I saw OM with Lichens last Friday - 1/18/08 – at the Independent and it was a cool show. I went by myself and didn’t see anyone I knew there, but that was cool.
Lichens came on first and really tripped me out. It’s just one guy who samples himself making noises, playing guitar and singing (or chanting). It started out with him making whistling sounds and built its way up to an orchestra of sound and trippy vocals. He made the craziest facial expressions along with it. I wonder how it looked to all those stoners in the audience who kept lighting up?
OM came out while Lichens was still on the stage and sort of took the stage. Their music was BIG, though the instrumentation is just electric bass and drums. They used to be the rhythm section of the band Sleep (from San Jose, I think). The bass player sings sort of like Ozzy with Black Sabbath and the lyrics – at least of what I was able to discern with all the effects – were all about unicorns and the like. Their sound is sort of stoner rock meets metal meets experimental. It’s a trip.
OM played for almost two hours and it was intense the whole time. Many of their songs go from loud to soft and back to loud. I was lucky enough to have scored one of the side seats so I was able to sit for a lot of the show and, when people stood in front of the seats I could stand on my seat and see over heir heads.
OM, check ‘em out. I’ve playing them on the radio ever since the show.