Album Review: Otis Gibbs ‘Once I Dreamed of Christmas’
I’m not a fan of Christmas music. Never have been. For my money, you can set aside The Beach Boys Christmas Album, Ray Charles’ The Spirit of Christmas, throw in a crooner for good measure and toss the rest out of the window. Everything else reeks of crowded malls and drunken relatives.
That was until earlier this week when I received a gift: a tightly wrapped bundle in the form of the anti-Christmas, courtesy of Wanamaker, Indiana native Otis Gibbs. At long last, a man with just enough dry wit and sensibility to dress this holiday down. His 2003 album Once I Dreamed of Christmas sheds light on the holiday’s consumerism, the religious hypocrisy and its bogus spokesman, with enough humor to keep from sounding like a Scrooge.
I had the pleasure of watching Gibbs perform earlier this fall as part of MOKB Presents Songwriters in the Round at White Rabbit Cabaret. Gibbs joined local songsmiths Richard Edwards and Cameron McGill as they traded tunes and moments of emotional earnestness. Gibbs’ renditions of “Caroline” and “Small Town, Saturday Night” were both songs that served as sights to behold.
With Otis, you can safely rely upon a straight story. He wields a sword of honesty that slices through bullshit like pads of butter. For further evidence, check out his phenomenal photography. While the rest of the town is busy stewing over missing out on the holiday’s hottest toy, Gibbs is there to remind us of the drunk in the gutter, the father without a job and the lonely, single mother. “Carl and Mavis,” “Cowboy’s Christmas” and “Jesus on the Couch” are all winners. Stream the album in its entirety here:
Yesterday, it was announced that Gibbs will be included in February’s Super Bowl Village. I am thrilled to show visitors that the Hoosier state is home to deeper thinkers than Johnny Cougar. I can’t wait to see how Otis reacts when given a soap box in the midst of corporate America’s biggest spectacle. Mud will be slung and barbs will be traded. My only hope is that I’ll be standing close enough to bare witness.
Connect with Otis Gibbs via Twitter | Facebook | Bandcamp
Written by Rob Peoni
Album Stream: Everything, Now! ‘Do It On The Moon’
Indianapolis band Everything, Now! dropped their fifth release this week. Do It on the Moon may not be the best play at the start of your day. Save this listen for your drive home from work. This album is a celebration.
The band screams dire warnings about the future over joyous romps of punchy guitars and choruses that sound like choirs of schoolchildren, as if testing the audience to see if they’ll get the joke.
On “Imagine 2040”, the lead singer offers a bleak outloook, saying: “In 2040, Russia owns the beaches where the ice caps used to be / And China has moved to the moon, with the fortunes from all those air factories / They’re fighting off the Mexicans in space stations made from trees.” This post-apocalyptic landscape that Everything, Now! has created is humorous but serves as a legitimate look into the concerns of the present.
This album is rock solid, both from a lyrical and musical standpoint. There is no weakest link. This is not a talentless garage band, mashing out harmonyless recording in their stoner uncle’s makeshift recording studio. This is good shit and the kind of album that Indy residents can be legitimately proud of. Listen below:
Connect with Everything, Now! via Facebook | Bandcamp
Written by Rob Peoni
Album Stream: mr. Gnome ‘Madness in Miniature’
While the White Stripes are no longer active, the boy + girl two-piece formula still lives on in Cleveland’s mr. Gnome. They bring a sense of distorted, psychedelic mystery to their sound. A rugged, unpolished rhythm seems consistent in all of their work, but the persistent uncertainty looms as I listen to their latest release on El Marko Records, Madness in Miniature. Listen:
Singer/guitarist Nicole Barille and drummer Sam Meister produce mood swings that, at times, make me feel like I am stuck in the mind of Donnie Darko. Even their album artwork mimics a character that might have been responsible for the take over of Darko’s mind. While the Stripes gave all of their fans a sedative when they announced their retirement this year, bands like mr. Gnome continue to provide wild delusions for supporters of this formula.
Watch mr. Gnome play “Vampires” at Fountain Square’s Radio Radio. Thank you to our friends at MonkeyEatsMonkey for shooting this video.
Connect with mr. Gnome via Twitter | Facebook | Bandcamp.
Written by Brett McGrath
Thought on Tracks 