2009 is definitely chalking up to be another amazing year in musical history, and one of the "best of the best" releases is (without question) "Sacred Psalms" by..
Our Brother The Native
Disparate campfire sound architects
OBTN Bio:
Akin to acts like Animal Collective and CocoRosie, experimental indie rock trio Our Brother the Native first emerged out of the partnership of two multi-instrumentalist high school friends, John-Michael Foss and Joshua Bertram. Based out of Michigan, the two met during Foss' senior year (and Bertram's sophomore) and soon began playing and recording together. Starting with a drum machine and banjo, the duo quickly branched out to include a wide array of sounds and textures in their music, including skewed vocals, children's toys, electronics, piano, guitar, and more. Upon finding the California indie Delude Records, which was run by 16-year-old multi-instrumentalist Chaz Knapp, Our Brother's first EP Cheer Up My Dear, The Sun Will Shine Again was issued in 2005. This business relationship ultimately led to a friendship between Bertram and Knapp, despite geographic obstacles. Delude also issued the minimal, banjo-based solo effort of Bertram, Pappa Bones and the Creature Children of the Forrest (released under the moniker JSP). It wasn't long before Knapp and Bertram began collaborating on music together — under the name Moses Grandy — but when they felt something missing, the decision was made that year for Knapp to simply join Our Brother the Native, even though he was still living in California. Their full-length debut thus developed online via email, each song shaped piece-by-piece. By the end of 2005, tracks on the group's Myspace page had caught the ears of U.K.-based FatCat Records and the young troupe was quickly signed (at the time, Knapp and Bertram were 16 and Foss only 18). The album was finished by early 2006, though the guys would not all meet face-to-face until their debut live show at Belgium's Open Circuit Festival that February. Tooth & Claw appeared in the U.K. and Europe in June, followed by a North American release the next month.
What are you currently listening to?
I have been downloading all the Sublime Frequency compilations, out of all of them so far, my favorite has been the Cambodian cassette music! The next OBTN album will most likely have tons of samples from that! I am so in love!
Who were some of the “experimental” bands you were introduced to at a young age that influenced the current sound of OBTN?
My friend Joe Akers from Creepy Crawl basically showed me all the music that I listen to now, he was the one that introduced me to a huge array of bands, from Black Dice to Charles Manson. But mainly growing up in Michigan with all the dudes from Wolf Eyes and being exposed to such a huge noise scene really peaked my interest into more obscure music.
What are your parents reactions towards musical success at such a young age? Do they like your music?
They are so happy for me, they are so stoked to see that I have found my reason for being here so early on in life, music was always in my blood, I got that from the both of them and I am very grateful for that! Both of them definitely like the music that I am doing now much more than some of the early recordings, that’s for sure! And definitely my mom is happy to hear most of the screaming has been toned down lol My Dad is much more into what we do, I think he understands our intentions more so than my Mom.
Can you explain the general writing process for OBTN? Do you begin with a melody and then add samples/filler noises or..?
Almost every song starts with something different. Some of the songs are inspired just from a really great sample and I write a piece of music around it in the same key. But generally a song will start with just a small part from piano, guitar, banjo, or saxophone and then I just build on top of that. For instance, the track “Well Bred” from our new album started with the saxophone part from the chorus and then everything else fell into place.
My favorite song of yours is probably “Octopodidae” off of “Tooth And Claw” ..what song/songs are you most proud of and why?
I think one of my favorites has to be the song “Behold” off our new album Sacred Psalms. The guitar part is just so fun to play and the chord change just feels so epic to me every time I play it. And I feel the lyrics and vocals turned out to be some of the best we have ever done.
Have you ever considered doing an instrumental droney/ambient noise album?
I’m sure that will happen in the future sometime, I know at the moment I am more obsessed with making upbeat things to move to, kind of trying to infuse more of pop and soul into our sound. But I have a huge love for doom/drone music, as does my drummer Kerry, so I am sure we will have to bust out some tracks like that down the line.
You can only keep/listen to ONE album for the rest of your life ..which album would it be?
Oh Boy! Oh Boy! Commander – IV
www.myspace.com/ohboyohboycommander
Are you living your dream?
Very much so, I could not be happier, I feel truly blessed everyday I am able to play music.
I have been downloading all the Sublime Frequency compilations, out of all of them so far, my favorite has been the Cambodian cassette music! The next OBTN album will most likely have tons of samples from that! I am so in love!
Who were some of the “experimental” bands you were introduced to at a young age that influenced the current sound of OBTN?
My friend Joe Akers from Creepy Crawl basically showed me all the music that I listen to now, he was the one that introduced me to a huge array of bands, from Black Dice to Charles Manson. But mainly growing up in Michigan with all the dudes from Wolf Eyes and being exposed to such a huge noise scene really peaked my interest into more obscure music.
What are your parents reactions towards musical success at such a young age? Do they like your music?
They are so happy for me, they are so stoked to see that I have found my reason for being here so early on in life, music was always in my blood, I got that from the both of them and I am very grateful for that! Both of them definitely like the music that I am doing now much more than some of the early recordings, that’s for sure! And definitely my mom is happy to hear most of the screaming has been toned down lol My Dad is much more into what we do, I think he understands our intentions more so than my Mom.
Can you explain the general writing process for OBTN? Do you begin with a melody and then add samples/filler noises or..?
Almost every song starts with something different. Some of the songs are inspired just from a really great sample and I write a piece of music around it in the same key. But generally a song will start with just a small part from piano, guitar, banjo, or saxophone and then I just build on top of that. For instance, the track “Well Bred” from our new album started with the saxophone part from the chorus and then everything else fell into place.
My favorite song of yours is probably “Octopodidae” off of “Tooth And Claw” ..what song/songs are you most proud of and why?
I think one of my favorites has to be the song “Behold” off our new album Sacred Psalms. The guitar part is just so fun to play and the chord change just feels so epic to me every time I play it. And I feel the lyrics and vocals turned out to be some of the best we have ever done.
Have you ever considered doing an instrumental droney/ambient noise album?
I’m sure that will happen in the future sometime, I know at the moment I am more obsessed with making upbeat things to move to, kind of trying to infuse more of pop and soul into our sound. But I have a huge love for doom/drone music, as does my drummer Kerry, so I am sure we will have to bust out some tracks like that down the line.
You can only keep/listen to ONE album for the rest of your life ..which album would it be?
Oh Boy! Oh Boy! Commander – IV
www.myspace.com/ohboyohboycommander
Are you living your dream?
Very much so, I could not be happier, I feel truly blessed everyday I am able to play music.
Thanx Joshua!
Our Brother The Native is currently in the middle of an extensive US tour..can't wait to see them perform live!
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