Oso Good Music

In the summer of 2007 I used to run sound at the now defunct music and art venue, South Union Arts, in Chicago. I thought this night would be the typical run-of-the-mill local music. “Your equipment goes to the side of the stage, and yes… I will add reverb to your vocals even though you’re in a large church full of reverb.” You can tell how nervous bands are before they go on stage when they ask a lot of questions, bark orders and make you feel like you’re their low class servant. This night was nothing like that.

Elliot was on door duty told me that the headlining act was “OSO”, a band from Santa Barbara, CA. The band members are Phil Taylor, Nick Conventry, Tim Beutler and Andrew Fedders. Elliot saw Phil Taylor play solo the previous year and wished that he was running the sound board, instead of being stuck at the door. I didn’t know what to expect since I had only worked a few shifts at South Union. Elliot gave me the rundown of the night ahead and mentioned that OSO will need a single vocal microphone in the center of the room since the lead singer Phil Taylor will play guitar, sing and ride a unicycle.

When you hear the word “Unicycle” you might think of a circus clown. My dad bought a unicycle for my birthday when I was 13. I can’t say it was the easiest thing to learn. It took 3 consistent days of practice while leaning against a massive brick wall and sometimes using ski poles. When I was able to ride and balance I would ride to school. When people see something out of the ordinary, it’s interesting to see their reactions. Some people smile and you can tell that you’ve just made their day, while others shout and heckle in hopes of you losing concentration and falling. I was a hypocrite that night. Before seeing the performance, I thought OSO’s performance would be a comical music act because a unicycle was involved. I knew I was dead wrong after I heard the first song. Riding a unicycle, singing at the top of your lungs while playing virtuoso music makes you feel like watching a once and a life time performance.

You may have preconceived thoughts of how a show is going to be, everyone does. On the porch of South Union overlooking the parking lot you see spectators and bands arriving. The band flew in from California, and stayed with friends in the city. Not long after the show I googled and found history on Phil in Chicago from the SonneBlauma Danscz Theatre.

Phil Taylor was born in Flint Michigan in the year of dragon, 1976. He has hitch hiked by unicycle through the United States, performed in nearly every state in the US, and now plays in a local music group, Oso, with whom he has recorded two albums. Recently, he was nominated for a best busker award at the 2006 Edinburgh Fringe Festival for his unicycle/guitar Bach inspired improvisations. In 2005, he performed with the Gambian Army Band in West Africa, trained and performed with a physical theatre group in London, and has done two music tours of the UK and Ireland. Phil played with the Chicago-based Quartet Volta Do Mar in 1998-2003 with critical acclaim. He earned a bachelor of history at the University of Illinois-Chicago, lived in a steel mill, and began doing solo performances in CTA subway tunnels. He worked as a bicycle messenger, raced in the burgeoning alley cat scene and was hit by cars three times. In 2003, Phil won the Chicago ‘Cutting Crew Classic’ bicycle messenger race, earning airfare to compete in the Cycle Messenger World Championship in Seattle. He made his way to Santa Barbara where he now works with troubled youth at a local high school, teaching music, jump rope, and art. He does street performances, makes visual work, and tries to sustain a healthy balance between rest and vigilance. Mangos are his favorite food, Keith Jarrett his favorite musician, and he is eternally grateful for the tutelage of Misa.

I admire when a band travels across the U.S. to play for an audience of 25 or less. OSO’s music moved me so much that I had to buy both albums, “48507” and “Lonesome Tunnel Hum These Strong Arm Drones”. Their albums are self-recorded and hand assembled with custom artwork encased in a protective beeswax coat. The compact disc is wrapped in a paper full of lyrics that were typed on a typewriter. I paid $30 for both CDs which I was well worth it. Phil gave me a discount and stuffed $5 bucks into my pocket and said “Thanks”, knowing that I wouldn’t accept the money if he handed it to me.

If you’re within the vicinity of Chicago, this isn’t a performance to miss. OSO is playing at Ronny’s Bar which is located at 2101 N. California Ave, Chicago IL on April 3rd 2009 at 9PM with American Draft (members of Volta Do Mar).

More OSO great links here:

• OSO’s Myspace
• OSO’s Facebook
• OSO on Last.fm
• OSO Video on VAYOR
• OSO in International News
• Blog of OSO Drummer - Tim Beutler
• OSO Duo at Burning Man
• OSO at Lightning in a Bottle
• Hard to find OSO blog entries from earlier times
• Audio Recording of "Uneasy Truce This Family Brings" Recorded by Echo Curio staff in Echo Park CA

Photo by Felix Friedmann Photography