This week, we’re excited to feature Thee Oh Sees, a band that — seriously, do we need to introduce this band to you? Through a relentless performance schedule and some excellent recordings, it’s tough not to consider Thee Oh Sees one of the top rock bands in the Bay Area and we were pleased to invite bandleader John Dwyer into the studio for this episode. Thee Oh Sees evolved in a unique trajectory, beginning first as a solo home-recording outlet for Dwyer (Coachwhips, Pink and Brown) and gradually evolving as he became less interested in folky sounds and moved toward the intensity he’d played with in previous projects. He’s aided in this process by talented bandmates Brigid Dawson, Petey Dammit, and Mike Shoun. The result is a noisy rock sound that has built the band a devoted following.
If those early recordings aren’t indicative of the band’s current sound, they underscore John’s skill with melody and Thee Oh Sees in ’09 retain a melodic element in their supercharged rock. The band’s year, so far, has been tough to beat, releasing their latest full length, Help, on In the Red Records and playing a ton of shows — locally, at SXSW, touring with Jay Reatard — that have earned them a reputation as one of the best live bands in Bay Area. The band has also released a number of get-them-before-they-vanish seven inches and plans to soon record its next full length release. Oh, and John co-runs Castle Face Records, which champions albums from similarly talented locals Ty Segall and The Fresh & Onlys. Thee Oh Sees are an extremely busy band right now, and we are all the better for it.
We sat down with John recently to discuss the band’s upcoming recording plans, Castle Face Records and more. We’ve also included four songs from Thee Oh Sees in the episode, including two brand new ones!
