The DIY ethic has been alive and well within the independent band community for decades, but Oucho Sparks has taken the concept to an interesting new level. You could call it DIAY: Do It All Yourself.
The Chicago octet (vocalist Tim Sandusky, guitarists Dave Gallagher and Dave Bowers, bassist Bob Saliher, keyboardist Aaron Allietta, vocalist/trumpeter Laura Grey, drummer James Gallagher and percussionist Catfish) built their own studio where they self-recorded and self-released their true debut, Foreign Cars and Robots, on their own label, started their own venue to play shows which they ran until it was demolished in 2004, then created their own music festival to replace the venue.
“It’s evolved over time,” says Oucho Sparks frontman/producer Sandusky. “We fell into the venue accidentally. We had a rehearsal space and we started inviting people to watch us rehearse and get the practice of having fake shows. Enough people started coming that if we didn’t want to rehearse that week, people would be disappointed so we started having other bands fill in for us, and eventually it turned into a music venue.”
The band’s actual studio evolved out of the venue, dubbed Cafe Ballistico, when the recording of rehearsals morphed into recording the other bands that played the Cafe. The bands liked the perk of having a document of their shows, which led Sandusky to fine tune the concept of Studio Ballistico. He considers the studio to be his musical day job; he’s produced the last two Bound Stems releases and several other local Chicago acts.
Oucho Sparks’ singular approach to marketing their music is surpassed only by the singular sound they create. Combining the technical chops of their jazz roots and an affinity for classic rock, icy synth pop and lush cinematic soundscapes with a love of Radiohead-like pop experimentalism, dashes of Queen’s rock majesty and hints of Hawkwind’s prog explorations, Oucho Sparks presents a sonic stew that defies easy categorization and often only tangentially reflects the band’s influences.
“The band started with this recording in mind, so from that point of view, I was influenced by a lot of producers,” says Sandusky. “Like Dave Fridmann who produces Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev, and I’ve always liked Radiohead’s producer Nigel Goodrich. I listen to a lot of well-produced albums...but by bands that, when you see them live, have the best of both worlds. They can make cool and really interesting sounding recordings, but they also have a really interesting live show. During recording, the Arcade Fire came out, and that was inspirational...and I think there are still elements of the old school influences, like Frank Zappa, that make appearances by the nature of where a lot of us came from musically in high school.”
Oucho Sparks’ convoluted path stretches back to 1998 and includes stints as a more traditionally structured instrumental jazz/pop outfit. The band’s rotating line-up finally coalesced in 2000 with Sandusky’s addition and Grey’s arrival in 2003 beginning an evolution of their sound into the jazz/pop/rock hybrid found on Foreign Cars and Robots.
“It’s almost like the band broke up in 2003 and then reformed with the same musicians,” says Sandusky.
Oucho Sparks will be entering into a distribution agreement in the new year that will offer Foreign Cars and Robots wider exposure, but in the meantime they continue to self-promote the release, selling it exclusively at shows and through their web site (ouchosparks.com). Sandusky insists there is no band manifesto prohibiting a more conventional business arrangement; it’s just that this is the way that has always worked for them.
“We realized how powerful it is when you have control of all your scenarios and how useful it is to know everything about different parts of the industry,” says Sandusky. “I’m not against record labels; I just feel that it’s only to your advantage to know how to do publicity, to make a press kit, to talk to people. As much as you can do, that’s less you have to pay other people.”
~ Brian Baker
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http://www.ouchosparks.com
OUCHO SPARKS' FOREIGN CARS AND ROBOTS ablum will be released 02/13/07 on their own Ballistico Records.
