"The New York band O'Death drawes from the bluntness and spiritual purify of Appalachian folk, the menace of punk and the rowdy theatricaliy of Tom Waits, jumbling sacred adn profane." - The New York Times
"Vocalist Greg Jamie, who howls like Neil Young and hollers like Tom Waits, exudes an odd dignity and a restless intensity, and the band never lets up, from the hillbilly stomp of "Allie Mae Reynolds" to the banjos and brass of "Busted Old Church" to the high lonesome thunder of "Only Daughter." - Spin
"If they had punk during the American Civil War, this is what the youth of the Confederate Army would be listening to" - NME
Watch O'DEATH on VICE TV!
Five guys, maybe three shirts between them, take to the stage. There’s a banjo, a fiddle, a drum set littered with gas cans, chains, and broken cymbals. Then they all start howling, stomping; it’s an anachronistic jug band party in a junkyard with sing-along hooks and weathered vocals from another time. Their fans, an ever-expanding congregation, sing along and follow the band with an almost religious fervor, and as vocalist Greg Jamie’s eyes roll back into his head there’s a sense that something almost sinisterly spiritual has overtaken everyone in the room. This is the world of O’Death.
Originally formed in 2003 while the members attended SUNY Purchase, the band – with Jamie on guitar and vocals, Gabe Darling on banjo, David Rogers-Berry on drums, Jesse Newman on bass, and Bob Pycior on fiddle – self-released their first album in 2004. They quickly took to the task of stirring up a wholly original scene of NY musicians with their reverently twisted take on Americana filtered through a wealth of musical influences as divergent as Bill Monroe, Dock Boggs, Neil Young, The Microphones, and The Misfits via a series of shows at the now defunct Apocalypse Lounge
As they gathered the songs for their second LP, Head Home, the band perfected their mesmerizing and riotous stage presence and took to turning their share of heads across the country, playing over 100 shows in 2006, and gracing the stage alongside acts including Battles, Dr. Dog, Art Brut, Les Savy Fav, Man Man, and Deerhunter.
With the re-release of Head Home (out now on Ernest Jenning Record Co.), the critically acclaimed NY act has created a perfect companion to their spellbinding live show. Part southern gothic spiritual, part moonshine fueled hoedown, these recordings, now presented with new mixes done by the band and Billy Pavone are a timeless addition to the canon of weird old America.
O’Death will be heading out this summer and fall to promote the record in the US and Europe (with City Slang handling the European release). It’s an infectious sound coming your way; unique and wonderfully raw, but with the ability to drop the jaws of even the most jaded music fanatic and leave them testifying to it’s unique power.
"The live O'Death show is where it's at." - Pitchforkmedia.com
O'Death Live!
August
29 @ The Spiegeltent in NYC w/ Death Vessel!
September
5 Washington DC – Black Cat w/ Rock Plaza Central
6 Oberlin, OH – Oberlin College w/ Rock Plaza Central *
7 Champaign, IL – Void Room w/ Rock Plaza Central
8 Chicago, IL – Hideout Block Party w/ Andrew Bird, The Frames, Art Brut /// Chicago, IL – Open End Gallery w/ Dan Deacon
9 Minneapolis. MN – 7th Street Entry w/ Rock Plaza Central *
12 Seattle, WA – Neumos w/ Rock Plaza Central
13 Portland, OR- Dante’s w/ Rock Plaza Central *
14 Vancouver, BC – Pat’s Pub w/ Rock Plaza Central
19 San Francisco, CA – Rickshaw Shop w/ Rock Plaza Central
20 Los Angeles, CA – The Echo w/ Rock Plaza Central *
22 Claremont, CA – Pomona College w/ Rock Plaza Central
+ more tba soon! (* denotes O'Death headlining)
"Head Home" Tracklist
1. Down to Rest
2. Adelita
3. Allie Mae Reynolds
4. The Crab Apple Switch
5. O Lee O
6. Busted Old Church
7. Travelin Man
8. Face Mask
9. Only Daughter
10. Ground Stump
11. Rickey Fence Teeth
12. All The World
13. Jesus Look Down
14. Nathaniel
15. Gas Can Row
For more information, visit:
www.myspace.com/odeath
www.ernestjenning.com
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