OhGr

Last updated

ohGr
OhGr live.JPG
Nivek Ogre circa 2008
Background information
Also known as
  • W.E.L.T. (1995)
  • The Petty Tyrants (1996)
  • Ogre
Origin Los Angeles, California, United States
Genres Synthpop, electronic, IDM, electro-industrial, post-industrial
Years active2000–present
Labels Spitfire, SPV, Metropolis
Members Nivek Ogre
Mark Walk
William Morrison
Justin Bennett
Jeff "Squigg" Smith
Past members Tim Sköld
cEvin Key
Bill Rieflin
Website ohGr.org

ohGr is a Canadian industrial band formed by Nivek Ogre and Mark Walk of Skinny Puppy. Early ohGr releases incorporated hip hop and synth-pop influences, and in contrast to Skinny Puppy, utilized conventional structures and a lighter tone. Ogre noted that this direction was inspired by the pop bands he enjoyed as a child, such as The Archies. [1] However, in releases such as Devils in my Details , ohGr has taken to a more abrasive, non-linear flavour of electro-industrial, while continuing to release pop albums such as 2018's Tricks .

Contents

History

The band was officially formed in 2000, although the material for the first album, Welt dates back to the mid-nineties, having been held up due to legal trouble with American Recordings. W.E.L.T. was actually originally the title of the group (an acronym of "When Everyone Learns Truth"), until it was discovered that in the interval it had been taken by a Californian punk band. Al Jourgensen was also originally involved (who had the then band's name tattooed in anticipation of the project), and only one track he collaborated on has been leaked to the public, titled "Noreen". The music of that song later became industrial metal group Ministry's "The Fall", on their 1996 album Filth Pig .

ohGr's third album titled Devils in my Details was released on October 17, 2008 in Germany, on October 20 in the United Kingdom, and on October 21 in the United States. [2] ohGr toured in support of the album release during the autumn of 2008. [3] At Comic-Con 2008, Ogre announced that Bill Moseley will be contributing to the new ohGr album, as a result of them becoming friends through Repo! The Genetic Opera.

It was tentatively revealed in a chat with the band that an album of B-sides from Devils in my Details (entitled "D-Sides") and an album of unreleased material from the 1990s (entitled "Dfault") was due to be released. [3] In October 2009 a link to www.wdihtf.com appeared on Skinny Puppy's website. When users sign up to the mailing list they receive a link to the song COLLIDOSKOPE which starts with many different voices saying "Welcome to Collidoskope".

As of May 10, 2011, ohGr has released a new studio album, unDeveloped . [4] The album was a collaboration with Mark Walk, with whom the previous album was created. Also on the album was the audio from the 911 call reporting Michael Jackson's death (Track titled crash).

In 2017, ohGr announced a PledgeMusic campaign to raise funds for their new album Tricks . [5] The album was originally scheduled for release on October 31, 2017, but was delayed due to mastering errors. [6] The band submitted their final mix to PledgeMusic in Spring 2018, but received no word from the company regarding payment. Without the money promised by PledgeMusic, the band released the album digitally and went on tour without any physical media to sell. [7] Walk went to the media following reports of similar situations happening to other bands who were using PledgeMusic. According to Walk, the band had received only $40,000 of the $140,000 they had raised during the campaign and were unable to pay for the manufacturing of the products they promised fans. [8]

Touring

The band toured in 2001 to support the release of their debut album Welt ; the live band consisted of Nivek Ogre, Tim Sköld (bass), cEvin Key (drums, keyboards), Loki der Quaeler (keyboards), and William Morrison (guitars). 2003 saw the release of a follow-up, SunnyPsyOp (a play on the phrase "sunny side up" and military PsyOps). There were initially plans to tour for SunnyPsyOp, with Ministry in a festival type arrangement. These plans fell through, although much of the material from the second album had already been played live on the Welt tour.

2008 saw ohGr on tour throughout the U.S. and Canada in support of the album Devils in my Details with a live band including William Morrison returning on guitars, drummer Justin Bennett, keyboardist Jeff "Squigg" Smith. [9]

In late 2011, ohGr announced a December 2011 West Coast USA and Canada tour consisting of nine dates with direct support by fellow Metropolis Records artist Left Spine Down. [10]

Videos

ohGr has released three promotional videos, all directed by William Morrison. The first was a stop-motion creation for the track "Cracker". The second was a live performance of "Minus", filmed by Michael Condo at several venues from the 2001 tour. The third was for "MaJiK", from the second album; this also employed stop-motion, and was a collaboration with artist Thomas Kuntz. "Cracker" and "MaJiK" have both been played occasionally on MTV2 and Fuse. All three have been available through ohGr's website, and "MaJiK" appeared on the audio CD for SunnyPsyOp , albeit with some serious technical glitches.

Discography

Studio albums

Album detailsPeak positions
US
Top
Heatseekers
US
D/
El.
Welt
  • Released: March 20, 2001
  • Formats: CD and LP
  
SunnyPsyOp
  • Released: July 1, 2003
  • Format: CD
 13
Devils in my Details
  • Released: November 4–5, 2008
  • Format: CD and LP
189
unDeveloped
  • Released: May 10, 2011
  • Format: CD
2713
TrickS
  • Released: June 18, 2018
  • Format: CD, LP, and digital

Singles

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skinny Puppy</span> Canadian industrial band

Skinny Puppy was a Canadian electro-industrial band formed in Vancouver in 1982. The group was among the founders of the industrial rock and electro-industrial genres. Initially envisioned as an experimental side-project by cEvin Key while he was in the new wave band Images in Vogue, Skinny Puppy evolved into a full-time project with the addition of vocalist Nivek Ogre. Over the course of 13 studio albums and many live tours, Key and Ogre were the only constant members. Other members have included Dwayne Goettel, Dave "Rave" Ogilvie, Bill Leeb, Mark Walk (2003–2023), and a number of guests, including Al Jourgensen (1989), Danny Carey (2004), and many others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nivek Ogre</span> Canadian musician, artist and actor

Kevin Graham Ogilvie, known professionally as Nivek Ogre, is a Canadian musician, performance artist and actor, best known for his work with the industrial music group Skinny Puppy, which he co-founded with cEvin Key. Since 1982, he has served as Skinny Puppy's primary lyricist and vocalist, occasionally providing instrumentation and samples. Ogre's charismatic personality, guttural vocals and use of costumes, props, and fake blood on stage helped widen Skinny Puppy's fanbase and has inspired numerous other musicians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dwayne Goettel</span> Canadian musician

Dwayne Rudolph Goettel was a Canadian electronic musician, best known for his work in the industrial music group Skinny Puppy. Starting his career playing for a variety of acts around Edmonton, he joined Skinny Puppy in 1986 following the departure of keyboardist Bill Leeb. A classically trained pianist, he helped to broaden Skinny Puppy's sound with his extensive knowledge of equipment and sampling. He assisted bandmate cEvin Key on a number of side projects such as The Tear Garden and Doubting Thomas, and helped form the experimental electronic group Download. He also created the independent record label Subconscious Communications with friend and colleague Phil Western as a means to release his solo work.

cEvin Key Canadian musician and producer

Kevin William Crompton, known professionally as cEvin Key, is a Canadian musician, songwriter, producer, and composer. He is best known as a member of the industrial music group Skinny Puppy, which he co-founded in 1982 with singer Nivek Ogre. Initially a side project while he was with the new wave band Images in Vogue, Skinny Puppy quickly became his primary musical outlet after landing a record deal with Nettwerk Records in 1984.

<i>VIVIsectVI</i> Album by Skinny Puppy

VIVIsectVI is the fourth studio album by Canadian electro-industrial band Skinny Puppy. It was released on September 12, 1988 through Nettwerk. Despite tackling controversial topics like animal rights, chemical warfare, and environmental waste, VIVIsectVI was well-received. It spawned two singles, "Censor", which was released on the album as "Dogshit", and "Testure", which was Skinny Puppy's only song to chart on Billboard's Dance Club Songs. VIVIsectVI was followed by a theatrically involved tour with Nine Inch Nails as the opening act.

<i>Remission</i> (EP) 1984 EP by Skinny Puppy

Remission is a 1984 EP by Canadian electro-industrial band Skinny Puppy, their record label debut and first release with Nettwerk. The 12-inch EP originally featured six tracks, then, a year later in 1985, it was released on cassette with five additional songs that lengthened the release to a full album. This expansion became the default version of Remission.

<i>Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse</i> 1986 studio album by Skinny Puppy

Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse is the second studio album by Skinny Puppy, released on September 5, 1986. It contained the single "Dig It", which inspired several industrial music contemporaries, including Nine Inch Nails. "Dig It" received extensive airplay on MTV and was listed by Billboard as a recommended dance track. The song "Stairs and Flowers" was also released as a single.

<i>The Greater Wrong of the Right</i> 2004 studio album by Skinny Puppy

The Greater Wrong of the Right is the ninth studio album by Canadian electro-industrial band Skinny Puppy, released by SPV on May 25, 2004. It is their first full-length record since 1996's The Process. It is also their first album since 1985's Bites without the support of keyboardist Dwayne Goettel, who died in 1995, and their first album since the departure of producer Dave "Rave" Ogilvie. It was produced by Cevin Key and is Ohgr-collaborator Mark Walk's first appearance as an official member of the band. The album's artwork was created by longtime collaborator Steven R. Gilmore.

<i>Too Dark Park</i> 1990 studio album by Skinny Puppy

Too Dark Park is the sixth studio album by the industrial music group Skinny Puppy. The album cover features the debut appearance of the band's "SP" logo. The cover art was created by Vancouver based artist Jim Cummins. The artwork for this album and its associated singles was inspired by cosmic horror stories such as the Cthulhu Mythos. Lyrical themes include collapse of society due to destruction of nature, drug addiction, and psychological issues.

<i>Last Rights</i> (album) 1992 studio album by Skinny Puppy

Last Rights is the seventh studio album by Canadian electro-industrial band Skinny Puppy. It was released in March 1992 as the group's final record distributed through Nettwerk. Last Rights saw the band experimenting with two opposite extremes: cacophonous heavy music and gloomy melodies, resulting in moments of industrial weight as well as moments of uncharacteristic softness. Along with containing some of the band's most impenetrable walls of sound and an eleven-minute track composed almost entirely of manipulated and distorted samples, Last Rights also features Skinny Puppy's first ballad.

<i>Welt</i> (album) 2001 studio album by ohGr

Welt is the debut studio album by the band ohGr, formed by Nivek Ogre of Skinny Puppy, and musician/engineer Mark Walk. The song "Water" has been featured in the motion pictures Life as a House and for the end titles in Kill Theory. The album artwork was created by comic book artist Roman Dirge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Censor (song)</span> Song by Skinny Puppy

"Censor" is a song by Canadian electro-industrial band Skinny Puppy, taken from its 1988 album VIVIsectVI and released as a single in the same year. "Censor's" original title was "Dogshit", which was changed for this release's marketability.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Worlock</span> Song by Skinny Puppy

Worlock is a single by the band Skinny Puppy from the album Rabies. The song uses a sample of the guitars in "Helter Skelter" by The Beatles, as well as a vocal sample of Charles Manson singing the song. Vocalist Nivek Ogre considered it one of the band's better songs.

W.E.L.T. was a briefly extant side project between members of industrial bands Skinny Puppy and Ministry. The project was active for a short while in 1989.

<i>HanDover</i> 2011 studio album by Skinny Puppy

HanDover is the eleventh studio album by Canadian band Skinny Puppy.

<i>Weapon</i> (album) 2013 studio album by Skinny Puppy

Weapon is the twelfth and final studio album by Canadian electro-industrial band Skinny Puppy. It was released on May 28, 2013, through Metropolis Records. Skinny Puppy received mainstream media attention when the band billed the U.S. government for using its music as torture in the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, which was a primary source of inspiration for the album. Musically, Weapon's sound is reminiscent of Skinny Puppy's earliest releases, Remission (1984) and Bites (1985), due to the employment of old equipment and simplified songwriting.

<i>Bootlegged, Broke and in Solvent Seas</i> 2012 live album by Skinny Puppy

Bootlegged, Broke and in Solvent Seas is a live album by Canadian electro-industrial band Skinny Puppy. It was recorded in Warsaw, Bratislava, Hildesheim, and Budapest during the band's 2010 European tour and saw release on June 12, 2012 through Metropolis Records in the US and on June 15, 2012 through Dependent Records in Germany.

<i>Tricks</i> (album) 2018 studio album by ohGr

Tricks is the fifth studio album by electro-industrial band ohGr. The album was funded via a PledgeMusic campaign and was released on June 18, 2018 after a number of delays. The band raised $20,000 within a few days of announcing their campaign. The band embarked on a North American tour alongside Paul Barker's Lead into Gold and Omniflux.

References

  1. "He Played The Killing Game First - Nivek Ogre Q&A - Texas Frightmare Weekend 2014 - May 4th, 2014". YouTube. September 8, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2017.[ dead YouTube link ]
  2. "金融商品を利用した資産の作り方: 金融商品を利用した資産の作り方". Devilsinmydetails.com. Archived from the original on September 21, 2008. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
  3. 1 2 Goldberg, Corey. "Litany: Music News Covering Skinny Puppy, Download, ohGr and Related Projects". Litany.net. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
  4. "Innovative Pop, Rock and Electronic Music – Metropolis Records". Metropolis-mailorder.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2012. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
  5. Stutz, Colin. "PledgeMusic, Once a Crowdfunding Haven for Artists, Now Owes Them Thousands of Dollars (January 24, 2019)". Billboard . Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  6. "ohGr: Tricks Release". PledgeMusic . Retrieved June 18, 2018.
  7. Trapp, Philip. "Crowdfunding Platform PledgeMusic Owes Its Artists Thousands (January 24, 2019)". Alternative Press . Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  8. Stutz, Colin. "PledgeMusic's Failed Promise Leaves Artists in Limbo and the Future of Music Crowdfunding in Jeopardy (February 8, 2019)". Billboard . Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  9. Goldberg, Corey. "Litany: Music News Covering Skinny Puppy, Download, ohGr and Related Projects". Litany.net. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
  10. "ohGr with Left Spine Down live dates announced! – Metropolis Records". Metropolis-records.com. Retrieved October 15, 2017.