Interview: O+S

Orenda Fink and Scalpelist (Cedric LeMoyne) from O+S who just released their self-titled debut last week on Saddle Creek Records, took the time to answer some of my questions. Find out what influenced them to create this project, their plans for a second album and Orenda's all female super group with Jenny Lewis and Maria Taylor!

Atlas and the Anchor: I know your experiences travelling the world inspired this album; what other influences helped inspire you to create O+S?

Orenda: I listened to a lot of David Lynch soundtracks and also 10cc.

Cedric: My touchstones were classic 4AD stuff like Cocteau Twins and This Mortal Coil, and instrumental records by artists like Colleen and Biosphere.

AA: Which song on the album is your favorite and why?

Orenda: I think that "We Do What We Want To" is my favorite song. I love the sample that runs beneath the song. It called out to me and told me exactly what to write over it. I also really loved the music that Cedric made to put over it.

Cedric: "Survive Love" is my favorite. It's a very still, painful song. And Orenda's lyric on this one perfectly sums up the spirit of the whole album.

AA: The new album has just been released but are there plans to continue with this experiment and record a second album?

Orenda: Absolutely. We have had so much fun with every stage of this project. I can't wait to start on a new one.

Cedric: Without question! We've already started to bounce around ideas of how to approach the next one, and if I have my way it'll be ready by the end of the year.

AA: Orenda, you have collaborated with a lot of great musicians lately (Scalpelist, Adrienne, etc.) Who would you like to collaborate with next and/or who is your "dream" collaboration? May I suggest something with you, Adrienne and Laura Burhenn? That would be amazing!

Orenda: That would be awesome! Do you know that Laura has been touring withour O+S band this month? She is great and I would love to collaborate further with her. She and Adrianne and I actually hung out together in Austin at SXSW and had a great time...One of my dream collaborations may actually happen soon. Jenny Lewis, Morgan Nagler, Maria Taylor and I want to start an all-girl rock band. We had one great practice. Hopefully, our schedules will allow more!

AA: Cedric, are you working on any other projects right now?

Cedric: I'm always working with Jeffrey and Gregory - my old bandmates from Remy Zero - on whatever they have going. The latest from that camp is Jeffrey's new project Dead Snares. We also do film/tv music together. But I feel very fortunate to have Orenda's attention right now, and I want to take full advantage of it! So as far as projects to call my own, all of my energies go to O+S.

AA: Name one current and one older song you wish you had written.

Orenda: "Working Class Hero" by John Lennon.

Cedric: Current: "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley. Is that current enough? If not I'll say 'Nude' by Radiohead. Older: "How Soon Is Now?" by The Smiths or "Heroes" by David Bowie.

AA: You played a few shows with Great Northern and went to SXSW, how difficult was it to replicate the sounds of the album on stage?

Orenda: It could have been hard but we had the most amazing musicianswith us who worked really hard to pull it off.

Cedric: Replicating the sounds wasn't exactly the problem, it was bringing them to life in an uncontrolled environment. The songs were born out of sound experiments with no thought to ever playing them live. So there were a lot of things - subtle but important musical loops, for instance, or juxtaposing very soft vocals over sonically busy tracks - which were easy to do on a recording but took a bit of effort to pull off on small rock club sound systems! But as Orenda said the musicians we brought were great at pulling out the best parts to play over the tracks, making it more human and exciting.

AA: What were you listening to in the tour van?

Orenda: Stevie Wonder, School of Seven Bells, Allman Brothers, Smog, Prince, Sleepwell, Rolling Stones, Beatles, and Lucinda Williams.

Cedric: David Bowie, Radiohead, Joni Mitchell, AC/DC, Gnarls Barkley, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Neko Case, Elliott Smith, Queen, MGMT, The Smiths...

AA: Are there any plans for a longer tour in the future...hopefully with a date in the Cincinnati area?

Cedric: Hopefully! We're scheming and planning to do as much as possible in the next few months.

AA: Remy Zero is one of my favorite bands of the late 90's and "VillaElaine", one of my favorite albums all time. Is a Remy Zero reunion a possiblility in the near future? Sorry, I had to ask!

Cedric: We actually got together and started a few songs not too long ago. The musical spark is still there but I think a little more time has to pass if we're really gonna do it again. Lots of water under the bridge to contend with. I appreciate your asking...

AA: Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions! I can't wait to hear what both of you do next! Thanks again.

Download We Do What We Want To

For more info click here: www.myspace.com/opluss and http://www.saddlecreekrecords.com/

Read my review of the O+S album here: http://atlasandtheanchor.blogspot.com/2009/03/os-self-titled.html