32 Oct 10th-Oct 16th, 2024 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop John Dwyer and the Osees save their crazy for the stage. BY TOM REARDON W hen the opportunity came up to talk to John Dwyer from the Osees (a.k.a Oh Sees/ Ocees/Thee Oh Sees, etc.) on Labor Day, of all days, I had to jump at it. This guy seemingly never takes a day off. “Labor Day is such a meaningless holiday that I don’t put any stock into as a federal holiday,” Dwyer says over the phone from San Francisco, where Osees played that night. Osees hit Phoenix on Monday, Oct. 14, at Walter Studios with amazing locals Jade Helm as the supporting act. The show promises to be one of the best of 2024. One of the busiest bands in the world, Osees have averaged almost two albums a year since 2020 (just as Osees) and 22 more since the inception of the band in 1997. There have been name changes, yes, but they are all in some variation on the original moniker, Orinoka Crash Suite (OCS). For Dwyer, though, the pace is just busi- ness as usual. “I do take days off. We only tour two and a half, three tops, months out of the year. I think people think we are on the road all year long. That would fucking kill me. We tour a lot, but we keep it under a quarter of the year. In the downtime, I’m working on music and stuff, but that, to me, is like relaxing. But you’re right: sitting on a beach drinking a beer, which I also enjoy … I have to force myself to do that,” Dwyer says. Considering that he also works on solo projects and collaborations, all that “relaxing” time recording from home must keep his stress down and his soul fulfilled, but he’s not the one interested in keeping track of his output. “I honestly don’t know (how many releases I have), but I’m often reminded by the press, so somebody’s keeping track, you know?” Dwyer says with a tinge of chagrin. I feel compelled to ask if he might be writing a song while we were chatting, but that’s not the case. “Right now, the coffers are bare. I have a bunch of stuff that I have been slowly mixing for years. At the present moment, I am working on the live show only. I will say, though, we’ve been working on some new jams live, hammering them out and trying to revisit nice little areas we found in some new material live, which has been really fun,” Dwyer says. Dwyer is a fan of improvisation during the live show, so fans of Osees can often expect to see and hear something that has never been done before. “I love improv. That, to me, is the glue that keeps a band interested in songs we’ve had to play a million times. We call it ‘free swim’ in the band. It’s sort of like a set parameter of when and where we do it, but there is a lot of openness and figuring things out as you go,” he says. Dwyer goes on to say that he loves how famed guitarist John Abercrombie looks at improvisation. “(Abercrombie) is like this really easy- going guy. He says, ‘I don’t know, man. How about this? If you are comfortable with what you’re doing, you’re doing it wrong. Never fall back on something you already know. You always want to find yourself in new territory, just like driving to the horizon.’ I can appreciate that. When we find something on stage that is spontaneous, out of the ether, and we lose ourselves in the moment, that’s really great,” he adds. The current lineup, according to Dwyer, have been playing together for “fucking ages,” so they’re comfortable with playing together. Today, Dwyer is joined by Tim Hellman (bass), Dan Rincon (drums), Paul Quattrone (drums) and Tomas Dolas (keyboards). One thing that’s not surprising about the Osees’ latest record, based on the energy Dwyer seems to generate, is the frenetic pace of the songs themselves. On “Sorcs 80” (of which there is also a live release), the Osees channel bands such as Devo, Dayglo Abortions and John Dwyer of Osees manipulates the mood at a live show early this year. (Photo by Jessica Calvo) >> p 34 ▼ Music
