s EP, released next week at Waterloo and on iTunes, are so dark and cold is because they reflect the time and mood of the band and what they feel January sounds like. I heard a couple tracks from the January EP. Behold, a Gremlin and The Only Answer. They played the gremlin one first and it sounded a little lower and darker than the one that followed. It was in a sense more upbeat, but not fast and happy by any means. They definitely instill in the listener a deep thoughts about life kind of vibe. Or maybe it’s an I’m cold and I have horrible allergies and hate the world kinda vibe.
Or maybe that’s just me.
Some people have said that a problem may lie in keeping the songs different and not becoming repetitious. Or perhaps, just laying something down because they need another song.
The guys are definitely set on keeping the songs individualistic and of high quality. They aren’t going to release something that they don’t believe in or that doesn’t represent their overall voice. And just like the weather can change from month to month, so can the voice. Because people change.
Shit…sometimes I feel like my mood fluctuates day to day. Imagine month to month. By September, February’s girl problems are gone and there is something else going on in life to examine and portray. It’s these cycles that we all experience in a year. That we can all understand and become a part of. Haunting Oboe Music is going to give us their version of this cycle.
Doing this, and abiding by the guidelines they have set for themselves is going to be a challenge.
It means a lot that they can do this.
To say to your fans - this is what we are going to do, and then follow through. There is a lot riding on it. There is no room for, oh I guess it just didn’t work out this month.
No room for failure. In the end they will be stronger for it.
I’m expecting to see that EP every month. I’m expecting it to be good. And if it’s not, even just once, it takes away the appeal of the entire project.
Get Excited.