The Oxys | Interview | New Album, ‘Generation Irrelevant’
‘Generation Irrelevant’ is the latest album by Austin punks The Oxys, out via Cleveland’s Dead Beat Records.
The Oxys from Austin, Texas deliver dirty, punked-up, power pop, gutter rock on their sophomore release titled, ‘Generation Irrelevant’. Fans of the Dead Boys, Teenage Head, The Damned, and The Heartbreakers will fully appreciate these songs. The potent songwriting team of guitarist Jason “Ginchy” Kottwitz (Dead Boys, Sylvain Sylvain and The Sylvains) and vocalist “PunkRockPhil” Davis are back with a vengeance.
“Frustration of being confined to my home”
Are you all coming from Austin?
Jason “Ginchy” Kottwitz: Yes. Every member of the band lives in Austin, Texas, USA.
Would love to hear about growing up and first being involved with bands, hearing records that influenced your style, seeing shows…
I started playing guitar when I was 12/13. I grew up listening to what is now called “classic rock”. Bands like KISS, AC/DC, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Cheap Trick, et cetera were all on my turntable as a young child. I was particularly fascinated with Ace Frehley from KISS. The first two albums I got were ‘Kiss Double Platinum’ and the ’78 Ace Frehley KISS solo record. Shortly after, I acquired AC/DC’s ‘Back in Black.’ Given my age, I was intrigued by their cartoonish look of KISS. My mom and dad took me to see B.B. King when I was in fourth grade, so that was officially my first concert. Shortly after I began playing guitar in eighth grade, I attended my first rock concert. It was Guns N’ Roses on the ‘Appetite For Destruction’ tour with Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction, as well as UDO (from Accept). Seeing Slash play at that time was a game changer for me. Of course, after spending years working on my songwriting skills, Izzy Stradlin became of much more interest. Moving forward, I would see a plethora of concerts as a kid. Carefully observing and taking mental notes on each guitar player I would watch. The next game changer for me would be hearing the Sex Pistols ‘Nevermind The Bullocks’ and Circle Jerks ‘Group Sex’ albums. That was basically my introduction to punk rock.
What was the local scene like?
The local scene in Austin is thriving. There are a ton of bands and a lot of venues. You can go see shows of all sizes every day of the week. With so many competing shows going on, sometimes the crowd can be spread thin. You gotta be mindful of what is going on in town on the dates you book a show.
As for the local “punk rock” scent, you will probably get different answers to that question depending on who you ask. On social networking, I’m sure it looks wonderful. It seems to be very splintered from my viewpoint. The term “punk rock” has been appropriated to such a degree and so many subgenres have been thrown in the mix, I would need a working definition of that term “punk” to really expand on the question. The major media outlets in Austin tend to not even acknowledge what I would consider the traditional punk rock bands in the city. They instead focus on hipster indie bands that call themselves punk rock. Those are two entirely different worlds. Those bands play on separate sides of town and tend not to acknowledge each other. Austin, Texas always has an abundance of live music and bands, but unfortunately, most don’t ever leave the city. The cost of touring in the US has prohibited most bands from being able to do that. Everything costs 3x as much as it did before the pandemic.
What led to the formation of The Oxys and how did you originally meet?
Halfway through 2019, the Dead Boys 40th Anniversary tours were winding down. I had written an abundance of new material between 2015-2019 but hadn’t had the opportunity to do anything with it because I had been busy playing/touring with The Bulemics, Dead Boys, Sylvain Sylvain and The Sylvains, Cheetah Chrome solo band, as well as doing an album with M.O.D. (Methods of Destruction). In early 2020 when the pandemic hit, I started writing more material because I had nothing else to do because we were confined to our homes. I reached out to Phil, singer of The Oxys, who I had met at an event in Austin called Punk Rock Lottery in 2019.
This is an event where local musicians throw their name in a hat sorted by what instrument they play. Names are drawn from the hat, and bands are put together randomly. Chances are you could be paired with four other guys/gals you have never played with before. They give you one month to put a set of original songs together and one cover song, then you perform your set along with the other bands at a local club, and a panel of judges picks the best band. Phil and I were paired together in a band. I sent him some of my original music for the competition and he added vocals. I liked what I heard and asked if he’d be interested in doing more songs with me after the Punk Rock Lottery was over. Shortly after, we completed many demos together. We eventually picked 10 songs from our batch of demos which would become our first record. Gabriel Van Asher had played bass with me in Cheetah Chrome’s solo band and in Sylvain Sylvain and the Sylvains. He was the first guy I added to the band. At the time, we didn’t have a permanent drummer and James Sheeran from Mr. Lewis and The Funeral Five came in and played drums on the record. We are currently using Chris Alaniz on drums who also played with me in Cheetah Chrome’s solo band and Sylvain Sylvain and the Sylvains. He is an absolute beast of a drummer. However, Robert Williamson, a friend of mine, came in and recorded the tracks on ‘Generation Irrelevant’.
“We are currently tracking our third record”
You have a new album out, ‘Generation Irrelevant’. How long did you work on it?
While our first record, ‘A Date With The Oxys,’ was at the pressing plant, we started writing the second record, ‘Generation Irrelevant’. The album was written in about six to seven months. By the time the first record came back from the plant, the second record was recorded, mastered, and ready to be sent to the record pressing plant. Dead Beat Records out of Cleveland, Ohio, put out both records. We are currently tracking our third record. We are still weighing our options regarding what label will be putting it out. Rest assured, FlyPR will be doing publicity for it.
How would you compare it to ‘A Date With…’.?
The first record, ‘A Date With The Oxys,’ is more dynamic and leans toward the proto-punk sound. The second record is faster and more aggressive. I attribute this to the frustration of being confined to my home during the pandemic. It was an emotional roller coaster that left me very angry and frustrated. These emotions are very much channeled on the second record.
Tell us about the amps, effects and general gear you used in the studio.
On the first record, the left guitar was a 1979 Marshall JMP Master Volume Mark II 50 watt head through a 25 watt Celestion blackback loaded 1979 Marshall cabinet. The head originally belonged to Marc Ford from The Black Crowes. I used a 1999 Historic Gibson Les Paul Junior Double Cutaway through a Klon KTR overdrive pedal.
The right guitar was a 1970 Gibson Les Paul Black Beauty through a Hi Tone Lead 50 head into a Dr. F loaded 2×12 Hi Tone Cabinet.
The lead guitar was done on a 1960 Gibson Les Paul Junior Double Cutaway into an Echoplex, Klon KTR overdrive, and back into the aforementioned 1979 Marshall JMP 50 watt head.
On Generation Irrelevant, the setup was pretty much the same thing. The only difference is that for the right guitar, I used a 1988 Gibson SG Custom through a 1972 Marshall Superlead with a Klon KTR in front of it.
Just recently I stopped using the ’79 Marshall Master Volume 50 watt head live and have switched to a 1973 Marshall Superlead that was modded by Jack Donahue. Jack used to work on amps for Aerosmith and KISS in the 70’s, so he has the rock n’ roll sound dialed in on this one. I am tracking the right guitar with that amplifier and will most likely use it for my leads. I’m not sure what I’m gonna use on the right side yet.
Would love it if you could talk about the songs featured on the album.
First, I must give you a brief disclaimer… I wrote all the music on both records, however, I only wrote about half of the lyrics so I can only comment about the lyrics on those specific songs. I will go through them in the order they appear on the record.
‘Ticking Time Bomb’ – After we demo’d all the tracks for the new album, I felt like we still didn’t have a strong opening track. This was the last song written for the album. I told Phil the song needed to be explosive. After sending him the music for this track, he gave me a song titled, ‘Ticking Time Bomb’. He clearly took me very literally.
‘Mr. Horrible’ – I wrote this song about Sid Vicious from The Sex Pistols. Freddie Mercury used to call him, “Mr. Ferocious.” Sylvain Sylvain from the New York Dolls was staying at my house and was telling me the story as to why Freddie referred to him as “Mr. Ferocious,” except he kept saying “Mr. Horrible.” I found it amusing and wrote a song called Mr. Horrible. I love this song and I love the hook. One of my favorite tracks on the record.
‘Generation Irrelevant’ – I wrote this song about humanity. It doesn’t matter if you are a millennial, Gen Z, Gen X, or a baby boomer. If you aren’t a part of the ruling elite class, it doesn’t matter. You and your opinions are irrelevant. Simple concept.
‘Death Rock Valley Girl’ – Phil wrote the lyrics for this one and I’m not sure exactly who he wrote them about. What I do know is that on the verse sections, he wanted to do something in the spirit of Dave Vanian with the dual vocal line an octave apart. I love all the songs on this record, I’d say this one is the oddball on the first side of the record.
‘Isolation’ – Phil wrote the lyrics to this one. My best guess is that it is about being confined to our homes during the pandemic lockdown. It was pure hell for most people. I hope we never find ourselves in this situation again. This song slams and is a crowd favorite every time we play it.
‘Back on The Wire’ – This is a straight-forward rock n’ roll song I wrote about people who stir up drama and talk shit. When they hear gossip, the first thing they do is call everyone they know and talk about it.
‘I Feel Nuthin” – Phil wrote this song. Again, my best guess is that it is about how pain and sorrow can cause one to become numb to stimuli around them.
‘Vulgar Favors’ – I wrote this song about Andrew Cunanan, the man who murdered Gianni Versace. When police asked Versace’s security guard what Mr. Cunanan’s relationship with Versace was like, he stated, “Mr. Cunanan would stop by the house from time to time, drink some wine and do vulgar favors for Versace.” I had never heard sexual acts referred to as vulgar favors, so I knew I had to write a song about it.
‘Horseshoes and Hand Grenades’ – This is an expression that is used to declare something is “close enough.” Phil wrote this about an individual who used to exaggerate stories and declare it as truth.
‘Screamin’ In Silence’ – My best guess is Phil wrote this song about the same person as the last song, but I can’t be certain about that. Here he chronicles the pain and suffering he endured during their relationship.
Are you often playing live?
The Oxys have been doing more live shows recently with the release of our second record. As of now, we have only played regionally in Texas and a few dates in New Orleans. We recently played with The Supersuckers and Throw Rag. We have upcoming shows in Austin with FEAR and another one with Riverboat Gamblers for their record release party. In December we will travel to New York City for the Fear City Fun Fest. On January day for a two-week tour in Spain and Portugal. When we return to the United States, we will be spending some time doing some shows on the West Coast.
What are some future plans for you now?
My future plans include getting The Oxys third record finished and continuing to write for the fourth record. Hopefully we can get some touring done in the United States, Canada, and Europe. If you know any good promoters in your area, feel free to give them my email address. We would love to come play for you.
What would be the craziest gig you ever did?
Playing at the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, supporting Iggy Pop, or playing to a full capacity crowd of homeless people at the Ottobar in Baltimore, Maryland come to mind.
Are any of you involved in any other bands or do you have any active side-projects going on at this point?
At this point in time, I don’t have any side projects going on and I have dedicated 100% of my time to The Oxys. We are doing extremely well and it requires my full attention.
Let’s end this interview with some of your favourite albums. Have you found something new lately you would like to recommend to our readers?
In general, I rarely listen to new music unless I see a band live that I like or one of my friends recommends something to me. I really love Ravagers from Baltimore, MD. Most of my time is spent with music digging deeper in the vault to hear old music that I have not heard.
Some of my favorite albums include the following:
The Heartbreakers ‘L.A.M.F.,’ Dead Boys ‘Young, Loud and Snotty,’ Iggy and The Stooges ‘Raw Power,’ Teenage Head S/T, New York Dolls S/T, AC/DC ‘Highway to Hell’, UFO ‘Strangers In The Night,’ Alice Cooper ‘Love It To Death,’ Backyard Babies ‘Total 13,’ Jane’s Addiction ‘Ritual De Lo Habitual,’ Christian Death ‘Only Theatre of Pain,’ Sex Pistols ‘Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols,’ Cheap Trick ‘In Color,’ Johnny Thunders ‘So Alone,’ Didjits ‘Hornet Pinata,’ Hellacopters ‘High Visibility,’ Kiss ‘Hotter Than Hell,’ Ace Frehley ’78 solo album, Def Leppard ‘High N’ Dry,’ Aerosmith ‘Rocks,’ MC5 ‘High Time,’ Circle Jerks ‘Group Sex,’ The Damned ‘Damned Damned Damned,’ Ramones ‘End of The Century,’ The Replacements ‘Stink,’ Hüsker Dü ‘Zen Arcade’…This list could go on and on, so I’m going to stop here.
Thank you. Last word is yours.
If you are curious about The Oxys, our music is available across all streaming music services. Feel free to email us any additional questions at theoxysatx@gmail.com.
Klemen Breznikar
Headline photo: The Oxys | Left to Right: “PunkrockPhil” Davis, Jason “Ginchy” Kottwitz, Rob Williamson, Genocide, Gabriel Von Asher | Photo: David Brendan Hall
The Oxys Official Website / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Bandcamp / YouTube
Dead Beat Records Official Website / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / YouTube
