Paradise Lounge Video and Interview

QUOTES:

"Could ONESIDE be the first modern rock band to discover how catchy the sound of a banjo can be in a pop song? If this doesn't make them distinctive, then their inherent intelligence does. Smart stuff, fresh on the ears."
-Buzz McClain (Washington Post, No Depression)

"ONESIDE's got some good hook-filled songs and they keep their playing tight…this quartet promises much."
-Mick Skidmore (KyndMusic.com)

"'Vibrant' is the first word that came to mind when I listened to Oneside. Words that followed were 'melodic', 'rootsy', 'smart' and 'progressive'. Oh, and can I make up a word? OK, then, 'banjoadelic'. DeBary's vocals get it done quite well along with the electric and acoustic banjo. There's a time and place for banjos, and Oneside has chosen well."
-Aimsel Ponti (Portland Press Herald)

"With precise musicianship, tight harmonies, and enough energy to forget it was a Wednesday night, this quintet tore through their original material with confidence and attitude that belied their youth. These guys should be around for a while and are sure to turn some heads."
-Northeast Performer

"Their sound is rich and unique."
-Insite Magazine 


INTERVIEW with BCHEIGHTS.com Paper:
Living the dream with Oneside Local band digs up its roots and is poised for a breakout Published in the Thursday, November 6, 2008 Edition of By Jeffrey Wallace Assistant Arts & Review Editor PrintEmail Article Tools Page 1 of 3 next >
Media Credit: Ryan Littman-Quinn, Matt Grover, Ryan Killany / Heights Photo Illustration

Oneside is living the dream. As eager disciples of The Band, the members of this Boston-based quartet have smuggled their icon's rustic swagger into the 21st century, stopping off at each bluegrass joint along the way to grab a drink and ask for directions. Oneside's sound lingers with experience and echoes of humility and at times feels more local to the beat up front porches of backwoods West Virginia than the sweaty bars that feature Pabst Blue Ribbon specials in the Northeast. But Oneside really has no limits - both in leveraging its diverse batch of influences across a broad canvas, and casually choosing how to deliver the mix in a tightly packaged, accessible groove. The band has toured the nation, played established festivals like South By Southwest (SXSW), Floyd Fest in Virginia, High Sierra in California, and Austin City Limits, and even once had a true rock-star moment at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C.; but the members of Oneside still have day jobs.

"We work from Monday to Wednesday and a half," said banjo player Chris Hersch as the other members of the band laughed.

Settling into his Harpoon I.P.A. and working his way through a plate of pancakes (keep in mind it is about 3 p.m. on a Friday), bassist Grafton Pease admitted, "We have day jobs that understand what we are doing; and a sort of prerequisite for finding a day job was that they have to be flexible with our flexible schedule."

Onside's first full-length album, First, To Last, was recorded earlier this year on a tight budget, mostly between the honest hours of 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. "We are paying back some debt from getting everything pressed and being on the road for two months. Once we do that we will hopefully start to make a little money from touring around," said lead singer and guitarist Ned deBary. To keep the cost of production down, Oneside relied on a connection with a friend from Boston University. "We recorded it with a friend of ours who went to the BU Center for Digital Imaging and Arts. They had just built a $1 million studio ... we were able to set up a thing that we could go in after school was done and use the facilities all night long," deBary said. This opportunity gave Oneside access to top-notch equipment, and during the six-month process, the band trimmed 15 working songs into 11 concise yet refreshingly diverse numbers. When realizing that BU was Boston College's Commonwealth Ave. rival, Pease changed the story a bit and offered this advice: "You could just write down another Boston school with the name Boston in it."
Continued... 

With deBary's rustic howl keenly offset by Hersch's playful banjo sprints, which are both kept in place by drummer Jake Brooks' careful phrases and Pease's lazy low-end gait, First, To Last is a laid-back journey that drips with a brash, carefree spirit. It is a slow burn at times but never misses an opportunity to take off with a friendly jog. On the surface, Oneside's sound adheres to a simple diet of Jack Daniels and late nights of hazy moral discovery that generally beget lazy mornings to follow. But underneath it grows increasingly complex. Hersch's acoustic banjo comfortably treads water in a sea of tone-hungry sharks - unafraid to toss in some melodic bait for his band members to prey on. "It can be frustrating sometimes. It's hard to keep the pureness of the sound without making it too tinty," Hersch admitted. "For me it's a balance between trying to keep the natural tone and turn the volume up loud enough. The other half is just as rewarding because when it does work, it's very different," he added. Originally a jazz musician, Hersch is content with his new place. "One of the reasons why I switched to banjo is because jazz music can be very intellectual, sometimes too cerebral, so I think the banjo is pretty down to earth," he said.

"The banjo shouldn't be confined to bluegrass. It shouldn't be just a happy instrument. It can be in a rock band. It's more versatile than people give it credit for. The guitar went through the same discrimination in its early days. The banjo is going through the same process right now," Hersch said as Pease and Brooks made fun of him for his passionate and sensitive answer.

Pease immediately jumped in with the suggestion: "All right let's go get a beer." He even went as far as coyly equating the banjo's presence to this simile: "It's like a Sunday-morning-breakfast-and-coffee mellow as opposed to rainy-Saturday-night-alone-with-no-date mellow."

To this point, Brooks remained relatively silent, focusing on his plate of pancakes and often drumming on his thigh to the beat of the background music. This is fitting because to the untrained ear, his role in Oneside's framework could be easily overlooked. "It's been really nice to learn how to become a softer, more intellectual drummer as opposed to a loud and fast, smash and grab style. It takes more skill to learn how to play with a lot of intensity while still being quiet," Brooks said as the other guys joked that this is the most that he has said to anyone in four years.
Continued... 

"It wouldn't be possible with a different drummer. The acoustic banjo would not work without Jake's drumming," Hersch added.

Oneside's van was packed and a four-hour drive to a gig in Maine lay ahead of them. Shortly before storming the Middle East in Cambridge for a record-release party on Oct. 3, the band finished up a two-month tour. Packed into a sweaty van, Oneside got a fresh look at what "The Dream" entails. DeBary admits, "You sort of have to take it day by day because, when you start out, you have grand plans and you slowly realize what it's going to be." But Oneside grew as a band and built up its confidence. "Just going to big crowds that we had no friends in to cheer for us, it seemed like we were in over our heads. But having 1,000 people in a field watching us and just knowing that we can keep their attention and make people dance and get them into it gave us a lot of confidence," deBary said.

In the commercial sense, Oneside still has not made it. But they undoubtedly have the skill, possess the workmanlike assertion that they belong, and carry a certain intangible uniqueness in sound. Living and playing on their own terms, they are not afraid of the future. "When we face a challenging audience, we are psyched to win these people over," deBary said. Oneside has already won over a small devout following, now the rest lies in the hands of luck.


FLOYD FEST REVIEW:
Friday, August 1, 2008
MyJoog Artist: Oneside
In preparation for the 5 hour drive to FloydFest I had thrown several CDs into the car expecting to listen to each sometime during the trip. Howver, after listening to the new Los Lonely Boys and some old Crooked Still, I put in First to Last from Oneside and that was it. Nothing else. I listened to this CD the remaining 4 hours – over and over again. In hindsight, I can’t determine why; I just got into a groove driving and First to Last lead the way. It may have been the opening song, “The Letter” which sadly I repeated way too often attempting to analyze the melody. It started out as a semi-gospel similar to a Lynn August Juré. Then it transitioned to a blues rhythm with a slight bluegrass feel. I guess anything with a banjo sounds a little like bluegrass. Then out of nowhere the song explodes into a rockabilly riff and then into a gumbo of rock, blues, and bluegrass. It’s just a good rocking song – great to listen to while driving. The same holds for “Got to Go” and “Last Radio”. However, the CD contains more than high tempo tracks; no two songs are really the same and while listening I imaged other artists performing the songs. “Into the Night” could have been composed by Tea Leaf Green; “Oh Sun” by the Old 97s. Sometimes I heard New Monsoon; other times The Randy Rogers Band. I even heard some classic rock from Yes. So who are these guys? The promoters of FloydFest felt highly enough to schedule Oneside for three sets; as did the 2008 High Sierra Festival. Front-man Todd Sheaffer of Railroad Earth is a huge fan. But me, I had no idea.

The entire band agreed to take time out of their FloydFest schedule and accompanied me to neighboring Chateau Morrisette winery where over a bottle of Viognier we discussed the band’s origin and influences. Oneside is currently based out of Boston and consists of Ned deBary (lead vocals; guitar), Chris Hersch (banjo), Jake Brooks (drums and percussion) and Grafton Pease (bass; vocals). It all started in 2002 when Jake moved from Colorado to Boston and partnered with his long time friend, Ned, and formed a precursor to Oneside. After a few lineup changes, Grafton signed on, then Chris and the ensemble has been intact since. Chris commented how accommodating the other band members were when he was recruited. At the time he was a jazz guitarist but he asked if he could play the acoustic banjo, and the response was “Yea, no problem”. A very fortunate decision; without this instrument the band could be just another rock band out of … No I can’t even finish the line. But seriously there’s more to the group’s sound then just the banjo. Each member had listened to classic rock, grunge, and Guns N’ Roses while growing up, so there’s some influence from these genres; but there was also old country - as in Charlie Patton old country – jazz, blues, and Johnny Cash Sun recordings. In fact, their Friday rendition of Cash’s Cocaine Blues was one of my favorite songs of the weekend. They were also clever enough to cater to their audience over the weekend and performed popular versions of John Prine’s Paradise and The Band’s Ophelia. But this band doesn’t want to be stereotyped – they don’t think of themselves as a rock band or bluegrass, or country. Americana suits us, but to the band they are just “Onside” where everyone collaborates to produce what they feel is the best sound for each particular song. And why title their debut CD: “First, To Last”? Because even though the compilation is their first release, they plan on enduring to the end. We hope so.

On the ride home from FloydFest, I listened to “First, To Last” again – but only once. There was no longer a need to analyze the songs; I just enjoyed each one. “The Letter” is still my favorite, but after seeing the band perform three consecutive days, I have a new appreciation for “Josephine”, “Lisa”, and “Didn’t Know ‘Til Now”. To paraphrase the tasting notes from the bottle we shared – these songs have depth and complexity. Oneside concluded their first national tour at FloydFest, but the band hits the road again in early August. They have shows scheduled at several of their favorite venues throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. “First, To Last” will be officially released September 27th. Want an early copy - go out and see one of the shows; you’ll be glad you did.
Posted by MyJoog at 4:36 AM
Labels: Americana, MyJoog Artist


BOSTON HERALD:

Oneside: No. 1 in self-promotion
By Kerry Purcell
Friday, September 7, 2007 -
Kerry Purcell is a feature writer for the Boston Herald. Her weekly column, "MEET the Band" explores Boston's thriving music scene and spotlights an emerging Boston act.

It takes more than talent to get noticed in a music scene saturated with new bands. Good thing the skilled musicians of Oneside are not afraid to self-promote or use the Internet to publicize their fresh take on alt-newgrass and rock.

“You never know what to expect from Internet contests,” singer Ned deBary said, sitting behind the sound booth in the Paradise Lounge, where Oneside will finish a monthlong Tuesday night residency next week. “If you take advantage of as many Internet-related opportunities as you can, something good is going to come of it.”

Oneside used Sonicbids, the Boston-based music promotion site, to land a slot playing Theo Epstein’s Hot Stove, Cool Music concert last month at Fenway Park [map] [map].

The band’s latest online endeavor is bringing similar results. Oneside submitted a tune to Ourstage, an online poll for indie artists that lets fans vote for their favorite song. Oneside’s “Got to Go” topped the Americana category and finished at No. 3. Its high standing earned Oneside a spot at a showcase tomorrow in a familiar venue - the Paradise Lounge - as well as a spot at the Austin City Limits fest next week.

Often compared to the Shins, Wilco and Arcade Fire, Oneside stands out from those supergroups by spotlighting the banjo. Oneside’s banjo standout, Chris Hersch, honed his skills at the New England Conservatory and pushes the twangy string instrument to imitate electric and flamenco guitars and even a piano.

The band is currently touring the Northeast in a van named Cleopatra, while its song “Why” is flying high on American Airlines [AMR] [AMR]’ in-flight programming. Internet savvy has also led to appearances at the X Games in Aspen, Colo., SXSW in Austin, Texas, and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

After Oneside returns to Boston, the band will finish recording its debut full-length album, which members hope to release next spring.

Bassist Grafton Pease, who played barefoot during Oneside’s Paradise set this week, explained that the new album will have the same energy as the band’s self-titled EP.

What will be different?

More banjo. Lots more.

The band: Ned deBary (voice, guitar), Chris Hersch (banjo), Jake Brooks (drums, percussion), Grafton Pease (bass, voice)

The sound: Alternative newgrass/rock

The show: Oneside plays Sunday at the Ourstage showcase, and on Tuesday with We the Living and Hot Day at the Zoo. Both shows at the Paradise Lounge.

The music: Listen to and download “Chinatown” and “Got to Go,” off Oneside’s second self-titled EP, at www.bostonherald.com, www.onesidemusic.com and www.myspace.com/oneside.