SOURCE – Many of our readers probably don’t know the band yet, could you introduce Ohhms to them?
Paul Waller (Vocals) – Sure, we are a 5 piece from Canterbury that started life as doom & psych obsessives & then over the course of 5 years of the band’s existence our tastes have transformed us into musically oddball experimental doom & psych obsessives. We’ve put out 2 EPs & 2 full lengths & are just about to release our new album through Holy Roar Records.
SOURCE – In terms of what fans can expect, is there anything else about the new album – ‘Close’ that you can mention at this point?
Paul Waller (Vocals) – Lyrically, this one centres around the concept of domestic abuse which is a pretty dark & heavy subject to invest our & your time in so in order for it to not be too oppressive to listen to it’s juxtaposed with our catchiest riffs & biggest chorus’ yet. As the lyricist myself I can tell you it took several re writes until I was 100% content with the whole piece. When band’s start gigging again when the pandemic dies down a bit I’ve got to go out & sing this stuff live, which I can’t wait to do but I have a feeling that it’s gonna be a mentally difficult task night after night, but I had a story to tell & I’m grateful to be granted the opportunity to do it.
SOURCE – It’s very common for bands to write much more material than they actually record. So how much material do you think you need to go through before you get a Ohhms record?
Paul Waller (Vocals) – We work in a multitude of ways like most grass route bands but the norm for us is for one member to come in with a riff or a full song & we build our own parts around it. The key with OHHMS is that as soon as we start to NOT feel the song we bin it & move on. We have never worked any other way. Sometimes that means feelings get hurt but we have to all be 100% into the song in the actual moment of writing or whatever it is will not make the cut.
SOURCE – Now there is a lot of uncertainty about the Coronavirus issue, how do you think this COVID-19 affects the music industry and specially the world of music?
Paul Waller (Vocals) – As well as being the singer for OHHMS, I manage several bands as part of Incendia Music Agency & one thing I have learned is that it’s dangerous to speculate right now. Peoples livelihoods are at stake. For OHHMS, we have lost more than £2,000 due to cancelled tours & festivals, some bands have lost way more & some bands have lost nothing, but regardless of finances I call tell you we are all in the same boat as artists. Plus as an artist I want to get back into that practice room, I want to get back on stage, I want to create again, I am desperate for that.
SOURCE – How has your band adjusted to the monetization of streaming versus the traditional way of selling albums?
Paul Waller (Vocals) – It doesn’t really matter to us, of course we are not idiots & any way we can monetise what we do we will look into it. We have to survive as a band after all but as with any band worth their salt, we do this for the love of music & for the joy of interacting with each other in the practice room.
SOURCE – Many musicians rely on music as their only source of income. What advice do you have for artists who may be struggling right now over canceled tour dates and lack of sales?
Paul Waller (Vocals) – There are a bunch of ways that artists can create at least some income to tide themselves over, the internet is an ever expanding landscape that affords bands multiple platforms to continue to sell their wares, I’m more interested in the long term future of the music business. I’m someone that needs advice, accurate advice, honest advice & I don’t feel like we are getting that from our government at all. As I said I am in the same boat as you & as other musicians, I am no expert, I wish I were.
SOURCE – With the advent of Facebook and Spotify, do you feel that the need to maintain accessibility with a demanding fanbase puts a strain on what is important?
Paul Waller (Vocals) – You do have to keep up, keep on top of it but do I think that’s a problem?
Nah, not at all, I love it all, I love new technology & love the old way of doing things too. If you want to survive you can’t just adapt you have to want to adapt & embrace the new I reckon. I think that right up until the pandemic the music industry was in frightening good health. I love being a part of it. As an artist as long as you prioritise the actual music there are multitudes of avenues to explore regarding internet presence.
SOURCE – What do you have planned for the rest of the year? I know it’s a bit of a big question right now.
Paul Waller (Vocals) – Every week I ask the guys if they have written anything new, they send me over the results & it goes into a folder named NEW OHHMS ALBUM on my Mac book. That’s the best feeling, getting the gift of riff from those guys. We have plans of course regarding live shows & tours but I wouldn’t want to announce anything at all right now as we just don’t have any inkling of what the live scene will look like going forward, I know as much as you do.
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