Four vans destroyed and sold for scrap metal. Five guitar amps crackled, hissed, and went silent, exhaling a final puff of smoke. An
irreplaceable vintage keyboard face down at the bottom of a flight of stairs, 13 keys cracked and lifted, never to make a sound again. Dried
blood on every drum head. A string of misfortune seemed to follow the five young men comprising Michigan’s Mason Proper (named for
an obscure phrase relating to Freemasonry) last year as they toured in support of their 2007 debut album. In 2008, the band decided to
turn over a new leaf and look to the future, hopefully leaving their cursed past behind them. They met with producer Chris Coady (TV on
the Radio, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Blonde Redhead), and with him selected 10 songs from a pool of 30 they had to choose from, aiming to
make a very cohesive album, with a tone that reflected the band’s collective state of mind as accurately as possible. They rented a small,
empty house for a month and recorded the album, and Jonathan met up with Chris again at Carriage House Studios to mix what would
become Olly Oxen Free (on the same console the Pixies’ “Doolittle” was mixed on). “This album is born of the same internal madness as
the first, only now the layers have been lifted. The core of our band is exposed, to be loved, hated, or ignored.” - says Jonathan Visger.
Olly Oxen Free was produced by Jonathan Visger (the lead singer) and Chris Coady (TV on the Radio, Blonde Redhead).
Band Members
Jonathan Visger, Zac Fineberg, Garrett Jones, Brian Konicek, Matt Thomson
Website
