What people are saying!
Now THIS is What an Exohxo Record Should Sound Like! by Megan Seling.
Exohxo has exploded!
Sonically. Not literally.
There are nearly 30 people playing and singing on the band’s new EP The Pitfalls, the Possibilities, the Peril and the Promise. Songs flirt with the Hold Steady's hooks (see "Third or Fourth Time"), Weezer's riffs ("Smile and Walk Away"), and the Arcade Fire's melodies (opening track "Take Hold") while waves of violins, violas, French horns, trumpets, flutes, oboes, percussion, and voices—lots and lots of voices—all build to big, infectious choruses.
You can listen to the new songs for free here. They make this crappy weather almost bearable.
Exohxo play Neumos Thursday, June 3, with Hockey and Kids and Animals (bonus: it was just recently changed from 21+ to all ages). You can buy tickets here.
Members of Exohoxo are performing with the Seattle Rock Orchestra at Sasquatch! this weekend, doing an encore performance of the Arcade Fire tribute they nailed last fall. See it at the Bigfoot stage on Monday, May 31 at 2:20 pm.
The Bleeding Edge From the blog
Music On Tap
August 28, 2009-
While the amazing Speaker Speaker is on hold, a couple of the guys from the band (Danny Oleson and Jasen Samford) together with Hiromi Dougherty, Benjamin Hunter, Jason Jordan, Kyle Porter, and Johnny Ogle, have been putting in time on Exohxo, which is decidedly more mellow--but no less delightful. Even though the songs tend toward an orchestral/folk feeling, there are at least a few rocking moments (for example, the end of "Same As Always" and the chorus of "Night Watchman"). "Dirty Plates" (highly recommended) has just a touch of the Weakerthans; the violin and vocals combination on "Beacons" (also highly recommended) reminds me of the best of melancholy mid-60s pop; and "Pink Fades to Gray" and "Untitled Song About Cats" pull in a hint of country twang to emphasize the wistful feel. I know that I have a thing for sad songs, and Exohxo certainly does sad well.
Posted by Leizel
Live Music Round Up: Wednesday, April 29 By Sara Brickner
Exohxo is a Speaker Speaker side project that specializes in lovely little folk songs with lots of strings. It's a crowded bandwagon they've jumped on, but for all the people that make that kind of music in this city, there aren't many who are truly spectacular at it. These guys, however, show tons of promise and are definitely worth checking out. Their demos on MySpace already proves that they're capable of mature songwriting— not only when it comes to the music, either, but the lyrics as well. This band won't be playing $5 shows for much longer, so I recommend checking them out if you're free.
From thedonproject - (got sick and didn’t show up), (who cares), Exohxo, (who cares) - The High Dive
Really, the first band and these kids could not be any more different. It was pretty ridiculous. It’s like when you’re at the beach and some old dude with a drinking problem is on your left and some fine lady (or dude) about your age is to your right. You skooch to your right and send some furtive glances that way, of course. Actually, Exohxo is a lot like borscht. Delicious, but not too pretentious. It’s a healthy mix of a stack of Seattle indie sounds. Violins, a couple vocals, basic drums done well, solid bass action, and a big stack of joviality. Exohxo is, at the core, some Speaker Speaker plus some Nazca Lines, but sounds nothing like either one. Well, a little like Speaker Speaker. That pop-punk “who cares, let’s have fun” juxtaposed (yeah, I said it) with some of the Seattle-ier “man, things aren’t all that cool, you know.” Actually, they sound just like The Get Up Kids should have sounded like instead of getting completely terrible. Serious and not serious at the same time. Also, the onstage banter is pretty ridiculous. These kids are enjoying themselves up there. The whole band seems into the songs. I’m sure they’ll be on KEXP pretty soon. They’d fit right in with the less self-indulgent indie dancey songs out there these days. I think you kids will like them.
From the Stranger - Line Out - January 30th 2009 - Exohxo Makes Their Debut
Posted by Megan Seling on Fri, Jan 30 at 5:02 PM
Last night the new Speaker Speaker side-project, Exohxo, played their first show ever. It was the most polite show I’ve ever seen at the Comet. The crowd was mostly silent while the band played—even the folks in the back. And everyone kept their distance, opting instead to stand back by the bar or sit in a half circle around them in the chairs and benches.
It was cute—it was like a school assembly for the local music scene. At the end of every song, everyone clapped and cheered supportively. They were clearly among friends.
Their debut performance wasn’t flawless, but it was as promising and charming as any first show should be for a band that has existed only about two months and has had only a couple weeks to practice with some of the members. (And with seven members total—two guitars, drums, bass, piano, and two violinists—there was surely a lot of material to tackle.)
They opened the show with “Crushed Ice,” an instrumental and one of my favorite songs the band has recorded so far (listen to it on their MySpace). It begins with a repetitive, guitar, some bass, but eventually explodes into a vibrant chorus of strings, tambourine, piano, and drums. And it was every bit as electrifying live as I hoped it would be.
The less orchestral songs—the ones with more pop elements and lots of harmonizing between singers Jasen Samford and Danny Oleson—didn't come off quite as strongly, but that isn't to say they weren't good. It's difficult to get a proper mix for such a band at the Comet (I'd imagine), so some of the harmonies were lost, overpowered by the piano and strings. (Then again, the only reason I may have noticed at all is because I had listened to the songs before going to the show so I knew what was intended.)
In all, I left wanting more—I left imagining them playing a venue like the Paramount or the Triple Door—a venue that would give the symphonic moments room to soar, but with enough intimacy to see the grins on their faces as they glance at one another during their set. After finally seeing it come together live, I'm even more excited about their future.
Exohxo play their next show at Chop Suey on February 17th. Welcome to the music scene, boys (and girl). It's nice to see you.
From the Stranger - January 27th 2009 - Up & Coming
Half Acre Day; Yes Oh Yes; Oh Captain, My Captain; Exohxo
(Comet) I dub tonight's show the shOH!case. Get it? Instead of showcase? Because most of the bands have "oh" in their name, you see—Yes OH Yes; OH Captain, My Captain; ExOHxo... see it now? Hahaha! Tonight's shOH!case is also a debut for brand-new local outfit Exohxo (pronounced ex-oh-ex-oh), which is a new side project put together by Danny Oleson and Jasen Samford of Speaker Speaker. Their songs are warm pop symphonies with strings, piano, and bright harmonies. Sometimes they're tender ("An Honest Living"), sometimes they're bright and invigorating ("Crushed Ice"), and I can't wait to hear how all the pieces translate live. MEGAN SELING
From the Stranger - December 16th - Fucking in the Streets
'Tis the season, but if you're, like me, feeling more seasonally affected than jolly and festive this time of year, you could probably do without hearing any more Christmas songs. Instead, let me suggest some albums and songs that are perfect for the wintry weather without being about Santa or Jesus or traditional spinning tops (this list will,for reasons of space and time, be woefully noncomprehensive but hopefully a good start)...
Newer and local: the acoustic instrumental "Crushed Ice" by Exohxo, the new project from Speaker Speaker's Jasen Samford and Danny Oleson.
