Live music review: garage rock behemoths Osees played Hotel Vegas residency
Los Angeles garage rock behemoths Osees returned to Austin for their annual, (sometimes bi-annual) residency at Eastside live music stronghold Hotel Vegas over the last weekend. Continuing their regular Austin tour stop tradition with a discography that gets bigger with every calendar rotation. With a solidified lineup anchoring bandleader John Dwyer’s ever-evolving reign, the current Osees ensemble spent the weekend reaffirming the standard they set for the countless psych-punk groups that followed in their wake. Despite being on the road to promote their latest release Abomination Revealed At Last, the West Coast berserkers only performed one song from the new release and ventured into a rare, deep cuts, setlist territory.
For the uninitiated, Osees come packed with a double drum section that is built to do one thing: annihilate. Percussionists Dan Rincon and Paul Quattrone appear in each sonic onslaught in exquisite sync, only individually dropping out of the mix to trade drumfills and show the masses their undisputed longevity through every live appearance as trusted bandmates of the 51-year-old, but always ageless frontman Dwyer. Since adding keyboardist extraordinaire Tomas Dolas in 2018, the searing synths paired with Dwyer’s screaming guitar effects have completed the relentless full-lengths, live releases, and records that revolve around trip-inducing improvisation that showcase an undeniable form of musical tenacity. Longtime bassist Tim Hellman has shown undying loyalty to Dwyer, a worthy stringsman in the way that he could pantomime any Osees bassline when asked for tips from up-and-coming musicians about his sinister basket of tricks.
Tokyo blues metal trio DMBQ (Dynamite Masters Blues Quartet) took the solo opening reins for both nights of Osees’ Austin stay over, bringing their disjointed, jarring brand of 60s revivalism laced with experimental oddities and a touch of ear-shattering avant-garde drone. With some riffs that injected vibes of Hendrix, Iommi, and Page, the Japanese outfit also dips into stretches of pummeling improvisation a la Swans, Acid Mothers Temple, and Lightning Bolt. A deafening excursion that felt ideal for the redlining levels of the Los Angeles headliner.
Osees have a vast catalogue, but a central point of discussion among their dedicated fanbase is their setlists, which seem to rely on the “Greatest Hits” and not being too keen on any surprises or generally deviating from that pattern. For the first time in a long stretch, this wasn’t the case last weekend. While the usual suspects of “The Dream / The Daily Heavy,” I Come From The Mountain,” and “Animated Violence” made their ceremonious appearances, Dwyer and his trusted associates opted to reach further into the bag with songs predating the current lineup. After one offering from Abomination in the form of “Sneaker”, a gauntlet of surprise selections appeared, making way to appease the diehards in ATX who were likely seeing their 20-somethingth Osees gig.
It can be a challenge to get into Osees for a first-timer. With 29 studio albums to date, fans thirst for “More of the old shit.” Carrion Crawler / The Dream’s “Crushed Grass” showed its head, along with Moon Sick EP tunes “Humans Be Swayed” and “Sewer Fire.” Warm Slime entry “I Was Denied” also showed up, a track that hasn’t been in rotation since 2013. An epic rendition of The Master’s Bedroom Is Worth Spending a Night In career-defining track “Block Of Ice” made for a highlight of the run, spanning over 15 minutes of pure, psychedelic frenzy for one hell of a finale on night one.
Night two saw more setlist variation from Dwyer’s arsenal of bangers, but not without a jackhammer of an opening with A Weird Exits live favorite “Plastic Plant” with all of the gargantuan fuzz and shredding from guitar god Dwyer. The fans at Hotel Vegas for these shows are known to bring it for Osees’ coveted Austin stops with stage diving, crowd surfing, and moshing antics of all kinds. Hotel Vegas provides the rowdiest of rowdy backyard vibes, rejoicing in the tradition of Dwyer’s regular Austin appointments that can only be curbed by global pandemics. Even then, the quarantine live LPs prove that not even impending worldwide doom can stop them.
Another rarity took place as 2009’s Dog Poison cut “Dead Energy.” With an output so massive, this one felt like it was written a lifetime ago. For all the record enthusiasts in attendance, the naysayers were silenced with variation after years of taking to the interwebs to complain about the 55th time they’ve heard “The Dream.” We still love the classics, but covering more ground was appreciated with thunderous attendee response. More of the same from night one appeared, but a guitarless Dwyer decided to bring out a pair from the all-synth record SORCS 80. “Blimp” and “Drug City” gave the audience one last hurrah before a “Contraption / Soul Desert” closer sent the raucous crowd home until Osees return to feed their devotees once again.
All photos by Drew Doggett and Troy Gonzales. Featured photo by Troy Gonzales
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