History

Speaking of History, the band that is, they're one of those well-regarded local acts that, for no defensible reason whatsoever, I hadn't gotten around to seeing. Their back-to-back gigs at Will's Pub and The Social this week presented an opportunity I'd be spectacularly remiss to forego. Both were excellent sets that rang with a large and unique sound that's not easily categorized. It's clearly coalesced from disparate influences but it's neither confused nor clouded. Their music nimbly navigated between pretty and hard in a way that actually worked, avoiding the pitfalls of either pole. Grating charges of guitar were leavened by the keyboards and given dimension by ace drumming. Count them among the bands that give this city respectability.
-Bao Le-Huu - Orlando City Beat (orlando sentinel)

History is one of Orlando’s best, yet underappreciated bands. Their sound draws from diverse influences, leaving the listener with loud, dynamically rich songs.

I had a chance to sit down with the quintet after their set at the New World last month.

REAX: What’s going on in the Orlando music scene?

MATT: There’s really only one club that any band can play in Orlando, and that’s Will’s Pub. And it’s going to be closed really soon.

MELISSA: There are so many good bands in Orlando, but as far as promotion and support from the venues, it doesn’t really happen.

MATT: I think what has caused a lot the problem is that local bands don’t play on national shows anymore. I mean financially speaking, clubs don’t really need local bands to make money. But here, when some one like Jack from AES gets a national show, he almost always puts a local band on the bill.

SCOTT: Also, a few years ago there was more of a community for local bands in Orlando. It’s slowly fallen apart in the past year or so.

REAX: How do feel about playing in Tampa?

MELISSA: We love it. We receive more respect and attention in Tampa then our own hometown. It’s seems like good things are happening for local musicians.

PATRICK: It used to be that Tampa didn’t have a good music scene, but now we come over here and it’s better than Orlando for us.

MATT: Here people are really nice. After a show they come up to the merch-table and talk to us. Everyone’s very genuine.

If you haven’t seen History, make plans to catch them opening for (what is shaping up to be one of the biggest shows of the year) the Auto! Automatic!! CD release party at the Orpheum. Don’t’ forget to stop by their merch-table and say hello.

by: Steve Hobbs (steveh@reaxmusic.com)

posted Aug 29th 2006, 14:14 to Interviews - reax music + culture magazine

History
Posted by Rob Ortenzi on 07-Aug-08 @ 12:03 PM

HQ: Winter Park and Orlando, FL
NOW PLAYING: Ghosts In The City (24 HOUR SERVICE STATION; 24hourservicestation.com)
THE STORY SO FAR: Tempting puns be damned, History began in 2004 when Orlando punk outfit Sound The Alarm (not to be confused with Geffen Records' shaggy quintet) took in drummer Patrick O'Neal (ex-My Hotel Year). Still using their old moniker, vocalist/guitarist Matt Caron, moogist Scott Ososky and bassist Kenzie Pause played a handful of shows with O'Neal before adding keyboardist/vocalist Melissa Parker (ex-New Roman Times), changing their name and re-charting their musical course away from the trendy pop-punk scene toward post-punk. "If I gave you [our old] CD, you'd have a good laugh at the difference," says Caron.
WHY YOU SHOULD KNOW 'EM: They may be the fourth search result on MySpace when you type in "History," but if it's keyboard-splashed indie rock with a D.C. undercurrent you're scouring for, History provide a textbook definition. Caron believes that their success (they've played with These Arms Are Snakes, Helmet and Smoking Popes) and intricate sound is the direct result of not over thinking anything that isn't music. "It's easy for us not to worry as much about some of the business stuff sometimes and just get out there and enjoy what we're doing," he says. "This is honestly the first band I've been in where every night isn't a chore. It's just another fun night with my friends playing exactly the music I want to play." --Brian Shultz
YOU LIKE? YOU'LL LIKE: NAKATOMI PLAZA / JAWBOX / FUGAZI - Alternative Press 8/7/08

HISTORY These guys are one of our favorite local bands, and we really wish they would play out more often. (It's fine to avoid wearing out your welcome in local bars, but you gotta help us remember you're around.) When they do wind up on a bill, History is often the highlight of the show, with an engrossing blend of sonic overload and punk-powered energy that leaves the indie-rock kids struck dumb and the punk kids wondering why all their CDs at home sound like crap. They remind us of a cross between later Cave In and, like, Stereolab. OK, we didn't say History's sound made sense, we just said we liked 'em. (with Watch Me Disappear, The Other Side of the Sky, What's Yr Damage?; 9 p.m. at Will's Pub; 407-898-5070; $5) - Orlando Weekly

Named best rock band in central florida in the reader poll for the "State of the Scene" article in Reax - Reax Music

Similarly enamored of atmospherics, History rocks to a much more visceral beat with a sound that's heavy and catchy, but thick with dynamics and a touch of punk rock. It's been said before in these pages, but it bears repeating: History is one of this city's best bands. -Jason Ferguson -Orlando Weekly 10/20/2005 - Orlando Weekly

History is a band that, ironically enough, is attempting to escape its past. Although the quintet has only been playing together in their current formation for a little over a year, the vast majority of that time has been spent shedding the specter of the members' former bands and avoiding the comfort zone of adolescent influences.

History came together as the result of the dissolution of two noteworthy local punk bands: Drummer Patrick O'Neal was in the last version of My Hotel Year, while guitarist/vocalist Matt Caron, bassist Kenzie Pause and keyboardist Scott Ososky were in Sound the Alarm. Though these four began playing together initially as a new incarnation of Sound the Alarm ("Just to keep playing," says O'Neal), it was clear from the few shows they played that the thrill of dishing up three-minute pop-punk anthems had diminished considerably.

"The four of us were all doing pop-punk type stuff and none of us were super-happy doing it, so we were kinda ready to do something new," says Caron. "There comes a point when you look around and you realize that all the bands you're playing with are five years younger than you and they all sound exactly the same."

"We played three or four shows as Sound the Alarm," says O'Neal, "until we realized it sucked and we didn't want to do it anymore."

Yet, rather than give up on the idea of playing music together, the four added former New Roman Times keyboardist Melissa Parker. With their two keyboards arrayed against the audience, a new and not at all "pop-punk" sound was achieved.

Mining each of the members' disparate influences – everything from good classic rock (Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath) and bad classic rock ("Journey," mumbles Parker to the bemused laughter of the rest of the band) to angular, Dischord-style punk and textured indie rock – and refusing to let any one member's inclinations guide the songwriting process, History hit upon an infectious and powerful post-punk sound that manages to be unique, but also broadly accessible.

"I think that a lot of other bands get together because they all have a common genre or band that they're trying to sound like," says Pause. "But we're all so diverse in terms of our influences that when we try to write something, what comes out is something different than any one of those influences."

"We get people that come up to me and say 'You guys really like Jawbox, don't you?'" says Caron. "And I am literally the only person in the band that likes Jawbox. I think people just hear the things in us that they relate to, because there are so many different elements to our music."

This diversity is a result of the band's collaborative approach to songwriting. Instead of depending on one primary songwriter, nearly all of the band's tracks emerge from tiny bits of individual inspiration that get fleshed out by each member's unique additions.

"I think half the songs we wrote came about while one of us was messing around while the rest of us were setting up," says O'Neal.

"We'll build up a song based on a part," continues Parker, "and end up never actually playing the part we started with."

History
with Nakatomi Plaza, Dogme 95, Bad Bear
8 pm Thursday, March 30
Will's Pub
- Orlando Weekly

It’s difficult to discuss Orlando rockers History without getting a little pissed off. Not at them, but at the puzzling capriciousness of local music fans who seem almost determined not to pay any attention to them (and several other of our favorite local, punk-oriented bands). With History’s debut full-length CD, Ghosts in the City, it appears that they’re a little pissed off as well. From the fuzz-laden, aggravated-Jawbox opening of “Bloody Death of Murder” and the frenetic rumble of “Oh Shit! It’s a Heart Attack” to the fist-pumping wink to metal in “Horn of the Unicorn,” the band’s sound has grown even more aggressive. It’s also more focused: The pop tendencies they’ve displayed in the past have sunken into propulsive, experimental structures that are accessible without being patronizing. This show is a CD release party for Ghosts in the City and is worth attention.
- Orlando Weekly

Historians: Scott Ososky, Moog keyboard; Kenzie Pause, bass guitar; Melissa Parker, keyboard and vocals; Patrick O'Neal, drums; and Matt Caron, guitar and vocals.

Once upon a time: Two longtime Orlando-area friends, Ososky and Caron, had been playing in various bands together and developed a close, musically intuitive relationship. They started a band with a simple name that would outlive all the nonsensical phrases and woodland creatures out there today. In it, they incorporated influences of past propulsive post-punk bands, came up with new atmospheric and creative embellishments, recruited additional musician pals and decided to make History.

The new CD: Ghosts in the City (24 Hour Service Station, 2007). The name's inspired by the frustration with feeling nonexistent in your hometown and the apathy of Orlando partiers toward the city's nationally recognized bands, Caron said.

Personal footnotes: "Kenzie and I actually dated when we were in Sound the Alarm together ('01 to '04)," Caron said in an e-mail. "We have stayed friends (obviously) and are very comfortable around each other. Melissa and I are together now and have been for about three years, a little longer then History has existed. So the dynamic is an odd one, but the lines between band and personal can be blurred pretty often for us."

Historic rhythms: "Patrick has a strong jazz background and has been playing for years, yet he also listens to quite a bit of '70s era rock and metal," Caron said. "Kenzie used to list Nate Mendel from Sunny Day (now Foo Fighters) as a big influence but more recently has been into McCartney a la the Beatles era and even some reggae. They tend to bounce off of each other until a rhythm is solid and bankable. It's great to watch them work and circle around different ideas until something is nailed down."

Memorable moments: "We played to a large crowd with The Thermals in D.C., at the Black Cat, which was a milestone for a lot of us," Caron said. "The reaction from the crowd was unbelievable and the bands were just great to hang out with. Beyond that, we played with Helmet in Orlando. ... To have Page Hamilton watch us and tell us he enjoyed it later was unreal."

Memorable words: Caron, who writes the lyrics, described several tunes on the new CD: "Oh Sh--, It's a Heart Attack is about pushing myself and the band to go further. It's about giving up on personal inhibitions. Horn of the Unicorn is the only 'story' song on the record. ... (It's) from the perspective of someone trying to mathematically figure out the meaning of life, but every time a solution presents itself, it ends up being 666."

Hear 'em: 9 p.m. Saturday at their CD release party with Kingsbury, Auto!Automatic!! and Red Room Cinema. New World Brewery, Ybor City. $10 (includes CD). (813) 248-4969. - St. Pete Times

Historians:

Scott Ososky on Moog keyboard, Kenzie Pause on bass guitar, Melissa Parker plays keyboard and vocals, Patrick O'Neal on drums and Matt Caron plays guitar and vocals.

Once upon a time: Two longtime Orlando-area friends, Ososky and Caron, had been playing in various bands together and developed a close, musically intuitive relationship. They started a band with a simple name that would outlive all the nonsensical phrases and woodland creatures out there today. In it, they incorporated influences of past propulsive post-punk bands, came up with new atmospheric and creative embellishments, recruited additional musician pals and decided to make History. Matt Caron answers questions by e-mail:

How much of your dealings with one another are band-centered and personal?
Scott and I have been playing in bands together going on 11 years now. I have known him for about 15. We are very close and musically I don't even have to think to know how or what he might play, it's become intuitive. Kenzie and I actually dated when we were in Sound the Alarm together, we dated from about '01-'04. We have stayed friends (obviously) and are very comfortable around each other. Patrick and I were friends when he joined, and he knew everyone from previous bands (MHY and STA), but now we are closer. Melissa and I are together now and have been for about 3 years, a little longer then History has existed. So the dynamic is an odd one, but the lines between band and personal can be blurred pretty often for us.

Kenzie and Patrick offer the band a strong rhythmic backbone. What are some influences and factors that go into molding their their standout rhythm?
Patrick and Kenzie come from two different backgrounds that mesh pretty nicely. Patrick has a strong Jazz background and has been playing for years, yet he also listens to quite a bit 70's era rock and metal. Everything from Zappa, Zeppelin and Rush to KISS and Maiden. Kenzie used to list Nate Mendel from Sunny Day (now Foo Fighters) as a big influence but more recently has been into McCartney a-la the Beatles era and even some Reggae. They tend to bounce off of each other until a rhythm is solid and bankable. It's great to watch them work and circle around different ideas until something is nailed down.


Your sound has a powerful, cathartic feeling to me that sounds like it requires a lot of stamina. Do you ever feel spent and have to work hard at mustering the energy to perform your live shows? How do you psych yourself to do it? Do you train (joke)?
This will sound cheesy, but my happiest moments are on stage. That 30 minutes is the biggest release of energy/emotion that I have. It used to just be an adrenalin rush that I was on the ride for, but now after so many years, it has become more of a comfort zone, where I feel like I can just let go and put everything I have into the music that we have created, I love joking on stage and I love it even more when the jokes bomb. I actually don't train or warm up like I should, so most of the time when I'm on stage you're getting about as raw a version as I can give.

With the volume you're known for, have you run into problems with sound equipment provided by venues and had it come out noisy and not right? How do you make sure it's a good loud and not a bad loud?

Well, we've played everywhere from huge venues with ridiculous sound systems like Hard Rock to a 40-capacity club where we were no more then 15 feet from the wall on the other side of the club. Generally, while we are loud, its pretty relational to each other, a lot of times if the club follows our stage sound it gets nailed pretty well. There have been times where we have gotten feedback that it was "bad" loud, but it's been after the fact. In ..:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Florida, especially now, we have gotten some good relationships with sound guys and tend to work very easily with them. The idea we always go for is that you may not hear us and pick every part out, but if you muted something, you should notice that it's gone. If the sound engineer gets that then it works. It's not always about being loud, but I can't say I don't like the volume :) ( i can't believe I just put a smiley there)

How do you guys go about songwriting?
I write the lyrics (although at times it takes me forever), and remembering them is a whole other issue, although now it's down, we have been known to play songs without lyrics actually intact yet. … All the songs come from somewhere personal, but each one is about something different. "Oh Shit, It's a Heart Attack" is about pushing myself and the band to go further. It's about giving up on personal inhibitions that keep me from going that extra step to try something new. "Horn of the Unicorn" is the only "story" song on the record. It's written from the perspective of someone trying to mathematically figure out the meaning of life, but every-time a solution presents itself, it ends up being 666. He can't take it and would rather throw it all away then deal with the meaning of life being nothing more then the "number of the beast" as Maiden says. "Col. Mustard in the Meth Lab w/ the Sledge Hammer" is the only anti-war/political song on the record. I wrote the lyrics about 2 years ago and ended up fitting them to the music. I never really wanted to be a preachy band, but many of us in the band are relatively politically active and aware.

What inspired the title "Ghosts in the City"? the CD artwork?

The artwork actually came much later. The title comes from the feeling of being ignored in your home town. The idea that we are Ghosts in our own city. We don't like to bad mouth Orlando, we used to do it pretty freely, but we started to feel like the people who do come out and support us month after month might feel burnt and we'd hate for that to happen. Some of our biggest fans are in Orlando, and they have made it a lot easier for us to keep at it after 3 years, but it doesn't change our opinion of the music scene as a whole. It's just a different atmosphere in other areas, but everything is cyclical, there's a lot of great national acts that come through Orlando and do really well, and hopefully that will keep up and feed into more interest locally. There is definitely not a lack of talent, from bands like Kingsbury and Country Slashers ( who are playing our show ), to Band Marino and Summerbirds in the Cellar, the list could go on and on, and if I leave bands off I'm sure I'll piss someone off somewhere, so suffice to say, the talent pool is here, and the national scene and stores like Park Ave CD's prove that the fanbase is here, its just creating that sense of interest to get people out to the $6 show down the street from the $25 dollar one is what needs to happen. More clubs would be great too, but all in time I suppose. Tampa, on the other hand, appears to be thriving. We've always considered it our second home and come as often as we can.


How was your first tour together? Any strange experiences with where you stayed or ate, etc.? The heater broke on the first day and proceeded to blow lava hot air for the next 5 days. Then miraculously fixed itself, but by that time we were almost back to Florida and we were afraid if we turned it on it would be stuck and stay hot again, so we drove in the cold from DC to Orlando. Other then that, it ended up being fun and overall pretty amazing. We got to hang out with our friends from NY in Nakatomi Plaza and play two shows with them. We played to a large crowd with The Thermals (subpop) in DC at the Black Cat which was a milestone for a lot of us. The reaction from the crowd was unbelievable and the bands were just great to hang out with. Beyond that we played with Helmet in Orlando, which was seriously almost surreal. To have Page Hamilton watch us and tell us he enjoyed it later was unreal. I'm sure we'll talk about that for a long time.

It seems that with all the complementary parts going on in your songs, you guys have to communicate with each other quite a bit not to step all over on another? Is this true? If it is, how do you manage it?
When we write songs they tend to come together in pieces. Someone comes up with something they like and all of us play and listen to what each other comes up with. It's a long, slow process, but in the end I feel like it works for us. Scott and Melissa have a harder time then the rest of us, I think. They often have to be conscious of who is playing a lead and who is filling in the empty spots. Not including the first few songs we wrote, I became much more aware of this also, and tend to try to make sure the keys play as heavy a role as a second guitar would. I think at the end of the day we are all more concerned about the good of the song more then the good of our singular part.

Any unique tasks/chores? Media contact? Gig booker? Back-rubber? Everyone plays their part, I wish we had a back rubber though. Ha ha, those damn Les Pauls are heavy. To be dead honest I think Google Calendars saved our lives, we rely on that for booking, to-do's and just about everything else. It's funny we were booking this tour for history and I'm sending out EPK's and myspace messaging promoters and getting feedback on my phone when I'm at work, and it made me think back to even just 5 years ago, when doing the same thing would have meant mailing out 3 weeks before you even want to request a date, and finding promoters info was next to impossible if you didn't have friends that had it already, it's pretty amazing what technology has done. - Julie Garisto for the Tampa Bay Times