EMQ’s With The OddEven
EMQ’s With The OddEven
Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with USA Alternative Metal band, The OddEven. Huge thanks to their Bass Guitarist, Weed, for taking part.
What is your name, what do you play and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
Weed, bass guitar. Guitarist E.T. and I were playing in another band back in 2019 and weren’t getting along with the singer on the road. The two of us had written a bunch of songs together and decided to take our music elsewhere. We opted to create our own new band and surround ourselves with quality musicians and great personalities to fill in the gaps and get away from the negative energy in the last band. In the first two months of existence, we played shows with Faster Pussycat, Bang Tango, Soulfly, Nonpoint, and Last in Line (Dio).
How did you come up with your band name?
I was adopted, and I decided to take a DNA test through Ancestry DNA to figure out if I may be destined for future health issues. I spit in the vial and mailed it off and it came back with no results. I tried a second and a third time, and nothing. My guitar player, E.T. commented that the whole situation was “odd even” and that since they couldn’t register human DNA, I may be an alien. We decided on “The OddEven” as our name and went with the whole alien theme because of my failed tests and my guitarist’s name – seemed to make perfect sense!
What Country / Region are you from and what is the Metal / Rock scene like there?
USA – Baltimore, MD / Washington, DC area. The scene is in this genre is meh. Lots and lots of cover bands playing the bars. There is a cool Doom metal scene, and the metal / hard rock world has some moments and cool bands, but not nearly enough. While we love the area, we are always happiest to get out on the road.
What is your latest release?
The “Darkness” album drops in early January 2024. It features Chris Volz from Flaw on vocals and Tosha Jones (x-Saliva, more) on drums. The single and video for “Whiskey” is available now everywhere.
Who have been your greatest influences?
We always loved the 90’s / 00’s hard rock. Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Janes Addiction, Smashing Pumpkins, Stone Temple Pilots, RATM, and then some of the heavier stuff like Pantera, Metallica, etc.
What first got you into music?
My brother was playing guitar when I was a kid, and I thought it was cool. We used to listen to Led Zep, Black Sabbath / Ozzy, Priest, Maiden and then some of the LA rock from the 80’s… started seeing videos and going to concerts and was like “I want to do that!”
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
Well… Chris Volz and Tosha Jones naturally – lol!
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
There are plenty of festivals that would be cool to play, but maybe not so much at 1 PM on the 3rd stage if you know what I mean… give me a great time slot on the main stage somewhere in Europe with killer bands ad I would be happy
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
Please keep coming to our shows and supporting us. We love meeting and talking to everyone we possibly can on the road. It is a huge part of why we do this thing to begin with.
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
Chris Cornell – that guy was simply the best. Great singer, great musician, great songwriter – sucks that he is gone – he had so many killer songs and just kept turning them out
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
I enjoy almost everything about being a musician. I love writing, recording, going on the road / travel, playing live, meeting new people… as for the hate, see my answer to the question below
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
Musicians not making money while everyone else does. Literally everyone in the industry takes a cut and makes more money than the bands / musicians unless you are super famous… and the fraction of pennies being paid out for plays on Spotify, Apple, Pandora, etc. is a joke.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
The 1st Rage Against the Machine record. One of the “wow” moments in my life for sure listening to that the first time. I will never get tired of that one.
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?
Downloads are convenient. I still have boxes CD’s but never listen to them. I have boxes of cassettes, but never listen to them. I have hundreds of vinyl records and listen to them in my basement bar fairly often. I guess vinyl wins!
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
Hmmm… Another tough question. I don’t think I can answer this. There is a lot that goes into a best gig. Best personal performance, best band performance, best crowd, size of the crowd (big is good sometimes, but intimate shows are great), best venue / stage, etc. I really don’t know.
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
I do lots of other stuff because the musician part isn’t paying the bills yet… Sell pharmaceuticals for a wholesaler, web design for a winery, run a beach cleanup non-profit, book bands in the Baltimore / DC area, partner in a company called Ship Guitars, work for a plastic alternative company BioSafe.co.
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
My family because I can always use more family time… never enough hours in the day.
What’s next for the band?
Two more singles coming in November and early January before the album is available worldwide. Hopefully we are making enough noise to land a decent tour with someone and then mix in a few headlining shows to support the record. I would love to get to Europe, South America, or Japan as we have never played outside of the U.S.
What Social Media / Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
Web – https://theoddeven.com
Label: https://www.eclipserecords.com/band/the-oddeven/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/theoddevenband/
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/theoddevenband/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/oddeventhe
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp1Y-Oqgo4LzvS-7ZjL-eBg
TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@theoddeven
EPK – https://www.sonicbids.com/band/the-oddeven/
Vero – https://vero.co/theoddeven
Snapchat: @theoddeven
Time for a very British question now. As an alternative to the humble sandwich, is the correct name for a round piece of bread common in the UK either a Bap, a Barm (or Barm Cake), a Batch, a Bun a Cob, a Muffin, a Roll or a Tea Cake?
Sadly, I have no idea. I googled “a round piece of bread common in the UK” and the response I got back was “crumpets” which isn’t on your list… I will go with a “Bap” for no other reason than that sounds like a short and to the point sandwich title for a gambler that didn’t want to leave the table long enough to eat.
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
I like to end with a “Cheers!”
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