Since its creation in 1999, Olospo has quickly
become recognized as one of the most talented independent
bands to come out of the Lone Star state.
The Dallas-based group originated when keyboardist Barrett
Morris, bassist Nick Ramirez and drummer Tom Bridwell met
guitarist Chris Holt, who was playing in another band.
The charismatic quartet will perform at Murphy’s Restaurant
and Pub on Wednesday at 10 p.m. The upcoming show will be
the band’s first appearance in Boone.
“This is the farthest east we’ve ever played,
but our booking agent told us that Appalachian State was
definitely a place where we should go,” Bridwell said.
Both Bridwell and Holt combine their classic rock influences
with Morris’s improvisational style and Ramirez’s
1970s pop music background. However, the members of the band
find it difficult to categorize themselves within a particular
musical genre.
“We’ve been trying for four years to describe
our music, but it’s been hard. We figured the best
way to describe it is rock-and-roll for people with a short
attention span,” Bridwell said. “About the minute
you get into it, the music changes.”
Olospo deviates from typical rock groups in its dedication
to quality songwriting and attention to detail. Holt and
Morris are the band’s principal songwriters who focus
heavily on the structure and technical aspects of each song.
“A lot of people want to call us a jam band, but we
don’t just play a bunch of crazy guitar solos,”
Holt said. “Our songs ultimately set us apart because
most bands neglect the songwriting aspect of music.”
Bridwell further described Olospo’s unique sound.
“Most jam bands can’t hold the attention of their
audience for very long because they’re really long-winded
and they’ll go on and on. We take a little bit of that
jam influence from our college years and interject it into
our music, but we’re basically a pop rock band with
a jam twist. We actually have song structure in our music,”
Bridwell said.
Olospo’s most recent album, “Live at Club Dada,”
was released on Oct. 31. The live recording is from a performance
last summer where the band played 50 songs in two days. The
CD showcases the group’s best songs from the show.
“[The recording] has great sound quality and energy
compared to other live albums,” Bridwell said. “We
feel like this one’s a winner.”
The band will promote the “Live at Club Dada”
album in addition to four new songs written since the release
of the new CD. The group has performed the new material less
than a dozen times, making its audience in Boone some of
its first listeners.
“Our music and live performances are more about personal
growth than anything else. We’re not trying to prove
ourselves to be on par with world-class musicians,”
Holt said. “It’s about all of us clicking together
on stage and having songs we feel good about.”
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