Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Are The O’s worth all their hype?

By Kelly Dearmore of The Gobblers Knob

The O's

For music fans in the Dallas area, there is likely one answer that will be given to the question, “Which act is getting the most hype in the local media right now?" For the most part, local fans will reply with “Why, The O’s, of course.” Sadly, there are many people that will answer that question with a certain hostility that would suggest they do not necessarily think the roots-y duo are deserving of such praise. Often-times when a local music blog has something positive to say, or simply something to note regarding The O’s, there are people quick to leave comments, expressing their displeasure at the perceived high-level of notoriety the band seems to be getting in a relatively short period of time together (a tad under a year, if I’m not mistaken). A tour through much of the country, multiple national blog mentions and a couple of regional cover stories have certainly done these guys well, and in turn, these spotlights have created a certain amount of resentment in the area it seems, even if it’s small amount from a very vocal minority.

After watching the latest installment of the DC-9 in Space series, starring The O’s, I pondered the question of whether their positive pub was worthy or not, and the only answer I could come up with is that it must be appropriate as We Are The O’s is not only one of my favorite discs from any band in any area this year, but I have worn my copy out as I have memorized each note and lyric the way that my 8-year-old nieces have memorized each episode of The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. That said, I have added to the hype to a smaller extent (since I am not exactly a major media outlet) by blogging about them and telling friends about them, which obviously again, I think that type of praise is deserved as it’s coming from a fan, which is really all I am.

I guess the real question is when is the “hype” genuinely too much? In this case, it’s hard to tell. I haven't read anything from this area’s two mainstream sources for local music info, the Dallas Observer and DFW Quick, to suggest that anyone thinks The O’s will make us forget about Blind Lemon Jefferson, Edie Brickell, The Toadies, Erykah Badu, Funland, Polyphonic Spree, The Old 97’s, or any of Dallas/Fort Worth’s other treasured musical exports, for that matter. Of course, there are, and will continue to be, people that simply decide that any placement in these widely-read publications results in a state of “over-hypedness” (or something like that).

For the first time, this past Sunday, I finally got to witness one of their frequent live gigs, and I’ll tell ya ... pretty good indeed. I spoke to John Pedigo (vocals, banjo, steel) right before the noon-time set (it was a special Sunday Brunch gig at The City Tavern) and he was skeptical on how well they would sound as the early hour was quite unusual for him to be playing. The fears that were instilled by Pedigo’s ominous tone were relieved as he and his partner, Taylor Young (vocals, guitar, kick drum), took the stage and belted out my favorite tracks from their still young catalog. Not only did they sound good, but they displayed the sarcastic humor that has become somewhat of a trademark of their live shows.

There you have it, as far as I’m concerned. I love their record and was duly impressed to see them kick-drumming and pickin’ their way to a great live-show. Hype doesn't matter if you can play to a relatively packed house on a Sunday afternoon and have the crowd whoopin’ and hollerin’ as they are trying to recover from their Saturday indiscretions.

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