Today we got a UNRELEASED gem from 2008 by a wee band called Oh No You Didn't!(!!!). Easily the most influential and go-to dudes of the time frame of 2006-2009 in Belleville, they were the initial spark of awesomeness that not only started booking diverse and all ages shows that drew a wide crowd, but their eclectic mix of punk, funk, surf, hardcore, noise, jazz, and free-from freakout made them praised by all sides. (guess it helps they were super cool dudes also)
This was actually a band going back to 2004/2005 with a different lineup and around when I first started going to shows. Even then it was "DAMN YOU'VE GOT TO SEE OH NO YOU DIDN'T I THINK THEY'RE PLAYING THIS", but they ceased playing when one of their members moved to Columbia, MO. It wasn't till 2006ish when John Birkner(now famous for Shaved Women, French Fry Guys, Trauma Harness with a buttload of defunct bands) took over bass and they started back up again. Their live shows generally consisted of the entire crowd dancing/acting as a whole, so even the meeker who were worried about being judged for dancing could have fun, in fact ONYD's entire mantra was to unify all show-goers into the same positive mindset and perception, mixing ethos similar to Bad Brains(minus the sexisim), Minutemen, and Fugazi. Jeff Hursey, the main brainz behind the band booked at a local art space regularly and his shows definitely were gasoline to the fire of the local scene in Belleville, with tremendous amounts of people and bands making it out. So anytime they played it was always guaranteed to be a good time, and it just so happened they played quite a bit, if that says anything. Even when they were tacked on lamer shows with lame bands and lamer people it was still a great time.
These recordings were actually made in late 2007/2008 and originally meant to be released on Caffeine Tambourine, but the release never came to fruition. In the last track of audio you can hear various chatter from all sorts of people in bands from that time frame who were over to do group vocals on some of the songs.
Unfortunately they dissolved sometime in late 2008, mainly due to tension and problems with one particular member, but these things cannot be helped. Their last show ended in shambles with a sloppy cover of "Bikeage" by the Descendents, the band themselves all in a bad mood and four people from the crowd fighting over the mic trying to sing along. I thought that was going to be the last time I saw them but luckily they did a awesome reunion set at ITR's last show that made up for the embittered last show, and definitely the highlight of the entire event.
Anywhoo, of all the tracks, one is actually missing, and if I end up getting it I'll be sure to add it to the fray. There's a good chance this might have a physical release of some sort, as it never received one initially, included hopefully a showcase of some of their live footage which adds another dimension to the band. For the time being, check it out on bandcamp here.(photo cred to jason tasso & dustin brown) Also, below is a composite video of some of their live assault all pressed into a musik viddy.
Reeses Video
Oh No You Didnt | Myspace Video
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