Osees @ The Bellwether 8/30/2024

OCS. The Ohsees. The Oh Sees. Thee Oh Sees. Oh Sees. Osees. 

Osees at The Bellwether 8/30/2024
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Over the years the garage rock band formed and grown in San Francisco, California has gone by a handful of different monikers but one thing has remained constant, frontman John Dwyer. This dude knows how to rock, hard and the band brings it to every show, every time.
At least, everytime I've seen them live. 

Osees at The Bellwether 8/30/2024
photo by Nikki DeMartini

I was introduced to Thee Oh Sees back in 2017 at a little music festival in the heart of SF's Mission District called Phono Del Sol. Since then, they've been Thee Oh Sees to me no matter what they happen to be going by.

Osees is their lastest redition of themselves and their latest release, 2024's Sorcs 80, falls under that moniker. It is their 7th album  released as the Osees which only emerged in 2020. In total this band with it's everchanging name have released a grand total of 29 albums since 2003. 

It was stoked to be seeing them outside of SF for the first time. 
The task of finding a plus one to join me at a show has always been oddly daunting to me because unlike me not everyone will take you up on a free ticket to a show, hang out with your pal for a few hours and possibly discover a band you're into. The way Osees rip though, I was pretty sure one of the boys I work with would join me. Alas  two simply couldn't go, one had gotten their fill of seeing Thee Oh Sees when they lived in SF and another answered to my invite with "fuck no" which left me wondering, "fuck no" to Thee Oh Sees or "fuck no" to a show with me?
And just like that, my search continued. 

Osees at The Bellwether 8/30/2024
photo by Nikki DeMartini

When I asked a female coworker if she wanted to go to the show her quick, enthusastic YES got me even more fired up! She too had seen them a bunch when she lived in SF but that didn't stop her.
We were stoked!

The chance that we were all at the same shows at The Chapel in San Francisco, a venue Thee Oh Sees frequent, long before any of us ever worked together  is kind of rad. 

The moment that the house lights dimmed hoots and hollers started to rise, my plus one snatched me hand as she pushed our way closer. When the first buzz from the guitar hummed over the PA the whole crowd edged with excitement for what was about to go downt. It was in that moment that I remembered that I had forgotten, yet again, to bring ear plugs. 

I braced myself for a loud, mosh pit filled set. 

And we were off!
A quick cover of Pink Floyd steered the way before the energy charged, pyschdelic, post punk revival  "Plastic Plant" from 2016's A Weird Exits launched the show into full throtal. For as heavy of guitar driven band as they are, the song served as great kick off, highlighting each one of the five piece band.  Dwyer is a maniac on stage shifting back and forth between vocals, guitar and thrashing, while his counterpart bassist Tim Hellman stays rather reserved in comparison across from him on stage left. Between them, dual drummers Dan Ricon and Paul Quattronemore fell into and out of unison in a spellbidning way and last but not least Tomas Dolas on keys accentuated the pysch. 

Osees at The Bellwether 8/30/2024
photo by Nikki DeMartini

They blend it all together beautifully and deliver it with such vigor that you can't help but headbang alittle or a lot or stomp your feet, mosh or crowd surf. And when the crowd surfing started it didn't stop.

Before I knew it I was on the brink of a swelling circumfernce of a mosh pit. Long gone are my days of circling around, throwing elbows and dodging them but I couldn't be happier holding my own right outside of it.

It was rejunvenating.

Not just enjoying the chaos of the mosh pit from the edge of it but being back in the thick of a palpatating crowd. My little punk heart forgot the comfort that's found in the sort of chaos that the OSees bring to the stage. 

Sensing that my twenty something year old friend was itching for more and not wanting to going anywhere close to riding the rails or be tossed around anymore than I already was, I told her to get in there and have fun! I didn't have to tell her twice. 

Osees at The Bellwether 8/30/2024
photo by Nikki DeMartini

When I wasn't fixated on Dwyer tearing it up on stage my attention kept being drawn back to  the two drummers as Rincon and Quattrone who were stealthly stealing the show. Seated right next to each other they sometimes drummed in unison and when they weren't they were drumming together but seprately. The moments when they were mirrioring each other, throwing hands holding sticks up high then bringing them down to create a beat on their drums as one, I've never seen anything like it live. 

Dwyer is a lot of fun to watch, the dude exudes an unmatched energy ignited by his fiery passion for his music. Whenever he paused from rocking, whether to tune an instrument, fix a technical hiccup or banter with the crowd it was still a good time.

Poking fun at Dolas who was hidden behind two drum kits Dwyer also engaged with LA fans expressing gratitude for being there and chastising people for taking selfies much in the same fashion as Idles singer Joel Talbot did at their show at The Brooklyn Bowl in May. 

Osees at The Bellwether 8/30/2024
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Drenched in sweat, Dwyer asked later "Is everybody alive? Did everybody get drunk?" before again, showing gratitude for being there but only for the one night before heading to San Francisco for a 4 night residency at...The Chapel, of course. 

There are far too many albums in their catelog for me to try to figure out if the different genres heard in  their music are more pronounced depending on what band name the album is released under. Is their latest album, SORCS 80 released under the name OSees more pyschedelic-rock while albums as Thee Oh Sees are more garage rock and so forth? 

 The Bellwether 8/30/2024
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Their set list that night encapsuled the essence of their collection: some songs offer  more of a progressive jam band sound while others come off more punk or post punk revival, some are a little softer sounding like indie rock but with an edge. but one thing is for sure. No matter what name this band is going by and what songs they play they are a garage rock band at their core and that's what I love about them. With their hard grit, deep riffs, whirling purcussion and intense, endless energy on stage I will always want to see Thee Oh Sees if given the chance. Shocked to see Dwyer still jumping up and down after playing, thrashing, screaming and singing for an hour and a half. And the show easily went on for at least two hours!

Even with the long time SF based band's migration to Southern California, they're roots are unapologentically exposed.

After playing a few nights at their old haunt The Chapel in SF, Osees are rocking on with the rest of their tour. Go see what I mean yourself and go see Osees!

Osees @ The Bellwether 8/30/2024 set-list: 

1. Interstellar Overdrive (Pink Floyd cover)
2. Plastic Plant
3. The Dream/TheDaily Heavy
4. Tidal Wave
5. The Static God
6. Funeral Solution
7. Scum Show
8. A Foul Farm
9. Rogue Planet
10. Sticky Hulks
11. Intercepted Message
12. Encrypted Bounce
13. Tunnel Time
14. Chem-Farmer/Nite Expo
15. Blank Chems
16. Web
17. Turned Out Light
18. I Come From the Mountain 
19. Earthling
20. Toe Cutter/Thumb Buster
21. Withered Hand
22. Animated Violence 
23. Scramble Suit II
24. If I Had My Way
25. C
26. Minotar