Epic Legacy-Building
By Gabino Travasso
[ web link ]
When the Oblio Joes formed in the mid-90s three of the band members lived together in a house near the University of Montana, in Missoula. The college years were prolific and wildly creative, with a cassette released in '94 and the groundbreaking acoustic-apocalyptic-mountain-folk "Lo!" released in '96. And lots of home and live recordings before and after. After most of the band graduated, they struggled to keep together with sporadic practices and shows as members spread themselves across Montana. With marriage, kids and jobs chewing up most of the following years, in the summer of 2002 seminal bass player Tor Dahl moved to Alaska, a month after the Oblio Joes recorded their as yet unreleased third CD.
The Oblio Joes don't strike me as one of the more ambitious bands in the world. I'm sure Mote was one of a small handful of media sources that were sent a copy of Sin Tax and Some Antics. There should have been college and independent radio stations across the continent playing this CD to death. When it was released in 2001 they should have followed up with extensive regional touring.
It's hard to describe just what they sound like. A little like the early Rheostatics, particularly songs like "Saskatchewan" and "Record Body Count," and that Rheostatics album was supposed to sound a little like Neil Young and Crazy Horse. But there's more of a post-rock swing, a Flaming Lips patina with a 70s acoustic rock shine and the occasional shuddering Sonic Youth discordia.
Listening to the lyrics you feel the dual pulls of smart-ass social commentary and reckless drunken nonsense. Songs like "Flat Earth Defender" (a quote from Carl Sagan) and "Senator Sam" ("she thinks a senate seat is just a toilet seat") are amusing and poignant, sort of the skeptical Woody Guthries of the Rocky Mountains. "Flat Earth Defender" is probably a poke in the third eye of the new age flakes that Missoula is plagued with: "it's so arousing, watching you dousing." The closing singalong "Roll On, Kentucky Moon" (not the Bill Haley/Hank Snow song) discloses the band is "crucified with gin," which is a colourful admission.
From "Sin Tax" to the final antics this is a stronger CD than "Lo!" without any tracks you'd want to skip over. Varied, complex, acoustic, with some electric guitar rage (without the alarming shrieky bits that disjointed "Lo!"), good vocal harmonies and a certain sense of epic legacy-building the lucky citizens of Missoula are hoarding. Please come visit us. We have gin here too. |
