Material: Oops is an alternative rock band with traces of pop, grunge, garage and punk who describe themselves as “a rock band and we melt the faces.” They released their first EP in December 2015. Their set is a mixture of songs from their new release as well as some previously unreleased material.
Musicianship: Callahan and Giron create a strong musical backbone for Oops. Callahan is an excellent drummer; even when the music gets rhythmically complex with breaks and tempo changes, she keeps a solid basis upon which the rest of the band builds their sound. Giron’s bass lines fit nicely with the drums, but also provide an interesting counterpoint to Nolan’s skillful guitar work. The band members sound good together and seem to communicate well with each other.
Performance: Oops started their set with “Shut Up,” which sounds a bit like Dinosaur, Jr. The song ended in a jam with intense fluctuations in dynamics and emotional intensity. The band experienced some technical difficulties during their set, but they were able to maintain the audience’s attention with short intermittent drum solos and banter from Giron.
The trio continued performing a short song with a catchy guitar hook titled “A Choice,” as well as “I Can Feel It” with its half-spoken vocal and driving bass riff. The pop-punk tunes, “Relatives” and “Minestrone,” helped to break up the set and broaden the band’s sound.
They slowed things down a bit with “Your Highness,” but then brought it back up again with what is arguably their best song, “Something Else.” “Sick and Tired” has a Nirvana-like quality. “I Guess” is jazzy with elements of grunge as it moved from being down-tempo to a melodic pop-rock explosion.
Oops ended their set with “Holy Shit,” which is reminiscent of the Poster Children with its infectious guitar riff that had the audience dancing.
Summary: There is something unique about Oops’ sound, and yet it has a familiar quality that makes it enjoyable to many. They have songs that appeal to both the mainstream as well as the college rock set, and they put on a pleasing performance.
The Players: Nolan Galivan, vocals, guitar; Taylor Callahan, drums; David Giron, bass.
Photo by Mary Lemanski
Venue: The Empty Bottle
City: Chicago, IL
Contact: [email protected]
Web: facebook.com/OopsTheMusic
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