Meet Obliques

No, Obliques aren’t just a muscle group I never exercise. They’re actually a completely excellent, genre-bending alt-pop band making the rounds in the big city. Established after living in Berlin, Obliques is a fluid project that can range from an 8-piece live band to a one-man show. 

The variety! The flexibility! The euro influence! It’s a stunning bit of collaboration and well-worth a gander. 

Fresh off their latest EP release, Rodeo Ultimo, we chatted all things tiny kitchens, teen phases, and skipping parties.

Open your eyes and ears — check it out below. 

Would You Rather…

have to make all the clothes you wear, or make all the food you eat? Why? What would you do?

I would rather be enjoying an incredible meal with nice ambience and quality service while wearing sewn-together bedsheets with a face hole (min. 500 thread count) than be in head-to-toe in designer garments struggling with recipes I found online. My West Village kitchen is so small you can only stand facing the counter with your back against the wall like a submarine, so that helps my decision.

Some Questions with Obliques

Did you go through any musical phases in high school? Has it in any way shaped what you are making now?

Yes, of course. I'm highly impressionable to this day. I've been through Ska and plaid, Pop-Punk and frosted tips, Backpacker hip-hop and silk-screened Wu-Tang hoodies, Emo and acne, Method Man's Tical 2000 album and wearing goggles, a strange stint into hardcore and wearing wife beaters, Top 40 from 1998-2002 and playing varsity basketball, Doo-Wop and not going to the dance and much more. It's all in there somewhere and it's all about how you channel your trauma, right?

Are you self taught or did you take lessons/study music?

I'm primarily self-taught, but I took guitar lessons for years. My teacher was a wonderfully individual, soft-spoken man who taught guitar out of a kitchen in an apartment that was technically a music shop. I stuck with him because he introduced me to multi-track recording and would teach me whatever riff I wanted from whatever music I wanted to bring in.

What kind of sandwich would you be?

Answering questions like this make you part of the problem.

What kind of a place do you think rock music is in right now?

As time has gone on, I feel like we've plateaued in guitar rock culture and we're all stuck rehashing tropes or worse. Technology has made it incredibly easy to produce and perform music with minimal equipment - let alone musical instruments, so it's a harder sell for most people to want to put in the effort and resources that being in a traditional rock band require. Plus, there aren't a ton of examples to set a standard to strive for at the moment. By now, people are used to seeing artists essentially perform karaoke live, even though it can often feel hollow. There's a lot of room for creative re-thinking about how to use the guitar and take rock in a new direction, but I haven't really picked up a guitar in a year. We could use some new perspectives and some serious talent.

What kind of dance moves would you like to see people doing during a live performance?

It would appreciate looking into the crowd through stage lights to realize they're performing a synchronized dance routine to certain sections of random songs in the set. Surpise me. Show me something with decent production value. Mutual entertainment. Teamwork. Unity. We can do it.

Was there ever a time when music went too far?

I think cancel culture lead can lead down a dangerous path.

If you could only play one instrument for the rest of your life what would it be? Why?

Midi-Controller, so you can play all the sounds forever and maybe some new future sounds I can't imagine yet.

Do you have a party trick?

My party trick at the moment - skipping the party.

Did you ever get grounded growing up? If so why?

Let's not go here.

Do you drive? Are you a good driver?

I'm a fantastic driver of both manual and automatic automobiles of most varieties. I haven't had a car since college. Maybe one day I'll live in one. I recently got upgraded on a car rental from a Hyundai to a Cadillac and I would live in that car, despite the fact it's just one more gas-guzzling murder machine.

What does your family think of your music?

They think it's a real shame I've yet to be elected the "President of Music." They've always been incredibly supportive.

If dogs didn't say bark. what would they say?

Register to vote!

Any final comments? (This is your electronic soapbox for one last answer.)

Be good to each other and stay free.