Artist Bio
One of the more confusing facets of American independent music is that, all too often, its purveyors refuse to operate outside the confines of California and New York. Like scattering insects, record labels and bands head for the nation's extremities when they get the itch to hit it big, leaving the red meat in the middle of the U.S.A. fattened with nothing but country acts and regional hip-hop groups. For an art form purportedly devoted to the rise of authentic sound, indie's hotbeds are certainly skewed, making bands toiling away in Silver Lake and Williamsburg seem more part of the herd than part of music's esoterica.
If Other Lives was more formulaic or eager to get rich, the five-piece would be in N.Y. or L.A., gloating about impending global success. But that's not how things are done in Stillwater, Oklahoma -- home to a population of 46,976 residents, Oklahoma Statue University, a restaurant called Eskimo Joe's (which cooks cheese fries endorsed by both President Bushes) and Other Lives. On a phone call with Jesse Tabish, lead singer and songwriter for the group, the young rocker laughs when describing the reason he's in no hurry to flee Stillwater: "The band's been together for such a long time in Oklahoma. I'm sort of superstitious that if we leave here, it's all gonna go to shit." His voice is soft-spoken and carries an Oklahoman rhyme, particularly when he adds, "As far as my plans, Oklahoma is perfect."
Tabish's plans, like Eskimo Joe's most famous dish, are unvarnished and indicative of character: to play music; something he's been doing with different incarnations of Other Lives for more than five years. When Other Lives' predecessor, Kunek, finally disintegrated, Tabish says that "there was a certain point when it may have been time to stop." But he and the band's remaining members (bassist Josh Onstott, cellist Jenny Hsu, percussionist Colby Owens and pianist Jonathan Mooney) quickly regrouped and honed their sound. On the verge of releasing its self-titled debut LP, Tabish says Other Lives is a far cry from the avant-garde noodling Kunek used to perform. "When we first started, we used to do the Godspeed [You! Black Emperor], 45-minute song kind of thing," he recalls. "The idea of becoming more orchestral has been a recent development."
Recent or not, Other Lives' orchestral arrangements are not as tight, melodic and, as they might say in Stillwater, downright purdy as any others currently enthralling audiences in much larger cities. Tabish attributes the sound to the influences of modern classicists like Johann Johannsson and Arvo Part. Add to those the down home sensibilities of a good, folksy, Midwestern rock band, and you've got the current Other Lives -- music perfect for waking up on a crisp fall Sunday or executing a heartrending breakup in the middle of the night. And Hollywood's already come a-calling. First was the record deal with TBD, a label whose only other release is the most recent effort from an experimental, avant garde British group called Radiohead. Next was the offer to have long-time Beck producer Joey Waronker and his frequent partner, engineer Darrell Thorp, collaborate on the Oklahomans' debut. Last on the Other Lives new fame bandwagon was television medical drama Grey's Anatomy, which used the album's first single, "Black Table," in the show's 2008 season premiere.
Speaking about the sudden onslaught of good fortune after five years of working at his music, Tabish is thankful for the past and unburdened by worries about the future. And once again, the conversation comes back to Oklahoma; 'I'm glad we didn't really find success for five years," he says. "Bands need development, and because we're in a sleepy college town and there's no push to get famous -- it's really cheap to live so it's not about whipping up 23 tunes and immediately getting in front of an A&R guy -- we've got all the time in the world."
And only time will tell if Other Lives will be able to remain distinct despite the mounting pressure to move westward. But even if it can't, Oklahoma will still be there, perfectly devoid.
"I think the great thing about Oklahoma is that because there is no scene, bands are left on their own," Tabish says. "There isn't some 'New York sound' where you have 50 bands that sound like The Strokes -- everybody's in their own world and there's no sense of what's cool or not...It leaves us all to become individuals."
If Other Lives was more formulaic or eager to get rich, the five-piece would be in N.Y. or L.A., gloating about impending global success. But that's not how things are done in Stillwater, Oklahoma -- home to a population of 46,976 residents, Oklahoma Statue University, a restaurant called Eskimo Joe's (which cooks cheese fries endorsed by both President Bushes) and Other Lives. On a phone call with Jesse Tabish, lead singer and songwriter for the group, the young rocker laughs when describing the reason he's in no hurry to flee Stillwater: "The band's been together for such a long time in Oklahoma. I'm sort of superstitious that if we leave here, it's all gonna go to shit." His voice is soft-spoken and carries an Oklahoman rhyme, particularly when he adds, "As far as my plans, Oklahoma is perfect."
Tabish's plans, like Eskimo Joe's most famous dish, are unvarnished and indicative of character: to play music; something he's been doing with different incarnations of Other Lives for more than five years. When Other Lives' predecessor, Kunek, finally disintegrated, Tabish says that "there was a certain point when it may have been time to stop." But he and the band's remaining members (bassist Josh Onstott, cellist Jenny Hsu, percussionist Colby Owens and pianist Jonathan Mooney) quickly regrouped and honed their sound. On the verge of releasing its self-titled debut LP, Tabish says Other Lives is a far cry from the avant-garde noodling Kunek used to perform. "When we first started, we used to do the Godspeed [You! Black Emperor], 45-minute song kind of thing," he recalls. "The idea of becoming more orchestral has been a recent development."
Recent or not, Other Lives' orchestral arrangements are not as tight, melodic and, as they might say in Stillwater, downright purdy as any others currently enthralling audiences in much larger cities. Tabish attributes the sound to the influences of modern classicists like Johann Johannsson and Arvo Part. Add to those the down home sensibilities of a good, folksy, Midwestern rock band, and you've got the current Other Lives -- music perfect for waking up on a crisp fall Sunday or executing a heartrending breakup in the middle of the night. And Hollywood's already come a-calling. First was the record deal with TBD, a label whose only other release is the most recent effort from an experimental, avant garde British group called Radiohead. Next was the offer to have long-time Beck producer Joey Waronker and his frequent partner, engineer Darrell Thorp, collaborate on the Oklahomans' debut. Last on the Other Lives new fame bandwagon was television medical drama Grey's Anatomy, which used the album's first single, "Black Table," in the show's 2008 season premiere.
Speaking about the sudden onslaught of good fortune after five years of working at his music, Tabish is thankful for the past and unburdened by worries about the future. And once again, the conversation comes back to Oklahoma; 'I'm glad we didn't really find success for five years," he says. "Bands need development, and because we're in a sleepy college town and there's no push to get famous -- it's really cheap to live so it's not about whipping up 23 tunes and immediately getting in front of an A&R guy -- we've got all the time in the world."
And only time will tell if Other Lives will be able to remain distinct despite the mounting pressure to move westward. But even if it can't, Oklahoma will still be there, perfectly devoid.
"I think the great thing about Oklahoma is that because there is no scene, bands are left on their own," Tabish says. "There isn't some 'New York sound' where you have 50 bands that sound like The Strokes -- everybody's in their own world and there's no sense of what's cool or not...It leaves us all to become individuals."