johnossi, 09.06.06, pianos

it's nice not having your boss in. it gives you time to use the computer for other means. sweet.
last night my mate jamie invited me to join his crew at pianos to hear a performance by johnossi. hailing from sweden, this two-man band's name is a conglomeration of their own: john and ossi-- it flows together nicely, i must admit. but this ain't no scandinavian techno pop-- this is great indie acoustic rock, and i'm really glad i was able to experience their artistic endeavors firsthand.

jamie had mentioned them to me at an earlier date with a positive spin, so my ears piqued when i found out they would be in the LES. needless to say, after a long day of work, a free concert (yeah guest list!) was just what i needed. after watching a less-than-groovy band upstairs (it was comparable to bad creedence joined with worse fleetwood mac) and leaving to scarf down falafel at bereket for about 20 minutes, we were finally let in to the listening room to prepare ourselves for the sensational swedes.

i was impressed. when they began, my foot immediately started tapping, and i was into it from the get-go. considering one plays the acoustic electric and the other plays the drums, they had a really full sound. john's guitar was both ambient but with rhythm and rock, and ossi's drums were full of hardcore energy (even though john teased him on stage for being "wimpy.") they stopped between songs to tell a few anecdotes, one about santa monica bay, and the other about new york. word. let's not mention that their english is probably better than mine (but considering my writing skillz, it shouldn't be that much of a surprise). some of my favourite songs were "the lottery" and "man must dance." quite a few from the set can be found on their website and myspace.

they're playing again tomorrow (9.8.06) at mercury lounge. i really suggest you go and try them out. they're great guys who make great music and have a great sense of humour. apparently many other people agree, because, and i quote, "after only 3 shows in demo clubs and a gay boat in stockholm, we [johnossi] signed our first deal." bang-a-rang.

up next... no clue. it's a surprise! for all of us!

/jen/


ps: i know this post was full of links, but i like being uber informative.