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OPM INTERVIEW - CALIFORNIA STATE OF MIND

By Pilipo


Last time The Pier checked in with OPM the band was about go into the recording studio and begin work on its newest album, Golden State of Mind. Here we are eight months later and the album has dropped to critical and fan acclaim and the band is about to embark on a national US tour with The Expendables and Rebelution. Lead vocalist John E Necro is here to tell us about all that has happened in between.

The Pier: In our last interview you said you were hoping to go for a Clash meets The Transplants sound on this new album. I think you certainly achieved that.

John E: Yeah I think we definitely captured what we were going for. I was just saying the other day, every time we do a song we approach as it as if we were going to do a Clash song, but more often than not it comes out sounding like a Beach Boys song. I think it has something to do with us being from Southern California.

The Pier: For those that have heard the album already and given you feedback, how has the reaction been so far?

John E: Every review we have received so far has been super-positive. I am just stoked with how everything came out.

The Pier: On this album you also brought back a more punk rock sound, like on the track Runaway. Why the shift?

John E: We had started out with a little more punk rock and then we went off on a super reggae tangent and we just wanted to bring that punk sound back. When Nirvana came out and the whole grunge period... every song had a broken down verse and then there was the large chord chorus and that kind of became the template of pop songs for a long time. In the past we had always tried to shy away from hitting the chorus and going into a big power-chord moment. So we thought it was time to just go and do one of those songs. Runaway is one of my favorite songs on the album.

The Pier: So how did the recording process go working with Jim Perkins from Dumbluck and recording it in a house instead of a regular recording studio?

John E: It was perfect for us for the way that we record. I had done a couple of tracks with Jim over the years and really liked working with him. So I went over with him how I used to always engineer everything and this time I really want them to take the reins so I could focus on just doing my vocals. They did such a great job and being in a house with a pool, the whole vibe was very laid back.

The Pier: Was it like that movie Laurel Canyon?

John E: Haha, yeah it was very much like that.

The Pier: So recording it laid back style in the house, did it take longer than you planned?

John E: It took a little bit longer than we expected. We did 15 tracks and saved some for b-sides, so it was lot to take on. I even went to Hawaii and worked on some lyrics while the band continued to work on some tracks. Everything was sounding so good so there was no point in rushing anything. Overall, from start date to mastering it took six months.

The Pier: Any other interesting recording stories come out from the sessions?

John E: Probably the coolest was when Pato Banton came by. When he is touring in the States he has got this big RV and he pulled up in this thing and I think he had his whole family in there. He came in laid the track down, played a game of ping pong with us... then split. He is actually really good at ping pong and has way more skills than any of us has.

The Pier: The track OPM featured on The Pier Summer Sampler has got mad rhyming skills on it. How long did it take you to come up with the lyrics to Tell Me What You Want?

John E: That was actually the first song that I wrote for this album. I came up with the melody of that track and laid it down on Garageband actually. It took quite a while, as I had four pages of four bar stanzas. I then went off my brain thinking of words that rhymed with nation and then went back and tied it all together. It was a very long process.

The Pier: Have you played that song live yet and had to remember all the verses and rhymes?

John E: Haha yeah, we haven’t played it live yet, but I think I have listened to it enough that I probably could. It’s actually more tricky working out where to put your breaths in, then it is remembering all the words.

The Pier: You got quite a few tracks featuring Big B on the new album, was it fun hooking up with him again?

John E: Big B is one of my best friends. We always have a good time when we hang out together and have a good dynamic between us - especially in a creative environment. We are also both Leo’s so we have a bit of a competitive thing going with each other too, but I love working with him.

We are looking at doing an OPM and Subnoize Souljaz tour so we can play some of his stuff and weave the whole thing into one seamless set with Big B, Dirtball and OPM. Hopefully that will work out.

The Pier: For sure. You got some cool Mexican inspired artwork cover-art for the album that you actually did. Why did you choose to go with that theme?

John E: I have always loved the Day of the Dead artwork and always wanted to do a piece like that, but never really had the opportunity to do it before. I had the idea, told all the guys about it and they just loved it. It was the first time I had ever painted with acrylic as opposed to oil before. I wanted it to be where if it was on a record shelf with a bunch of other records it would be really bright and jump off. That painting took about a week to do, working on it three to four hours a day.

The Pier: What’s the status of the Open Peoples Mind DVD?

John E: The guy that is putting that together for us got work on a Sam Rami film, so he had to do that for a long time. He is actually going to come out on tour with us so that might either slow down or speed up the project. I’m not really quite sure yet (haha). Every time you try to do something on the road it never really quite works out.

The Pier: Did you just work with him on the video for Dirty White. What was that shoot like?

John E: Yeah we did and it was awesome. We just did it guerilla style, running through the streets of LA. That was kind of crazy.


The Pier: Lastly, I got to ask you about recently producing the new Sen Dog album (Diary of a Mad Dog). What was it like working with him?

John E: He is one of my main musical influences and I have been a Cypress Hill fan my whole life, so it was super-cool to work with him. It is pretty much all hip hop, but there is a song on there Fumble, which is a pretty different sound for him. Sen Dog is definitely into some pretty crazy stuff.

Thanks to John E again for checking back in with The Pier and be sure to check out the following web-sites:

OPM Den

OPM MySpace