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03.26.04
They've just released a refined EP chock full of great
alternative rock tracks. Now label hunting, Patrick
of Oval Opus took some time to chat with us about the
band's latest.
 Tell
us about your new album. What makes it different from
your older stuff?
Several things make this project different from our
previous CD's. First of all, though we have worked with
producers in the past, in this project the producers
were more active than ever. They essentially became
silent members of the band. We worked with New York
production team, Pop Rox (Sam Hollander & Dave Schoomer).
Pop Rox was involved from the very inception of the
project and remain active on a management level even
after the project's completion. They began with writing
sessions, went through the rehearsal and recording process,
then post-production and now they act as our shopping
agents to labels. I think that the writing is on a completely
different level than anything we have done in the past.
I also feel that we came into our own in the studio
and the performance and sonic quality of the CD far
surpasses anything we have done in the past. This has
to do with us maturing as artists and the high quality
of the people involved in the recording.
You've worked with some well-known producers and
other special guests. How did you hook up with them?
What did they bring to the album that you hadn't originally
expected?
We hooked up with Pop Rox by a series of coincidences.
Our manager, Cari Gelber, had at one time been an intern
at Pop Rox. She had remained in contact with them. She
had been waiting for the right time to approach them
about us. Shortly after bringing us to their attention,
Pop Rox had a meeting with the management for Michael
Tolcher. Pop Rox had just completed a project for Michael
Tolcher. At the time, Michael was on tour with us as
our opener. Pop Rox then looked into us more seriously
and realized we were a legitimate name
in our touring markets.
Very cool!
 The
other outside writers were all brought in by Pop Rox.
We worked with Jill Konniff (Luscious Jackson), Boots
Ottestad, and legend Danny Kortchmar (James Taylor,
Jackson Brown, Don Hendley, etc.). Sam Hollander and
Dave Schoomer were writers on the project as well. In
the past, writing was done by one or two
band members that then brought a near final draft to
the band. We took the approach that Sheryl Crow did
on her first album, "Tuesday Night Music Club."
All of the songs were written in New York in group writing
sessions. This think tank writing process was something
we had never done before. It worked out better than
we ever could have expected. It was like taking a songwriting
workshop with top New York songwriters. Most importantly,
the writers wrote with us, not for us. They were very
conscious of making sure the songs remained
true to Oval Opus. I would say they helped draw the
best out of us. It was a true collaboration. We also
learned to work with each others strengths. It was probably
the most symbiotic creative process I have ever been
involved in. By the end of it, we each knew each others
area of expertise and yielded to that. It was an ego
less spirit of cooperation. There was also a ceria level
of confidence with the final product, if something made
it through the gauntlet of all these writers and made
it into the song, it must be right.
That is really neat. I’d like to hear other artists
try this method. So what is your favorite song on the
album and why? What are most of the songs about?
It is hard for me to pick a favorite song, I am so
close to all of them. I think "The Beautiful One
That No One Knows" is probably my favorite right
now. I think it has the best edge and is more of a departure
from the music we have made in the past.
That’s my favorite one, too. What else?
 "Settle
Down" is pretty straightforward. It is about that
typical male trepidation toward commitment. The speaker
in the song is more than convinced that he wants to
be with his partner, but just wants a little more time.
"The Beautiful One That No One Knows" is about
those hidden treasures that we often find in ourselves
and others. The character is a somewhat antisocial girl
that hasn't realized her true worth. In the end, it
is her own discovery of her own beauty that will lead
to others ultimate discovery of that beauty. It's kind
of a coming of age motif. A story about finding yourself.
"Anchorman" is a playful song. It is that
age-old human desire to tame the beast. It is the story
of a wild woman and the man that wants to be something
solid in her life. It's about the chase. She isn't opposed
to his proposition, but she isn't going to make it easy
on him either. "First Kid's Names" is about
that moment when you realize you are truly over someone,
yet they will always be a part of what made you who
you are. It is about letting go of someone, yet realizing
they will always be a little part of you. At the same
time, there is a bit of that underlying doubt about
whether it was the best thing to be apart. The song
is about closure. It's kind of a mature, complex break
up song.
It sure is. So what are you hoping to achieve with
the release of this album?
The primary purpose of this CD is as a shopping demo
for record labels. We also hope that it acts as a better
representation of what we are as a band now. For our
existing fan base, we wanted to give them something
to hold them over until our next full length CD.
It’s cool that you’re honest about wanting
to be signed to a label. What's next for the band?
Where will touring be taking you this summer, and do
you have any plans to play with other artists that you
haven't played with before?
What is next for the band is really up in the air.
It all depends on the work that Pop Rox is doing behind
the scenes with record labels. The summer is usually
a slow time for us, we rely on college markets. We generally
cut down on our touring when colleges our on summer
break. We will still tour our major markets. We would
love to get on a tour with a national act, but nothing
concrete has come in yet. We will also be releasing
a live CD sometime in the next few months.
 Do
you see the band winding up with steady fans and continued
touring or mass media exposure and national radio interest?
Which would you prefer and why?
We have six years of grass roots touring under our
belts. I think that we will always have a loyal fan
base. I also feel we are a very radio friendly band,
so we would like to get mass media exposure as well.
I think the two will build off of each other, the more
mass media exposure we get, the more our touring fan
base will expand. I would not say we prefer one over
the other. They are just two very significant parts
of what we are. We make CD's and we tour. We have always
had the intention of being played on the radio and touring
is just part of our life. Playing live is just as important
to us. We want to be a pop music success. The ultimate
achievement would be top 10 singles, videos on TRL and
stadium tours.
Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with
us. Best of luck label hunting!
For more, visit www.ovalopus.com.
Purchase music from Oval Opus here!
Interviewed by Kristen
Fischer
DiscoveringArtists.com
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