Dropping by to meet Dallas’ own The O’s

by Sarah Crisman

They've been around for just over a year, but The O's have built a momentum of good times and great music. I caught up with John and Taylor at the KXT studios this week where they were shooting a session for Gini Mascorro's show. After watching them all creepy-like through the window (and listening to their album, We Are the O's, repeatedly on a train to Montreal last week), they were locked in a quiet office with me and my trusty tape recorder.

All right, you boys mind if I record our chat?

As long as we sound good looking.

I'm here with the very dapper, extremely good looking O's: John Pedigo, Taylor Young. Boys, welcome. Now tell me, how long have you been playing together?

A year and a half. We started the first week of June in '08 – when I got my banjo and went over to Taylor's house. We wrote four songs: You've Got Your Heart, Finding it Hard, We've Had Everything, and California. All in the first night. A year and a half later we've gone on three tours, a hundred and fifty shows, album came out, and we're going back in the studio in February. It's been a pretty smooth year and a half.

Clearly everything just fell into place for you. “You've Got Your Heart” is such a beautiful song. Every time it comes on my shuffle, I just have to stop everything I'm doing and cry a little.

It was written to make people cry.

Girls crying on trains, good job. It makes it easy for me to come across as emotionally unstable during interviews, and I appreciate that.

You would've been on the dining car if it was really that bad.

There were beers on that train, rest assured. So are you writing any new stuff now? Do you find yourselves to be consistently creative?

I think so. We're playing three new songs live now. We both have about four songs apiece that we're working together on. Over the next three or four weeks will be crunch time, trying to get it all worked out. So when we come back together at the end of January we can play a couple shows, get in the studio, and knock it out.

You're currently #2 on the UK Americana charts, that clearly stands as testament to the fact that you don't have to live in the Southern United States to appreciate this music. We're in the middle of this incredible resurgence of great americana.

Especially in the UK – it hit really big here in the early-mid 1990s and now it's hitting really big over there. It's a really good time for a resurgence.

Strike while the iron is hot.

We're going over in March. We haven't got all “the deets” yet, but I can't wait. When I've toured there with other bands, the reception is always 10 times what it is here. I guess here everyone is over-saturated, but when you go over there, people are genuinely excited.

The UK has a reputation for appreciating North Texas music in particular – just look at Midlake and Robert Gomez.

We're spoiled here.

You just played a show at The Cavern with Spooky Folk and RTB2, how did that go? I'm quite a fan of that bill, and they've actually both come on my show.

How come we haven't been on your show?

Because we just met. Just now.

We have email.

Yes, but what's more effective: a random email from some reporter, or me sauntering in here in a hat telling you how much I love you?

Good point. We like your hat.

And now you'll come on my show! So how was RTB2 and Spooky?

We love those guys. We're close friends outside of the music world, so we always love playing with them. And Petra (Kelly) is so sweet. So other than the PA exploding, it was a good show.

Yeah, that happens at The Cavern sometimes.

It happened real big. But whatever, we got over it, we played the set, it was fun. Took some shots, threw them against the wall. Scooped up some lady out of the audience. Did a couple high kicks, some David Lee Roth jump splits – without tearing anything! It was like in Breakfast Club when Emilio Estevez has to run and dance it up. Or like Footloose.

Or any other 1980s victory montage.

Every night's a victory. And every morning.

Cheers to that.