Austin Sound Check

O’Death, NYC’s premiere Gothic Country Punks will be taking the stage at Mohawk next Wednesday, November 26th. Austin Sound Check caught up with lead vocalist/guitarist Greg Jamie for an exclusive interview.

Continue reading after the jump for the full interview, including Greg’s thoughts on Austin and SXSW, as well the changing music industry and where the band was when Barack Obama was elected president.

For more info: O’Death // Mohawk

Austin Sound Check: Have you played a lot in Austin in the past? Do you enjoy visiting the city? Any favorite memories/restaurants/clubs to play or visit while in town?

Greg Jamie: Austin is a great town that we’ve enjoyed coming to. We played SXSW the last two years. The first year was better than the second for us. I can’t remember all the clubs we played that time. Last time we were at SX we played at Hole In The Wall and that was a fun spot. We played Mohawk once before and that’s a real classy joint as well. I’m a fan of (your) town. The first time we were there we played The Scoot Inn which is the oldest bar in town. Really loved that. Its also where we signed with our European label, City Slang.

AS: Your music is heavily influenced by mountain music, jug band style. How did the band decide on that genre for O’Death? What was in each of your musical backgrounds prior to forming O’Death?

GJ: I was getting pretty into old recordings. Anything from the 20’s and a lot of gospel. The American Primitive compilation that John Fahey put together was huge for me around when we started playing. We wanted that sort of intensity you get from these old recordings without it being just a novelty act. Just to add to that feel you get when you hear that hissing sound and that voice breaking thorugh the fuzz and the feeling of a lot of people in a room being as spirited and alive as possible. Our backgrounds are all different. Newman, our bassist, is a bit of a metalhead. David’s into all kinds of stuff — a lot of Motown and hip hop- but we all kinda connect on what we’re doing, whatever that is.

AS: Are there any plans for a follow-up to Broken Hymns, Limbs and Skin?

GJ: We’re always working on new ideas. We want to continue to be visual with our music — create mythic stories. We recorded a song in Hamburg, Germany that’s kinda a big deal for us right now. It’s sorta about a sea monster. We might do a double 7-inch sometime next year to work out some experiments. We’re ready for something new even as we’re proud to be touring behind Broken Hymns.

AS: Is there an interesting story behind your signing to Kemado?

GJ: Not really. We were deciding between a couple labels and Kemado showed a lot more excitement over working the project for a long period of time. we have a lot of respect for those guys and went with them based on their commitment and their roster. We were talking to a slightly bigger label that might have been less interested in us when they saw slow sales.

AS: As you know, Austin is home to a lot of unsigned talent. Do you have any advice for Austin musicians trying to “make it”?

GJ: I think you gotta try to find your niche but don’t be too strict to it. Find people who you like to play with and make it a scene, but don’t fall into too many genre traps. Make sure your music makes you crazy.

AS: The music industry is undeniably changing even as we speak. How do you feel about the changes? How has that impacted O’Death as a band?

GJ: Its hard to say. I think blogs and internet shit in general has helped out our band a lot. Sales of course are down which makes it harder to make a living maybe, but we’re playing a lot of shows and trying to find fans in a lot of ways. The internet in general has opened alot of doors for us in terms of finding like-minded musicians to play with around the world.

AS: O’Death is not noted for it’s politics, but how do you feel about the election of Barack Obama?

GJ: We were in Toronto on election night and in the middle of playing a set. The sound guy got his voice into our monitors and told us that it was decided. Then I had the privilege of telling a room full of 300 people that the U.S. had a new president. We were all so happy Obama won and that night was one of the most special for me ever this year or maybe ever. We celebrated all night, albeit not in our country.

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