French Cassettes w/ Ojai, Andrew St. James
Schedule
Tue Jun 25 2024 at 08:00 pm to 11:00 pm
UTC-05:00Location
Slowdown | Omaha, NE
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Doors at 7:00pmFront Room
$12 Advance/$15 Day of Show
All ages show. Check entry requirements at http://theslowdown.com/All-Ages and https://www.theslowdown.com/covid-19/
About French Cassettes
The album title for French Cassettes’ new album Benzene—is neither an allusion to the dangerous fossil fuel byproduct, nor is it a nod to the anti-anxiety drug Benzos, but rather a twist on Huerta’s family nickname, ‘Benz’. “I wish I had a better explanation,” Huerta admits. “I guess I should have Googled it first.”
The self-deprecation is classic Benz, as is this crossing of the wires between the flippant and the deeply meaningful. It’s one reason the San Francisco band’s third album holds up so well to repeated listens. Even when influences like The Magnetic Fields and The Beach Boys peek through, Huerta’s lyrical aesthetic is his own, and Benzene is packed to the gills with funny, memorable one-liners that take a twist for the heartbreaking. “My mother’s mother talks in comic sans,” he sings. “I will never not love her. I wish there were more emails to read.”
Their last album, Rolodex, was a painstaking six years in the making, with perfectionist tendencies, anxiety and grief all playing roles in the delay. On Benzene — recorded and produced with the band’s co founder Mackenzie Bunch and drummer Rob Mills — they have let their proverbial hair down. And while the album bears evidence of a band more comfortable both taking risks and taking it easy, they still never miss an opportunity to do something interesting. Melodically, production-wise, lyrically: There is always room to add another hook, a new harmony, a strange sound, or a little secret handshake of a lyric.
About Ojai
Sappy love ballads or tragically bleak? That’s the question for Omaha based band Ojai. No matter the subject, their sophisticated pop arrangements and turn of phrase leave listeners with earworms with a painful sincerity unmistakable for Ojai, inspired by the likes of Andy Shauf, Big Thief, and Wilco.
Catchy is the name of the game and Ojai won’t settle for anything less. The indie pop trio’s sound is concentrated around Michael Hulstein’s thoughtful vocal melody and roomy instrumentation, accentuated by the groove and punch of Micah Renner (bass), and Tanner Rogerson (drums).
Recently losing two members, Ojai now perform live as a three piece. “Moving to a trio was definitely a learning curve for the band but as time goes on I feel much more life in the music this way,” Hulstein says. “My songs are so focused on vocal content so it’s difficult competing with so many other instruments and also keeping the integrity of what the song means.”
Andrew St. James
More info and music at theslowdown.com.
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Where is it happening?
Slowdown, 729 N 14th St, Omaha, NE 68102-4702, United States,Omaha, NebraskaEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
