Ali Ali Oxen Free is a great, energetic local concert band.
"Every time we get on stage, we put out a big concert performance," said guitarist/vocalist Steve Lemmon. "And regardless if there are 10 people in the audience or 800, we go all out and try to put on a good show."Gathering during a break between recording sessions, the three core members of Ali Ali Oxen Free happily say the band's music style is not an easy one to pin down.
"My early influences included Simon and Garfunkel," said Lemmon. "And because of that I tend to write music with a lot of melody and harmony."
"But to say we're a folk band is not entirely true," bassist/vocalist John Kavanaugh said. "We have a certain sound that isn't like anything around. It's more like a Crosby, Stills and Nash with a modern twist."
"But the modern music that's out there right now leans to an angrier feel," said drummer Rory Carrera. "We're not as aggressive and don't attack the listener with that sonic assault which seems to be invading the scene these days."
With that kind of diversity, the band has been able to reach many different types of listeners.
"We made it to No. 12 on the X-96 (KXRK 96.1) play list and even had a song on rotation on the Mountain (KMUT 105.7)," said Kavanaugh. "For a local band competing with national bands, that says something about the music, especially if we can hit two entirely different formats."
"During a benefit show we did for the National Tree Society at the Gallivan Center, we had high school and college kids there as well as the older 40-something crowd," said Lemmon.
"Maybe in a few years we may well be the alternative music's `alternative,' " said Carrera.
But with the diversity aside, Kavanaugh said, the band's style has a lot to do with its future goals and aspirations.
"We are mainly looking at the longevity of the band's career," he stated. "We write songs we'll still be able to play come 30 or 40 years. When we're 60 years old, we'll still play songs like "Canyonland" and "Tree Song."
But even while looking ahead, the band acknowledges the past has been a struggle.
"The new album is a collection of tunes written over a 21/2-year period of time," said Lemmon. "And during that time, there were high points and low."
"It's hard when you play the Gallivan Center to a good-size energetic crowd one day and then play to barmaids at a club the next night," explained Carrera. "But when the fatigue and low points emerge, we just think of our fans. Without the people who go to our shows and buy our CDs and stations like X-96 and Mountain, we wouldn't be where we are today."
With over 600 CDs sold since its release two months ago, the band has written and is planning a new release.
"This one was written in only a two-month period of time and will be more consistent," said Lem-mon. "It will also try to reach beyond the local scene. The band is going through quite a bit of changes and we believe the music will lean toward a new direction of style without actually being changed."
Keyboardist John Hancock left the band and will be replaced by guitarist Andrew Mismash.
"That change will obviously move the band to a more guitar sound," said Kavanaugh. "But we are still looking for a keyboardist and new ideas."
Carrera, who joined after original drummer Jaren Johnson dropped out, said the new musicians will help the new album become a chapter in the progression of the band.
"It all goes back to the evolution of our music," said Carrera. "Even when we play the songs on the first album live, they are played differently that before. Its a reflection on what the band is experiencing at that time. The new album will be a captured moment in another given spectrum of time."
"It's hard to anticipate what is going to happen in music," said Lemmon. "I remember sometime back when the `alternative' label went to groups like R.E.M. and others. "Now it applies to bands like Tool and Rollins."
"Hopefully someone out there will notice that Ali Ali Oxen Free made its name on the fifth largest alternative music station in the nation, take heed to our message and sign us."