OXEN
is the loud outfit from Holyoke, Massachusetts. If you’re looking
for fresh and new music based on stoner, hard rock and sludge, then
you know that do. The fresh and heavy sound of OXEN is a charged and
powerful substance which works well as a generator of highly
intensive energy.
The
band worked as a quartet till now, and every member not only
performed his direct duties but also sang, so vocals styles of their
first full length “The Vanishing” varies from song to song. Hans
Dalhaus (drums, vocals) is here to tell about latest news from the
band.
Hello Hans! How are
you? What's going on in OXEN lair?
Hey
Alex! I am doing well. Oxen is amping up for the release of a split
we are doing with our CT buddies Warm. We also are getting excited
for August to play RPM Fest in Greenfield MA. It’s a whole camping
weekend of Metal and Rock with an awesome line up of bands. Good
times!!
What’s lineup will
make your company on RPM Fest?
It’s a 3 day event.
We are smack dab in the middle of the opening night. The order is
Godeater, Problem with Dragons, Oxen, Barishi, and Lich King. Check
out RPMfest.org for details. The weekend just continues to be amazing
after that.
How did you form the
band? What was your primal motive when you formed OXEN?
Oxen
was originally a collaborative idea between me and Ben Reigle. We
lived on the same street at the time and would hang out quite a bit.
I think we were both going through struggles in our personal
relationships and needed an outlet. We both had so much in common
with our musical interests we decided we should form a band. Hence
the birth of Oxen. Our personal lives eventually sorted themselves
out but the band remained.
Recently
Ben left the band to focus on his plans to open a tattoo shop called
“Great Spirits”. He was a huge driving force behind Oxen’s
original sound. It was hard seeing him go. The remaining members;
Myself (drums/vox), Chris Danielle (guitar/vox) and Eric Racicot
(bass/vox) pondered breaking Oxen up but decided not to. We are
currently playing as a power trio which has been amazing. This new
form has pushed each of us more in our individual abilities to write
songs. I’m very excited as for what you’ll be hearing in the
future from Oxen.
OXEN - Transmission
Hans,
you have mentioned split with Warm, how many songs do you have for
it?
We have 3 songs.
Does this material
differ from the one you have on “The Vanishing”?
If
you’ve listened to the album I would say these songs are a
continuation of the sounds from “Colour out of Space”, “Waxwing”,
and honestly if you go back to our EP, “Pollution”. That song was
always a favorite.
You
released the debut full-length "The Vanishing" one year
ago, what's your progress with writing the material for next
full-length album?
“The
Vanishing“ took a while to get out but the material itself we wrote
rather quickly. We currently have a roster of songs ideas that we
have prioritized and are going through. There is definitely a sound
on parts of that album we want continue to hold true to as the sound
of Oxen. You will hear that consistency in the upcoming split we will
be releasing. (Release date to be determined) I feel we are taking
our time more with writing this time around. When writing “the
Vanishing” we were just so excited about the stuff we were coming
up with we wanted to get it out as fast as we could and share it with
the masses. I feel we are a little more restrained this time and each
member is less afraid to speak up if they approve or disapprove of an
idea. It’s a real collaborative effort. It’s very fulfilling as a
musician.
Do
I get it right that the album exists only in digital format? Didn't
you search for labels to release it?
We
have CD’s of “the Vanishing”. You can buy them through our
website or at shows. We didn’t really push for label support. We
talked about it but it didn’t really fit our lifestyles. We all
have careers and music is our outlet. If a label was to come along
and show an interest we would definitely ponder it but currently it’s
the creating that’s the driving force. We play about 5-6 shows a
year and they are always a blast. Some bands are road dogs and play
constantly and I give them all props. That’s just not where we are
at.
How much money do
you spend on the band? Isn’t it expensive?
The other great thing
about our band is we have Chris Danielle. Not only a great guitarist,
Chris is an amazing sound engineer and owner of Yucky Studios. He
also is a savvy videographer and photographer. He has made it
possible for Oxen to record and put out our music without breaking
the bank. He made it possible for us to shoot all the videos we have
as well. Yes there are other expenses but we figure it out. It’s
worth it.
You
labored your sound for two years and finally it turned to be the
blend of hard rocking stoner with tiny pieces of doom and sludge here
and there. Can you say that you have reached the ultimate sound on
"The Vanishing"?
I
personally feel we just scratched the surface with “the Vanishing”
as to where our sound is going. Our first EP “Glass Coffin” was
originally instrumental and then I introduced some vocal ideas I had
and everybody dug them. When we started “The Vanishing” we still
were not sure what direction we were going in. We were still kind of
an instrumental band but we knew there was now option for vocals. As
song ideas were introduced I just started grabbing onto them and
writing vocal parts and telling stories.
Chris
as well started bringing his vocal ideas and all the songs came
together. Eric joined the band right before we were to record and
even though he brought his stylings to the album his parts were
already written. His input on the newer stuff has been huge. After
Ben’s guitar playing left the picture it was discovered that not
only does Eric tear up the bass he is a shredding guitarist. You may
find him wearing both hats in the future.
OXEN
– Pollution
On which elements
would you like to focus working over on the material for the second
album?
I
think now that we’ve realized we are a band that can be
instrumental and have vocals its now finding the balance between the
two. One thing we’ve been doing differently this time around is
just showing up to our space and riffing as a band and seeing where
our playing takes us. Before Ben or Chris would come in with a song
idea and we would just learn it. We ‘d add a few things here and
there but basically it was complete. I think now we are writing more
as a group. A good example of our group effort from “the Vanishing”
would be “Colour out of Space” and “Matchstick”. I feel those
two were a real collaborative effort. They both started as riffs and
took form in the practice space. We all have ideas and it’s the
blend of all of them that defines Oxen’s sound. Also it makes for a
truly satisfying process.
Which
song would you choose from this album to demonstrate the essence of
OXEN?
That’s
a tough one. If you’re asking more of the sound you will be hearing
in the future I would say “Colour out of Space”, “Wax Wing”,
and “Cursed Sand”.
I
see that all four of OXEN lineup are listed as vocalists, who's the
main dude in the band who sings general parts of the songs?
All the lead clean
parts are me and all the Gruff parts are Chris. Ben sang lead on
Matchstick as well.
What kind of lyrics
do you prefer to use in OXEN? Do you have any conception for it?
I
wrote the lyrics for a majority of the album. Chris wrote lyrics as
well for a couple of the songs he’s lead on. Our song lyrics fall
in the Sci fi/ fantasy realm. When I write I like telling stories. I
always loved Mastodons telling of Moby Dick on “Leviathan”. It
was epic. That’s my song style.
Hans
the band is located in Holyoke, Massachusetts; how does your
surroundings influence upon you?
Winters are long here.
It makes for some good time for writing!
What's about local
scene? Where and with which bands do you usually play?
This
area of Western Massachusetts has a huge folk and bluegrass scene and
that is what most of the venues are catering to. It is honestly
getting harder and harder to find a decent rock club to play at. In
the past 6 months 3 great heavy music venues shut down for stupid
reasons. Its truly frustrating. That being said we have a thriving
metal/Rock scene here. We’ve played a lot of shows with local acts
such as; Problem with Dragons, Neon Fauna, Black Pyramid, Warm,
Moontooth (NY), Dead Empires (NY). There is so many great unsigned
bands around this area. And the community of metal heads is solid. As
I mentioned before we are getting ready to play RPM Fest which is a
metal/camp fest with 3 days of music. Its in its 3rd
year and each year it keeps getting better thanks to Promoterhead.
They are a local metal promotion company. Very cool!
Then
I wish you good luck with playing on RPM Fest and finishing all deals
with the split record.
Thanks
for showing interest in our band and giving us the opportunity to
share our story. Good luck with the website and Blog!
Words
by Aleks Evdokimov and Hans Dalhaus
