Bassist and vocalist Olivia Sass, guitarist and vocalist Todd Ostertag, guitarist John Chvojicer and drummer Chad Ovshak -- the members of the Madison band Echo-static -- are sitting in their practice space on Madison's south side preparing for their week-long tour of the Midwest. They take a break so they can brainstorm some ways to make them sound more interesting.
Ovshak jokingly suggests portraying the band as a quartet of Madison ghetto-snipes that steal the wallets of potential interviewers and leave them for dead. Sass laughs and recommends something a little different, suggesting that instead of describing their live show as a "dizzying array of emotion, sweat and really loud instruments," it would be better to call it an "orgasmic experience."
"It's kind of an ironic title," says Ostertag of the title of their new album, "Empty Places." "There's not a lot of empty space on the album."
It's hard to find any silence on the nine tracks of the densely layered album. Between the catchy guitar riffs, the roaring loud guitars and the thoughtful lyrics, there isn't a lot of room for empty space.
But Sass says there were other reasons for the title. She explains, "We're not a political band, but we felt that in a lot of ways our country has become empty, lacking in both culture and integrity."
Politics were certainly not the driving force of the lyrics when Sass and Ostertag started writing songs together five years ago, as Echo-static was in its embryonic stages. "We try to be creative with rock," states Sass.
Both of them became influenced by their heroes, which include such rock groundbreakers as Sonic Youth and The Mermen, and started asking others to join them into bringing Echo-static to life.
The first few years found Sass and Ostertag having problems getting their drummers and guitarists to show up to crucial gigs. Two years ago, they found permanence in the drumming skills of Ovshak. Chvojicer, whose guitar is more influenced by the Rolling Stones, joined up and the lineup was finally complete.
Their live shows started gaining a positive buzz, being described as "intense," "ferocious," and an "experience." Local critics started describing Echo-static as "mind-blowing" and "Madison's best indie rock band." As the crowds at their shows started to increase, they finally decided that it was time to put "Empty Places" into the world.
Considered by the band to be their greatest achievement as a band to date, the two years it took to make were full of setbacks and, quite literally, injuries. In addition to the band's personnel changes and their dedication to getting the album to sound just right, the band suffered through a six-month layoff due to Ovshak injuring his shoulder during a show.
"I had to have shoulder surgery," he says, "I tore up my rotator cuff."
The band stuck by Ovshak until he was fully healed. This summer, Echo-static's labor of love was finally fed to the hungry ears of their fans. It was released on Crustacean Records, in conjunction with the band's own Echo-slut label, which was formed with the mission to bring other bands into the fold.
The brainstorming comes to a halt and the loading of the van resumes. All the thinking seems unnecessary after hearing about their Midwestern tour, which consists of five cities in seven days. "I'm really excited," says Ostertag, who once went to school at UW-Milwaukee.
For Ovshak, Echo-static's plans for the future remain simple. "We're just going to keep writing, keep playing, and get out of Madison."
It sure beats stealing the wallets of potential interviewers.
For more information, go to www.echo-static.com
