O Pioneers!!!

Diatribe: How is it that the two man wrecking crew called O Pioneers!!! came about?

Eric: O pioneers!!! formed in the fall of 2004. Jeff and I met after I had moved back to my parent’s house in the woodlands, TX. It's a little bit north of Houston. Jeff and I worked together in the music department at Barnes and Nobles. I had just moved back from college, and Jeff was just kicked out of his band, Zombilly. It was a psychobilly band, he wore make up and spit blood on people. It was pretty awesome.

Diatribe: You don’t really see too many bands in which there are only two members. You guys pack more punch than most full bands however. This is a two part question. First: what made you guys stick with a two piece, and secondly how would you defeat The White Stripes in a battle to the death?

Eric: Ha, that’s the number one question asked! Honestly no one in Houston likes us. Ha it’s kind of funny, even our friends are like “dude, I’ll totally come see you guys play, NEXT TIME”. Ha-ha but its ok, Jeff and I have come to terms with it. We’ve tried to get other band members, but we just haven’t clicked with anyone. We are totally open to adding more members but they must be the right people!

Now to the White Stripes question. We’d do one of two things. A. We’d impersonate the White Stripes until their career plummeted, because of how awful we are, or B. We’d record digital and stomp their analog sound to the ground with Pro Tools and Britney Spears type vocal solos.

Diatribe: Nice. That would backfire though, because your impersonations of the White Stripes would just lend them an air or respectability. I just recently became acquainted with you guys through your album “Black Mambas”; do you have any other releases?

Eric: We have a split with Saw Wheel from Austin, out on Team Science Records. In the next couple of months we have splits coming out with:
BY THE END OF TONIGHT, SCREAM POET SCREAM, THE MEASURE (SA), FAKE PROBLEMS, BOMB THE MUSIC INDUSTRY, so we have a bunch of stuff coming up soon! And we are probably going to release all them on a collection cd in the fall or early next year.

Diatribe: I had never heard of Team Science Records until Chuck at Beartrap PR sent me your album. What kind of bands are on the roster there, and how do they treat you fellas?

Eric: Team Science is run by my friend Aaron Danger and myself. The first release was actually the O Pioneers!!!/Saw Wheel split. Our roster is pretty diverse; we do a lot of OP!!! stuff, but we also just put out a cd for this band called the Measure (sa), from New Jersey. They sound like a mix of Discount, American Steel, and Bruce Springsteen. It totally rules. Aaron is also friends with a bunch of hardcore bands, so he is doing some of 7 inches for bands like LIE AND WAIT from San Antonio. We also are doing a cd for this guy Nathan Kalish and the Wildfire, from Grand Rapids, MI. It’s crazy rock and roll stuff in the vein of Lucero and The Stooges. We are also doing an alt country band from Houston called Paper Moons’ 7 inch. And lastly I think we are doing the vinyl version of The Jonbenet’s “Ugly/Heartless” record. It’s really awesome being on a diverse label. Aaron is really good about doing the label, and does whatever he can to pump up his artists. Kind of like Pumping up the Jams.

Diatribe: I would describe the O Pioneers sound as folk/country mixed with aggressive post-hardcore…how do you guys describe your sound to someone who’s never heard your songs?

Eric: Um, I don't know, this is a tough one. I like to just say that we are a punk band. Because that’s all I feel we are, a punk band who plays music that we have fun playing!

Diatribe: Yeah, I really do hate having to resort to using references to various ‘genres’, but when you write about music, you unwittingly have to sell your soul and pander to that shit. What are your guy’s influences, musical or otherwise?

Eric: I’d say that Jeff and his past bands influence me. Lots of blood. Lots and lots of blood. I really like No Idea records, and Jeff has like nine Rocket From The Crypt tattoos, if that says anything.

Diatribe: Your album is getting tons of stereo time at my house, after every spin I love it more. I want everyone to go out and buy it. So, in your own words, describe “Black Mambas”. Do your best used car salesman impression and really sell this puppy.

Eric: “Black Mambas” is a collection of older songs that took Jeff and me two years to write and record. So basically it’s kind of a collection of all our material up until this point. I have no idea how to sell this record other then say its two not attractive dudes playing music that we love to write, and have an amazing time playing it. Fans of honest music might like it!

Diatribe: I’d also like to add that “Black Mambas” kicks more ass than Chuck Norris on drunken Saturday night. I also love your song titles on “Black Mambas”, very fun and quirky. I do a lot of writing while drunk and come up with crazy titles for my poems like “You couldn’t mind your business and now we must suffer the wrath of the mummy’s curse”, so I guess my question is: is there alcohol involved when naming your songs?

Eric: Actually, I don't really drink. Jeff is the designated drinker of the band, which is kind of weird because he is also the late night driver. Really the song titles just spring from really, really dumb jokes that Jeff and I have. For instance, we have a new song that is called "you know that part in superman 3, where he is all bad ass and stuff; yeah I bet that's how you feel". And that was from Jeff and I just finishing the movie, and commenting on how superman fucks shit up, but at the same time, it’s not really him, and the good side prevails. So there is no drinking involved. But that mummy's curse line is awesome!!!!

Diatribe: Thanks! My better ideas tend to come under the influence of Guinness Extra Stout. Alright, what does O Pioneers!!! need to stay sane on the road, what are your tour survival items?

Eric: 1. lots of cocaine, 2. the latest Norma Jean record… that shit jams. 3. our cell phones, how else are we gonna ‘up the punx’? 4. bad movie references 5. STEVE HOLT.

Diatribe: How extensively are you touring behind “Black Mambas”? I see that you’re playing Cleveland in July…but no Columbus. Columbus is much cooler, and my associates and I would show you boys a good time. We make a mean Irish Car Bomb. What gives I say, what gives?

Eric: We’ve done a ton of touring for it. Since Jeff and I run our own businesses, sometimes it’s a little hard to get away. But! I feel that we’ve done a bunch of time behind. Somewhere around three to four months, just spread out. And we have played in Columbus; we played at the Stink House! Where were you? And we just made some friends from Columbus called the Ghost Town Trio, they are AMAZING. Go listen to them now.

Diatribe: Apparently I was off somewhere with my thumb up my ass…I missed out. What are some of the craziest occurrences you’ve been privy to on tour…any trashing of hotel rooms or the snorting of illicit drugs off of hooker’s asses?

Eric: Um…nah we are pretty tame. I mean Jeff has been known to get drunk and cry in bushes with people we’ve met for the first time. But we’ve never really had crazy stories, just odd stories. Just weird occurrences. This one time in Charlotte this gentleman came into our friend chuck’s house and our tour roadie/label owner Aaron, straight up peed his pants, and fell to the ground crying. The guy was then scared off, and left, while Aaron was sitting in tears in urine for fifteen minutes. Um… let’s see, another time Aaron got thrown into a lake and was bitten by a duck, that was hiding. Aaron pretty much amuses us. Yeah we suck, I’m sorry.

Diatribe: No way, that stuff’s much funnier to me. I’ve calmed down over the past several years…so drunken crying sessions and random fights with hood rats is the craziest I get anymore. I have yet to pee myself while drunk…although my girlfriend once witnessed me pissing on the bedroom floor after a heavy night of drinking.  Pat, co-founder of Diatribe, accidentally stabbed some chick in the hand when roused from a drunken sleep one night. That’s how we roll.  We’ll leave the cocaine, hookers and shitbaggery to Avenged Sevenfold.

Alright Eric, we’ve discussed the album, mummies, Superman and urinating. I’d say that’s all the makings of a top notch interview. I appreciate you humoring my ridiculous questions. Anything you’d like to say or get off your chest in closing?

Eric: We are not punk, and I’m telling everyone. Thank you for the interview!!