EL OSO profile picture

EL OSO

About Me

CLICK PHOTO TO DOWNLOAD OUR NEW & FINAL EP! photo Sept 2005 by Christine Taylor EL OSO was a Milwaukee, WI band that formed in late 2003 and peformed shows from Jan 31, 2004 until Feb 10, 2006. The band self-released several demo and live EP's and appeared on several compilations. In 2005, Contraphonic Music, Ltd released the band's first and only full-length, Whichever Chapter Covers Now. Shortly after, the band recorded a 7-song EP, but disbanded before its release. On June 10, 2008, after 2+ years in the vaults, the Making Love, Making Beds EP was released for free download.=============================* FOR ALL EL OSO MERCH, VISIT OUR FRIENDS @ NOKARMA.COM T-Shirts: $5 / "Whichever Chapter Covers Now" CD (2005): $1 * ============================= BAND BIO, VIA CONTRAPHONIC.COM: Assembling in late 2003 from the ashes of such Milwaukee-area groups as Twinstar, Radio Tokyo, Mariner and Atascadera, El Oso shed their punk and hardcore skins and began to focus fully on the intricacies of songcraft and detail. Taking cues from the most divergent elements of pop, El Oso weave together simple, stark melodies with a tinkling, underlying gurgle of experimentation. The result is a criminal love affair of instruments, from the evocative guitar lines and expressive vocals to the perfect implementation of electronic beats and piano. Crafting ambiences as much as writing songs, El Oso are a sophisticated lot, spanning the spectrum of anthem-leaning pop gems to lush balladry. Read a Q&A w/ music blog Fan-Belt regarding the new El Oso EP here!

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 11/25/2004
Band Members: Andrew Hartzell
Lee Gianou
Jeff Grabowski
Jim Hanke
Mark Mendygral (2004-2005)
Jasen Kinart (2005-2006)
For our MySpace pages + current projects, please see our top friends list.
Sounds Like: "Meshing indie rock, Bends-era Radiohead, folksy guitars and canyon-wide sing-along choruses... El Oso brandishes a loaded gun. Rating: 4/5" - Aversion.com

"An absolute treasure."- Splendid

"[El Oso is] a band adept at juggling divergent personalities and styles while keeping a keen eye on the final product. Refreshingly, it's all about the songs. And they're damn good."- Dallas Observer

"[One might call it] genre-hopping, but the transitions are so smooth I think genre-sliding is a more appropriate term. Each piece has its charm, sweeping in between shadowy urban-Americana and bright, mid-tempo paced indie rock. El Oso have worked hard to make their music distinct, but by no means have they declared the boundaries of their sound. That indeed, is the sign of a band with good things ahead of them."- Beat the Indie Drum

"If you dig groups like Canyon, Boy’s Life, The Weakerthans and Ben Lee, this’ll be your thing... El Oso is an inspired group to watch out for!"- Indie Workshop

"With conviction in lyrics that bring about imagery comparable to Wilco, [Jim Hanke] has a voice that's real genuine Americana. There are touches of key effects and analog sounding action that really put it over the top."- Kevin Compton, PureVolume.com
Record Label: Contraphonic Music Ltd.
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

JULIE ANN FITZPATRICK cover

Our good friend Paul Karnatz, recording under the moniker BOGOTA ORKESTAR, has recorded a damn fine cover of our song "Julie Ann Fitzpatrick". We are honored and love Paul a lot.Go hear it:www.myspace...
Posted by on Thu, 30 Oct 2008 05:59:00 GMT

::: NEW EP / FREE DOWNLOAD :::

We're proud to announce that the Making Love, Making Beds EP is finally here.Click the below ad to be taken to a brand new site with lyrics, more info, etc.The songs "Deer Teeth" and "Predator/Prey" f...
Posted by on Tue, 10 Jun 2008 06:09:00 GMT

* ENTIRE SHOW LIST (2004 - 2006) *

Here's a list of every show El Oso performed. Feel free to post pictures, memories or corrections. This list goes from most to least recent. More stuff to come very soon. Enjoy. 2/10/06  Rockford, IL...
Posted by on Mon, 08 Oct 2007 18:27:00 GMT

Reviews/Interviews

Here's a list of as many reviews or interviews we can find from the days of yore. Feel free to post any others you come across. Emo Is Dead (Germany) - interview w/ Jim Aversion.com - cd review Splend...
Posted by on Mon, 08 Oct 2007 21:48:00 GMT