Charles The Osprey
Play Radio
Listen to Charles The Osprey Radio,
featuring artists like Paucity, De Gonzague, Shy, Low, Long Forgotten Scenes and more…
-
Search on Spotify
Yes, it scrobbles! Learn more
4,291 plays (264 listeners)
Charles the Osprey’s moment of infamy was brief and bittersweet. After a show early into the band’s tenure as kings of instrumental math-rock in their hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan, they found a note on a bar table written by a woman who “really enjoyed your obvious LACK of musical talent” (her emphasis). “It also really helps to play your bad music really, really loud. Give me a call sometime.” The document was featured on the popular Web site passiveaggressivenotes.com and later in a book published by the site’s creators.
The woman was right about one thing – they are loud, often intimidatingly so to uninitiated ears. To describe Charles the Osprey as an anomaly within its music scene does insufficient justice to the band’s brilliant weirdness. The drum-and-guitar duo’s methodical execution of brain-melting instrumental spazz-rock is likely without peer anywhere. In 2007, Derek Lancioni – a prolific drummer who has performed in bands such as Just For Kicks, Go Josephine and Winnie Cooper – teamed with studio-rat guitarist Rafael Ohli to form Charles the Osprey. The duo, Charles to friends, began as a theoretical exercise: If two immensely gifted musicians attempt to perpetually challenge each other on a technical level, can substantial art be created in the process? Lancioni and Ohli’s songs employ nonfancy guitar and drum sounds, but cover impressive dynamic territory as they weave through thickets of changes in time and tempo, some fluid, some jarring, all compelling. The hypothetical question underlying their existence has been answered with a resounding yes.
The woman was right about one thing – they are loud, often intimidatingly so to uninitiated ears. To describe Charles the Osprey as an anomaly within its music scene does insufficient justice to the band’s brilliant weirdness. The drum-and-guitar duo’s methodical execution of brain-melting instrumental spazz-rock is likely without peer anywhere. In 2007, Derek Lancioni – a prolific drummer who has performed in bands such as Just For Kicks, Go Josephine and Winnie Cooper – teamed with studio-rat guitarist Rafael Ohli to form Charles the Osprey. The duo, Charles to friends, began as a theoretical exercise: If two immensely gifted musicians attempt to perpetually challenge each other on a technical level, can substantial art be created in the process? Lancioni and Ohli’s songs employ nonfancy guitar and drum sounds, but cover impressive dynamic territory as they weave through thickets of changes in time and tempo, some fluid, some jarring, all compelling. The hypothetical question underlying their existence has been answered with a resounding yes.
Shouts:
7 shouts
Shoutbox
-
xThisisdisaster wrote:
This band has changed my life.
-
lakorony wrote:
Welcome to group «The Band of Two Man»
-
zuh_desperado wrote:
splendid math band!
-
makemegoldagain wrote:
Love the Wiki entry almost as much as the band.
-
PissedJeans wrote:
Love this
-
oksokol wrote:
the debut album is pretty great.
-
treekillerelite wrote:
Luv it, its like the only jazz punk band ive ever heard.
Top Listeners
-
mutexplosion
Top Listener
-
DickWeasel
Top Listener
-
AndyHarmon
Top Listener
-
joshtexasmagic
Top Listener
Recent Activity
-
jcramblet, mr_vivi83, Slayer141 and 1 other person added Charles The Osprey to their libraries. Friday afternoon
-
Ferrum tagged Charles The Osprey with ‘duo’. November 2011
-
Mlnty wrote about Charles The Osprey in An up-to-date list of the bands I have seen live.. November 2011
-
michaelingold and xThisisdisaster added Charles The Osprey to their libraries. October 2011
-
CFernandes75 added Charles The Osprey to the lineup of A Progressive Halloween Celebration at 529. October 2011
-
flyingairplanes and yur4e added Charles The Osprey to their libraries. September 2011
-
Nero182 added Charles The Osprey to the lineup of THE FEST 10 at The Venue. July 2011
-
davepjones and drpicklecopter added Charles The Osprey to their libraries. July 2011
-
jrevelator1 added Charles The Osprey to the lineup of Noise Convention at Mixtape Cafe. March 2011
-
fthedrake, xcrunner78 and ZoeBai added Charles The Osprey to their libraries. March 2011
Related Journals
-
Seen Live
by xbreachthelevee |
13 Apr 2010
-
An up-to-date list of the bands I have seen live.
by Mlnty |
14 Jan 2007
| 2 comments
