BIOGRAPHY Fools Want Noise is the forthcoming oh my god album—and wait ’til you hear this thing. The notorious sound of this Chicago band (blasts of organ on overdrive, grinding bass guitar, precision drum attacks and fast-flying melodic hooks) just got a new jolt of electricity: the pick-less guitar power of Jake Garcia, the string-bending monster from NYC’s Darediablo (Southern Records).
Oh my god has been on the road for five years as they’ve written and recorded the Oh My God EP (2000) and the albums Well (2001), Action! (2002), Interrogations & Confessions (2003) and You’re Too Straight to Love Me (2004).
Now, the band has teamed up with Garcia to stretch their sound to massive new dimensions. The nasty organ of ig (who’s toured/played with Junior Wells, Buddy Guy, Van Morrison, Otis Rush…), the inhumane drum clobbering of Bish and the increasingly legendary adventures (on stage, in studio and into the next morning) of singer/bassist Billy O’Neill now join forces with one of the most fabulously filthy guitar sounds you’re ever gonna hear.
The album is done and set for mid-’07 release on the new Chicago label Split Red Records, the four-piece incarnation of the band is heading out on tour...Say it: OH MY GOD!!
QUOTES
“Oh my god’s dynamic prog-pop crams ideas into each song like a deliciously eclectic pick ’n’ mix...an irresistible cocktail of crunchy, swirling keyboards and jackhammer drums...a monumental feast of pile-driving hooks."
~Kerrang (UK)
“(A) rock-hard, hyper-kinetic power trio...a sound that has been favorably compared to everyone from ELP, Weezer and Devo to the Cars, Deep Purple and Steppenwolf...a range that encompasses the space between flat-out rock and the subtler and more emotion-laden moments of great pop...oh my god has figured out their thing and they are most assuredly doing it all the way...and, oh my god, the thing is good.” ~Cincinnati City Beat
“Like Spoon, the band has refined its formula...the songs roil with threatening organ tones and their lyrics are opaque enough to keep the band's mystique shrouded.” ~allmusic.com review of Interrogations & Confessions (four stars)
“A sound bigger than the metaphorical shoulders of its hometown. The sparse instrumentation is the band’s signature, but crooner Billy O’Neill, whose rich voice recalls Simple Minds’ Jim Kerr, gives oh my god its soul. This band would leave The Breakfast Club with a completely different ending, one that would strike fear in the hearts of ballpark organists and offer hope to melody-deprived art-rock fans everywhere.” ~Kansas City Pitch Weekly (Critics' Pick)
"Not your parents' art rock...soulful vocals set against an experimental backdrop of organ and drums." ~Alternative Press
“Oh my god relies on organ and bass to create a sound bearing a little resemblance to a school’s Klaxon system going haywire” ~Austin Chronicle (“Saturday Sleeper” pick for SXSW)
“Dig guitarist Jake Garcia’s outbreaks of Ritchie Blackmore when he gets a bit of soloing room…” ~Rolling Stone
“Jake…is the most unassuming rock titan these eyes, and ears, have perhaps ever witnessed, yet his mastery of the art of the axe is truly mesmerising.” ~Drowned in Sound ( London)
"Soulful rock...the Lenny Bruce of rock ‘n’ roll--but without any heroin and much more fun!." ~The Onion
"OH MY GOD. is hardly a stale indie alternative...they take a step forward from the norm, producing wildly discriminating rock 'n' roll with unmatched intensity."
~MTV.com
"A rock 'n' roll band sans guitars usually ends up sounding like electro pop lite, but oh my god proves this theory wrong...Billy O'Neill boasts a strong, powerful vocal style...Iguana rounds out the album's sound with quirky, distorted keyboard tones...the band succeeds where others have failed in terms of creativity and originality." ~Rockpile
"Oh my god blends rock, pop and punk with
edgy melodies and heavy bass lines. Soulful and
intense vocals top it all off." ~Chicago Sun-Times
"Oh my god is guaranteed to provide a truly
inspired freak-out of rock 'n' roll." ~ Detroit Metro Times
"Singer-bassist Billy O'Neill has one of
those unforgettable rock voices. Much like Soundgarden's
Chris Cornell or even the Twilight Singers' Greg
Dulli, O'Neill's soaring vocals are the driving
force in his band. The Chicago trio, which also
includes organ player Iguana and drummer Bish,
is equally capable of kinetic rock ("Get
Steady") and piano balladry ("February
14th") on its latest album." ~Cleveland Free Times
