By Chris Zebo
Last week, Maroon Weekly interviewed Thee Oh Sees front man John Dwyer in San Francisco before the band embarks on a US tour in September. Thee Oh Sees will be sharing the stage with the Flaming Lips, Pavement, the Gories, and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion among others. Their new album, Warm Slime, was released this summer.
Thee Oh Sees might just be one of the most prolific bands that you’ve never heard of. In 2009 alone, the band released three full-length records. In the past decade, they’ve released eleven full-lengths, six EPs, seven 7-inches, and they’ve been featured on four compilations (and our count might not be exact, but even they’ve forgotten how many albums they’ve released). The band has also been represented by five or more record labels over the years, including their own, Castle Face.
The four-piece, John Dwyer (guitar and vocals), Brigid Dawson (vocals and tambourine), Petey Dammit (guitar), and Mike Shoun (drums), has been compared to garage punk legends the Gories (recently reunited and touring) and the Oblivions. But Thee Oh Sees catalog of recordings resists simple classification. And their most recent release, Warm Slime, ushers the band into all new territories.
For some, their sound can be challenging. The music can at times sound like tenpenny nails in a blender, and their albums sound like they were recorded inside a Campbell’s soup can. But amidst all the aural chaos and lo-fi experimentation is an orchestrated genius that is finally gaining the band attention worldwide.
MW: Let’s talk about the new album, Warm Slime. It seems like you’ve sped up your sound. Many of the songs on this release are much faster than the past 11 albums.
Dwyer: (Laughing) That sounds really stupid when you say it out loud, but yeah [referring to 11 albums].
MW: Why the new direction?
Dwyer: It seems like the natural progression. I still like making soft stuff, but–live–it seems to go over a lot better if it’s fast. Too fast is bad, so we’re actually trying to slow it down a bit because we’re kind of burning down the new versions of the songs too fast. (Laughing) I’ll look over and the drummer will be suffering–which, believe me, I like.
MW: It’s interesting that you’re getting older and the music’s getting faster.
Dwyer: It’s probably less drugs. I’m not quite sure why. I have no issue with going fast. Our songs are also getting longer, and I don’t know what that’s all about either.
MW: Right. The title track on the new album is around 13 minutes long.
Dwyer: I’m gonna try and keep those not so long from here on out, but, live, we always end up doing a 20-minute version of the stuff. When I was kid, I liked fast punk, I loved long songs. Everything had to be extreme, or it was boring. (laughing) I’m terrified of being boring.
MW: Do you guys have a new album coming out?
Dwyer: I just finished mixing it with Chris Woodhouse, here in Chinatown. But it won’t be out for a bit. I’m really taking my time. I’ve been recording it for the past year pretty much. Warm Slime was done in one day. And this one will actually be a bit mellower.
MW: So you’re going back to your old sound then?
Dwyer: It’s quite different than Warm Slime, for sure. I think it’s gonna flip people out, whether that be good or bad, I don’t know.
MW: Do you have a name for it yet, or…?
Dwyer: Yeah. It’s gonna be called Castlemania.
MW: Will it be out in the next few months or so?
Dwyer: Umm…I’m really not trying to rush it. I’m gonna shop it around. I haven’t picked a label out yet, so I’m gonna see who wants to put it out. I just mixed it and I’m not gonna give it to anyone until I sequence it.
MW: Did you go with analog recording? Are you still staying away from digital?
Dwyer: Warm Slime was recorded on an 8-track machine all live. This new one was recorded tracked, as opposed to live, which is unusual for us. But I’m digging it. And this isn’t a full band. I did this one with a bunch of different people.
MW: Let’s talk about the band’s two guitars and no bass. Sometimes, in your recordings, I can hear a low end. How are you capturing that? Is bass added to your recordings?
Dwyer: No, it’s just Petey. He’s got a bass EQ. It’s like an EQ pedal and he wings it super hard on the bass end so it sounds like a bass. The Gories always had one of those cats that was playing some of that low-end, fake-out bass. And I was really into that.
MW: Now you’re about to go on tour for about a month, right?
Dwyer: Yes. September. I’m real excited. It seems like a long time since we last toured.
MW: You’re sharing a couple of bills with some pretty big bands, like the Flaming Lips and Pavement.
Dwyer: Frankly, I’m just excited about those shows with those bands just to see them. I loved listening to Pavement when I was younger, when I was a dishwasher, coming down off acid at 6am at a catering company. Flaming Lips… I just want to see them play for free. It looks like such a spectacle.
MW: Thanks so much for lending us your time and good luck on your tour.
Dwyer: Thank you! We’re looking forward to it.