Years ago, I was in Seattle for the first time. I was sitting at a bar, Victory Lounge, where a friend worked and was introduced to the stranger sitting next to me. That stranger’s name was Greg and he had just moved to Seattle from Florida with a plan to play music under the name Bobby’s Oar.
Flash forward to earlier this year. Seattle has since become part of my traveling repertoire and I have made myself familiar as possible with the bands in at least one sect of the punk scene there. I’ve come a long way since my first visit… and so has Bobby’s Oar.
I tagged along with the band (yes, they’re a full band now) as they got promo photos snapped by the great Lucas Bennett. Aftwewards, I was able to sit down with them for a quick chat about their new full lineup, their plans for the future, some words of wisdom, and more.
Bobby’s Oar will be playing Treefort Music Fest this weekend in Boise, ID! If you’re not going to be in the area, make sure you stay tuned because the band has a more shows and events up their sleeves for the coming year.
Interview
You recently re-upped the band’s lineup. Can you speak to the reasoning for this and how the new additions change the sound of the band as a whole?
Greg (guitar/vocals): These are all people that I love to play music with. I’m having a blast and it feels cool to have more of a full band sound and to have people that I respect musically have more of an input.
I just wanted to play more full band shows and have a group of people who want to be on the same page. But yeah, moving forward I think it’s going to be a lot more ‘rockier’ vibes and more collaboration… or I’d like it to be like that (Laughs) I definitely want to play full band and have friends be involved with it, people who are in the same headspace.
So this is a stoic lineup. You’re not doing a rotating thing or adding in new people, changing out others?
Greg: Probably not. We’re kind of working through all of that right now. It’s exciting. We’re figuring out kind of like who are a little bit, ya know?
Do you have any upcoming plans for shows, touring, releases, etc?
Greg: Yeah, we have a new album. We’ve been talking about a five song EP thing with the full band.
Kyle (guitar): We’re touring to Tree Fort and back.
Greg: Yeah, we’re touring to Tree Fort at the end of March. We’re doing like three shows around it. Probably Portland and Wenatchee, and come back. We’re just trying to walk before we run we this this stuff.
If your band was a type of food, what food would you be?
Kyle: I am pho. I don’t know why. I just live off it.
Tyler (keyboard/trombone): I’m a pineapple because… I just got a shaker that’s a pineapple from my cousin. So, yeah. I’m a pineapple.
Greg: I’m gonna say Taco Bell.
(Laughs)
K: Anything specific or just the whole brand that is Taco Bell?
Greg: Eh, let’s just say the brand, whole menu. It’s easy. It’s there.
Johnny (drums): I’m ketchup because I eat ketchup on everything and I play the same drum beat on everything too.
Adam (bass): I’m gonna go with Skittles because… they’re vegan friendly but still terrible for you. And I think that’s a spot-on description of myself.
If you could give advice to someone with depression, anxiety, or the like, who finds comfort in your songs what would that piece of advice be?
Greg: Just try to do your thing and be okay with who you are, ya know? And if your stuff is a little different or you’re into something different than someone else, you’re still your own person. You should be stoked on that. And just try to find positivity. Just try to be stoked on who you are and try to find your own individual identity and being okay with that.
Kyle: And you can do this too. If you get a connection to the creativity or the stuff that we’re putting out, you can definitely do this too and feel good and help other people. But most importantly, you’re not alone.
Tyler: Yeah, I would just emphasize to create and make your way through it. And even if you’re not very good at something, keep doing it. I’m really not that good at trombone but I play it anyway!
(Laughs)
Kyle: It doesn’t have to be music. Just a creative output is so cathartic and I think important.
Greg: And the importance in doing it too. Sometimes it doesn’t feel like there’s worth in art, ya know what I mean? Just like why are you making something? But it always makes you feel better.
Kyle: Definitely.
Let’s end this one on a high note. Fuck, Marry, Kill.
Tyler: WITHIN THE BAND?!
(Laughs)
No, no, no! Here are your choices:
Fat Axl Rose
MAGA Johnny Rotten
or
Racist Roseanne Barr
(A LONG PAUSE AND LOTS OF GROANING)
Tyler: Can I kill myself?
(Laughs)
Greg: Okay… uh… maybe kill Johnny Rotten. We’ll kill Johnny Rotten
Adam: Or kill all of them.
Tyler: That means we marry or fuck Roseanne Barr or Fat Axl Rose.
Greg: For the sake of it… oof, well –
Tyler: I’d fuck Axl Rose.
Greg: You would? I would say the opposite because I don’t want to spend every day with Roseanne.
(Laughs)
Adam: Who would want to spend every day with Axl Rose though?
Tyler: I think I could probably tolerate Roseanne muttering around the living room more than Axl Rose. She’ll do her thing. Ya know, it’s not a relationship based on love but it is a relationship. But with Axl-
Greg: WHERE’D YOU HIDE MY AMBIEN? GODDAMMIT!
Tyler: You’d come home from a long day of work, you’re tired, and he’s got bandanas everywhere and he’s like WELCOME TO THE JUN- And you’re like, “Axl I can’t. I just can’t with you right now.” I’ll fuck Axl Rose. We don’t need to talk about it. I’ll marry Roseanne Barr. And ya know we’ll see how divorce plays into the Marry Kill Fuck game because it’s inevitable.
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