Along with being an active member of Flow Tribe and the New Orleans scene, New Orleans-based Evan Oberla, a Jazz Studies University graduate, has Recorded at the Marigny studios in New Orleans to produce his latest release Art 4 All.
Its October in New Orleans as I am writing this review, and my favorite fall activity is to drive with the windows down, get some cool fall air, and listen to new music driving around Mid-City and Hollygrove. So, grab yourself a drink, snack, smoke and Saints coozy, and ride with me as we trip out on this album.
The opening track “Art 4 All” brings me back to those golden days of the past at the Maple Leaf bar, headfirst into a book of gonzo journalism, and enjoying the Crescent City sounds of organ funk and progressive indie rock. Setting the tone for the rest of my experience, nostalgic and futuristic notions emanate with strength in all the instruments played. The recording is pleasing to the senses by offering an audio charcuterie of warmth and contemporary production. As I approach the stoplight by Canal and Carrolton, the next track on our voyage is “Connected”, a swinging downtrodden message of life, soul, and universe. It’s connected to a root deep seeded in trials and tribulations, a child-like inner intonation, and the beauty of living in the moment. A crisp nostalgic rhodes piano & swaying summer guitar sound washes over me as I am in an utter trance to hear more. Driving down on my way to Liuzza’s for a cigarette and a beer, the third track “Only” begins to play.
This song has the production and soothing soulful foundations of a Stevie Wonder-type Motown classic. A harmonious brass section and engaging rhythmic composition are alive in this upbeat song. Cinematic visualizations come to mind upon listening; a soundtrack to a street theater in the beginning, the middle transitioning into a ceremonious New Orleans dance that overflows into the CBD. As my drive continues, the sun is just right upon my face, a slight breeze brings all the joyous smells of restaurants and the daily business grind that is Poydras Street. Time to turn up the stereo a bit louder so the commuters can jam with me as they enjoy their lunch breaks nearby.
Next into our journey is the track “What We Needed”, a compelling piano-driven narrative to which the lyrics sing “We lucked out we lost ourselves”. Orchestral cymbal splashes and timpani-esque percussion drive the mood of this song, a call out for feeling and reconciliation.
I park my car down St. Charles near Please You restaurant, move the album to my iPhone and put in my ear buds. Time to listen to the next song from Evan’s album titled, “Movin on”. While enjoying a gyro and a big shot cola, I stare into the Lower Garden District scenery while being serenaded by this song’s 70’s groove. A musical landscape of “All 4 Love” is present throughout my mind. Incredible vocal harmonies lather in rich warmth audio perfection. It is a suitable experience for vinyl audio consumption if I ever heard. I get into my car and head back up towards the Marigny. Next up on the album, and roaring on my car stereo, is the song “Pivotal”, which brings that electro drum swank and swagger feel into the center of the singer/songwriter genre and lyrical direction that I have come to love of Evan Oberla.
“Pineapple Juice“ brings us to the latter half of Art 4 All. Summer-laden oracles of collective sounds, whilst on a island or inland, flood me ears. Picture yourself at a Tiki Bar, the music as the soundtrack, the conversation and moment as your own, guiding into nirvana as the midnight oil burns. Finally, I arrive at my destination, Webb’s Bywater Music. Time to park and grab some guitar strings, a cigar, and hang with friends; a perfect end to an engaging vibe from this album at its core.
Art 4 All brings the funk and sophistication, all the while keeping a voice of personal exploration and celebration. The sounds of New Orleans reverberate but also become the calming waves unto a shore of new development. The album is available on the band’s BandCamp page, and I highly encourage those who enjoy layered music to give it a try. As in the essence of the band’s album, they sing “…share your gift with the world”. Thank you for being my passenger on this audio journey through New Orleans. For neworleansmusicians.com I am Ryan McKern, see you soon Mon Ami!
Genres have veins that are fed by the lives we live. We gravitate toward these genres just as we are attracted to the lifestyles that come with them. The two are part in parcel. The consequence of this is that, in order to truly represent these genres, you have to live them. Through their band, Pious, Eric Fox (guitar/ vox) and Mike Dawsey (bass) could not better represent this abstraction. A character of youth is that we move toward many things at once. Due to age, we gain and lose focus quickly. But over time we stick with what suits us. Pious’ main objective in the sonic space is to accomplish this in a manner that both draws from and builds upon tried-and-true arrangements in the rock genre. This is what they thrive on. It is a slow, meticulous process that requires a great amount of time and introspection. Not only for the desire to appropriately pay homage to the greats they were raised revering. But to build upon that in a way that expresses their own individuality. There is a sense of permanence that comes with recording a song. And publishing it with your name on it signifies not only that it has been finalized, but that it is your eternal contribution to the artform. It is no wonder that both of them are tattoo artists. The deal is inked. As you walk out that door, just as with music, you are a living, breathing representation of what they are made of.
Mike and Eric met in high school in Slidell, Louisiana. Eric, a freshman and a transplant from New Orleans, stuck out like a sore thumb. There was suddenly a lack of people and an abundance of trees in his view. And I’m sure we can all remember back then the daunting task of finding one’s tribe. Meeting Mike made things a bit easier. The two shared interests in the creative arts and had a mutual friend. Bobby Carney (singer, Mule Skinner, R.I.P.) was a few years older than Eric and Mike and was already a regular in Slidell’s hardcore scene. Mike would play in a band with Bobby in garages and wherever they could find a space to jam. Now, at the time, the caliber of player Mike was, generally speaking, was as a student of the art. And I realize you’re always a student. But Mike’s strategy was to make noise until it made sense. He was especially focused on how bands layered multiple instruments to result in something that congealed. Getting together to jam would suffice through high school. But for Eric, graduating high school became a catalyst of sorts. He knew he wanted to continue to play. And a part of him wanted more for himself as a musician. So, in ’98, he formed Captain Howdy with friends Michael Ball (guitar), Donald Albanese (drums), and Damon Morse (keyboard). This band, by name and line-up, would soon change though. Keyboardist Damon Morse would leave and be replaced by bassist Mike Dawsey. And anticipating copyright repercussions from Hoya Productions and Warner Bros. for the character’s namesake in The Exorcist, the band’s name would change to After Human. Eric’s plan was to try to grasp what other bands were doing and implement those components into his own sound. Wanting to “make it in the industry”, his interests lied with what was new, and how he could get out in front of that curve. The coming years would deliver advancements in their exposure. They were able perform often during this time. The early 2000’s era was their big heyday, so-to-speak. Nu-metal was abundant, and they played a lot on the gulf coast, most notably at CPR Fest.
As the dust settled, maturity began to take hold and Eric would embrace a shift in priorities. “Making it” no longer held top appointment in his eyes. And the glimmer of what was new had begun to pale. The friends he played with had remained with him all this time. And his influences well before the Nu-metal phase had done the same. Conjecture leads me to believe these things had an influence on his line of thought. He started to concentrate on what stood the test of time in music. Never mind fads. What bands had made an indelible mark on the world of rock? Who were the ones that everyone’s sound seemed to be rooted in? I could pause here. And we could split hairs on who were “the greats”, and who was a predecessor of whom. But I’d prefer to zoom out a bit. Because what was happening then, and what is happening now within Eric, was a negotiation of sorts with himself. When you’re young, you get involved however you can and delve into the existence of the scene around you. These are the times when a musician is recognizing his or her capabilities. But one of the many markers of a departure from adolescence is both the realization and movement toward an explicit set of characteristics; ones that aptly represent one as an individual. Assimilation to the environment is second best at that point. Ironically, integrating oneself and one’s desire then becomes easier because it is the very act of being genuine. Sonically, and socially for that matter, the manifestation of self becomes less contrived, more natural. And suddenly both you and your music seem to make sense to those around you. This is a testament to individuality. And in music, it is spoken of as “bringing something new to the table”. It’s how one adds lasting value to their contributions. Eric wanted timelessness. For that, he poured over decades of music, filtering out everything he’d pursued in the recent past. Going back in time would be the study of a universal language everyone spoke, both then and now, positioning him closer to the source.
The embodiment of these ideals would become Pious. Being there since day one, this is what makes the most sense for Mike. As he explained, “I quit school really early. And I told my parents I was going to be either an artist or a musician. I set out not to give myself another choice. It’s a lot like what he (Eric) is saying. You reach a certain point where it’s like, it would still be nice to be able to consistently make a living playing music. But it really doesn’t matter. The only thing that really matters is trying to make something that is solid. You can follow trends. You can do all this other stuff. But what are you really doing? This is just my opinion. But it really needs to be more natural. It needs to be more you as an individual.” It’s an overused concept but, everything functions in cycles. Back in 2015, this band was formed on the grounds that it would bring value to the world of music by offering something as eternal as music itself. At the time, for both Eric and Mike, this meant a deviation from the previous aspiration of wanting to become what was present. Fast forward to 2021, I am of the opinion that it’s been happening all over again. There has always been a respected element of diversity within the band. Mike and Eric have always shared interest in heavier music like Suffocation, Deicide, and Terrorizer. But their drummer, Donald, had an affinity for bands like Beck and Modest Mouse. Michael Ball, on the other hand, preferred alternative rock bands like Jesus Lizard. The absence of egos not only permitted this, it capitalized on it. And now, those sentiments are being amplified as history repeats itself. They have sharpened their skillset all these years in their ode to the masters of the past. But they have reached further outside even their genres of choice, pushing the envelope of continuity. The result has been a highlight of commonalities through the lense of something heavier. And it works. Case in point, their choice of covering Tom Waits’ Going Out West on their album, Crawling Head. The original, although dark and experimental, was never seen as hardcore. And it probably never would have been. But for guys like Eric, Mike, Donald, and Michael, the acceptance they shared amongst their own tastes enabled them to see past what was merely present and into what could be permanent.
Their current project, on the cusp of completion, addresses a meeting of the minds on so many fronts. The EP will be a collection of just three songs at eight to ten minutes a piece. In a world where singles are king and full albums are losing ground, this is a perfect fusion in format. And as for its sound, the phonic qualities deepen the connection between what has been solid in the past and what can possibly be of the future. As Eric explains, “We really delved hard into, I guess, more of our influences than just the Sabbath, Zeppelin aspect of things, to pulling out from everything we know…. and just letting anything fly. And we created, as far as I’m concerned, three of the best songs we’ve ever written. And to just compile that, it’s going to be more of a themed album. It’s changed themes over the past; since 2020. It’s gonna be a stable of everything we’re able to do. We wanted to lay the smorgasbord down.” Mike backed this by saying, “You could say it’s more melodic, but it’s dirtier. It’s got more atmosphere to it. But it’s heavier. Like he said, it’s more of everything.” The heavy parts are heavier. And the softer parts are softer. Auditory elements presented in contrast only serve to expand upon what makes them different. If all you listen to is soft, you never realize just how soft it is until you hear something hard. So, to present them both in the same body of work really drives home the amount of expansion Pious has conducted. The music has always come first. In the periphery are the possible ways in which it will physically manifest. There have been talks of vinyl pressings. And the idea of assembling these few songs with others to form more than an EP is still a possibility. Though Mike has always done graphic art for the band, Eric is contemplating a foray into acrylic for this album’s art. Both are resident tattoo artists at Eric’s shop, Turning Point Tattoos, located in Mandeville. And don’t quote me on this, but it is rumored that the album’s name could potentially be Black Magic and Robots. You can find Pious’ present works on Neworleansmusicians.com and all streaming platforms.
