By Chris Nixon
Special to the Union-Tribune
July 22, 2004
Standing in a vast sea of automobiles and pavement, musician Ben Ottewell pokes fun at himself and the less-than-idyllic surroundings he finds himself in. Calling from a pay phone in a Seattle parking lot, Ottewell states in a deadpan English accent: "Now, this is the glamorous rock 'n' roll lifestyle."
Ottewell and the five-piece British band Gomez may have not traded up from parking lots to palatial hotel suites, but the group's retro-pop sound and electronic experimentations have poised the five Brits on the brink of mainstream American recognition.
British music fans have long been hip to Gomez. With its refined take (adding splashes of cellos, electronic beats or mellow horns) on boogie blues, roots rock and pop harmonies, the quintet scored a major-label deal without ever playing a live show. Ottewell and his mates – Tom Gray (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Paul Blackburn (bass, guitar), Olly Peacock (drums) and Ian Ball (vocals, guitar, harmonica) – created a masterpiece of pastiche rock by simply huddling in their cramped garage in a small town outside Liverpool.
"We had recorded the album already, but we did go to a studio to make it a bit more sparkly (after we got the deal). We created the first record in the garage really, not a studio," said Ottewell. "We don't sound like most of them at the moment, but we are truly a garage band."
Gomez's 1998 debut disc, "Bring In On," garnered the band the prestigious Mercury Prize, beating out the Verve, Cornershop, Robbie Williams and Massive Attack's classic "Mezzanine" album. Ottewell's gravelly vocals combined with the band's bluesy atmospherics and airy instrumentation set Gomez apart from the glut of retro Brit-rock bands coming out of Europe in the late 1990s. The 1998 album "Liquid Skin" found the five-piece delving into electronics even further, anchored by the songwriting talents of Ottewell, Gray and Ball.
Too many songwriters in one band can lead to friction, but Gomez members seem to keep their heads about them when deciding which songs make the cut for a record.
"Sometimes people in the band hit on a golden period in their writing; it kind of ebbs and flows like that," said Ottewell. "And we're not too precious about it either, which is good. It just naturally evolves from which songs people are getting most excited about or getting the best inspiration from."
the buzz > > > > > > > >
Hometown: Southport, England
Discography
"Split the Difference" – 2004
"In Our Gun" – 2002
"Abandoned Shopping Trolley Hotline" – 2000, B-sides and rarities
"Liquid Skin" – 1999 "Bring It On" – 1998
Lineup
Ben Ottewell – vocals, guitar
Tom Gray – vocals, guitar, keyboards
Paul Blackburn – bass, guitar
Olly Peacock – drums
Ian Ball – vocals, guitar, harmonica
Gomez followed the one-two punch of its first two albums by taking some time away from the road. During the hiatus, the band released "Abandoned Shopping Trolley Hotline" in 2000, a collection of B-sides and rarities. They also crafted the brilliant studio album "In Our Gun," a rambling collection of electronic blues songs and acoustic ballads. Much like Beck's "Mellow Gold" and subsequent albums, Gomez seems to capture the essence of bluesy acoustic music while stretching the boundaries with modern studio tactics and clever instrumentation.
"When we did 'In Our Gun,' we hadn't played live for a long time," said Ottewell. "So I think what we got out of that was a more 'studio' record. So it's more ephemeral. It's more of an introverted record."
This year, with Gomez's "Split the Difference," the band's rash of tours in the months before hitting the studio was reflected in the recording process. The live influence can be heard throughout the album, giving the album less of a knob-twiddling studio feel and more of an upfront live sound: "This one is coming straight off the road, so it makes sense for us to sound a little more live. It's more of a rock record, as far as we can be a rock band."
The British group seems to have found its muse in producer Tchad Blake (Los Lobos, Soul Coughing, Travis), keeping the album more cohesive than previous efforts. The album helped Gomez score a spot on this year's Lollapalooza. But the legendary touring festival closed shop after just a few weeks after the tour was announced, citing poor ticket sales.
"When we first heard about it, we were devastated," continued Ottewell, who will play the intimate environs of the Belly Up Tavern tomorrow night. "I think we're hitting most of the places we were going to be hitting for Lollapalooza. The Thrills are supporting us, and they were also going to be out on the road with Lollapalooza. It should be a fun tour. It just gave us a chance to put together Gomezapalooza."
Chris Nixon is a San Diego writer.
