INTERVIEW ~ WEED FROM THE ODDEVEN

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The group OddEven recently released their new album Darkness. It is the third release from the group having released the album Dance of the Dead in 2021 and Space Juice their debut EP in 2020. The EP contained two singles that cracked Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Top 30 chart. The title track to Dance of the Dead album reached #20 on the Billboard radio charts in November of 2021. The alternative metal band’s latest album will not disappoint their fans. The songs “crafted with infectious vocals and harmonies, bass lines, guitars that screams, cry and sing, and drumming that is heartfelt supreme” according to Eclipse Records press release. The new album features Chris Volz from Flaw on vocals and legendary female drummer Tosha Jones.

OddEven was started by Weed and E.T.; how did you two meet and when did you decide to form band?

Weed/The OddEven: As a kid, I used to race BMX, and my first band as a teenager consisted of all BMXers. As that band progressed, some members left, and we added new musicians. My guitarist that I raced BMX with knew of E.T. from his high school and convinced him to join our band on guitar and lead vocals. We started playing parties and clubs together before we had our driver’s licenses! We have probably been in about 8-10 bands together over the years. As for The OddEven, we were both playing together in another touring hard rock band from 2017 to 2019. We weren’t really getting along with the singer, and since we were writing all of the good songs, we decided to take our songs and start fresh.

The new album Darkness was released earlier this month. How long have you been working on the album?

We wrote about 30 songs in the summer / fall of 2022 and recorded demos at E.T.s studio. We picked our favorite 15 and sent them to Chris and Tosha. They got a feel for them and the direction we were going with the new record, and then we flew them to Baltimore to record in January 2023.

The album was produced by Weed, E.T., and Frank Marchand. How did you team up with Frank for the album?

Back in one of our first bands Shake the Faith (when we were in our late teens/early twenties), we crossed paths with Frank who was running sound at a venue we played at in Virginia. We loved how he made the headliner sound and started a conversation about working with us. We brought him on for shows as often as we could – especially in some of the larger rooms around Baltimore and DC like Hammerjacks and The Bayou… we remained friends and worked with him on a number of live shows and studio records over the years.

What was the writing process for the album? Did one person write the songs or was it a group effort?

E.T. and I write all of the songs. Typically, it starts with E.T. having a half-finished / main parts of a song and I will write a part or two for it, or I will have the main parts of a song, and he will write a part of two… and then we put it all together. The lyrics usually come after the main part of the song have been recorded… not always, but most of the time. Sometimes they start with a lyrical or more melodic idea. E.T. writes almost all of the lyrics once we have a direction or subject matter in place.

Chris Volz from Flaw joins the group for this album. How did that come about?

The OddEven toured cross county with Adema and Flaw for 6 weeks back in 2021 supporting our last record “Dance of the Dead”. We had a great time with both bands and started having conversations with Chris about doing some recording with us. We didn’t really know where it was going to go, but when we parted ways with our singer, we sent him some of our demos and he decided to come on board.

Tosha Jones joins the group on drums. Will she be touring with the band?

As I write this, that is not confirmed for the April dates we have coming up. She needs to make sure her calendar is clear… she is a badass on drums, and great to hang out with, so we are hoping we can make it happen!

Is there any song from the album that just stands out more for the band then the others?

They are all somewhat different, so I guess it is subjective and changing. What mood am I in today? The only song we have played live before is Whiskey, and that is a fun one, so probably Whiskey for me at this point. Talk to me tomorrow and I will probably have a different answer.

The group has opened for Slaughter and L.A. Guns. What was it like working with those two power house bands?

Both badass! I remember seeing them both back in the day. Always cool to play with some of the bands you came up with. The guys in Slaughter are incredible musicians and really great dudes… it might sound silly, but I would pay to just see their soundcheck! Some of the covers they did were killer! Good times for sure. While we aren’t necessarily the same genre, I would play with either band anytime.

You have a few tour dates announced in April on the band’s websites? Will there be a bigger tour later in 2024?

April will be about 14 shows east, south, Midwest, and northeast. We know we will be hitting the middle and west part of the country in the fall. Outside of that, it really depends on how well the record does and the scheduling of what is available/offered. We will work around the Flaw schedule and Tosha’s schedule with her multiple projects/bands she tours with. Flaw has a new record coming out in the Spring, and they have big tour in March + some summer shows on the books. We just have to find the right windows to play in and make sure we are taking shows that make best sense for The OddEven.

I’m Music Magazine Writer Tim Board