A while back, I saw a tweet by @WalrusAudio mentioning that a Oklahoma band just got a gig opening up for Radiohead’s tour. That band was Other Lives. I’m always on the hunt for new music, and to secure a opening slot for a major band like Radiohead is a pretty worthy achievement for sure, so I wanted to learn more. The first video I saw was For 12 (from their Tamer Animals album), and from that moment on, I was sold and hooked on Other Lives.
It’s extremely hard to pin down exactly *why* I like that band. I know friends that give ’em a shrug, but for me there is something incredibly special that I connect with. I’m definitely a fan of atmosphere, and wanting to connect on a emotional level with music, so that could be it. But I also feel it could be related to the orchestration. Each little sound has it’s place, and you can tell, it was thoughtfully placed. I’m not sure. All, I know, is that I like this band very much.
About a month ago, I was super excited to hear that the band was planning on playing in my home town which was completely surprising. A chance to see this band in a very intimate and small venue – wow! So the other night, I got to witness this band live. Going in, I had super high expectations, but these expectations where blown away with what I saw. This band is simply amazing live. I had NO idea how much work they put into reproducing the album on a live stage.
The band is a 5 piece, and some of the members would play multiple instruments during each song. Jonathon Mooney in particular would play guitar, trumpet, violin, keyboard and xylophone. Crazy. So today’s pedalboard break down, I wanted to feature Jonathon Mooney. His guitar work was really great. He plays a Fender Telecaster through some type of Fender tweed combo (not sure what exactly) – and the tone was exceptional.
Boss TU-2 Tuner
Electro-Harmonix Cathedral Stereo Reverb
Boss DS-1 (Keeley Mod)
Walrus Audio Voyager Overdrive
Tech 21 – NYC – Midi Moose
The Tech 21 seems to be a big part of what he was doing. It appeared to be tied in with a Mac and doing loops with some of his instruments. Guitar tones were a mix of strong single note runs, as well as a fast strumming single notes with ethereal reverb. I was eating it all up.
For those of you interested in the video I originally saw – here is For 12. If you get a chance, please catch them on this tour.. you’ll be glad you did.
