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KGRL Exclusive Obi Best Interview
The Alley Studio - 10.17.08
KGRL had a chance to sit down with Alex Lilly, Wendy Wang and Mike G of the band Obi Best for an interview right after their KGRL FPA Live Session held at The Alley Studio - 10.17.08.
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KGRL: Could you introduce us to Obi Best?
Alex Lilly: Obi Best is a real assortment of different people. I guess it's basically my songs but [with] people doing really cool stuff to them, and those people are a lot of people that aren't here. But, Bram Inscore, Barbara Gruska, John Wood. Mike G also sometimes plays drums sometimes. He played on the album. It's kind of like this is when he went through.
Mike Green: And you let me sing sometimes.
Alex: Wendy Wang is now playing bass. I let him sing, and I have some kids out on the road right now. People say we're pretty incestuous. There's a group of bands. We all kind of just play musical chairs with each other.
Mike: All the groups just switch members. Yeah.
Alex: Bascially Obi Best is just a collection of songs and friends that play these songs, and I guess, hopefully, [with] a kind of style running through it [so] it's cohesive. We switch around so much.
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KGRL: What prompted the change of the name from Colorforms to Obi Best?
Alex: The name change was actually because of a legal issue with a toy company. We were just putting out...our first album. It didn't really officially come out; it's on iTunes, but it's not physically available except on Myspace. We were going to put it out as Colorforms but I was concerned about the toy company Colorforms. I talked to them for a long time. They're really nice; they weren't jerks or anything...but I was just worried. I didn't want to have to licence the name from them so I just figured, change the name and get on with it, and not worry about giving them a cut every time we sell a song or something.
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KGRL: What does Obi Best mean?
Alex: Obi is, first of all, the sash that runs around a kimono. I like the way Obi Best goes together. It's kind of like a joke, like "Oh, be your best. Oh, be best." It sort of has the same kind of ring as Colorforms, kind of a childish...playful quality.
Or, like broken English, like "Oh be best. Oh be the best." Are you okay with that Wendy? Do you feel insulted?
Wendy Wang: Um how come I'm the authority?
Alex: They're recording everything!
Wendy: Okay, I approve.
Alex: So anyway, that's the name. That's where it came from.
Wendy: I love it.
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KGRL: What got you into music?
Alex: Well, Freud would say it's because we're neurotic and crazy. You guys agree with that?
Mike: Yeah.
Alex: I got into music at the age of fourteen after listening to music for a long time and really wanting to go play it. I convinced my mom to get me a piano, and so I started taking piano lessons. Then I got a guitar very soon after, and would ditch school to practice and basically wasn't at school for all of sophomore year of high school. Then I graduated and went to college for Composition and then came I came out to LA to start a band about four years ago.
Wendy has her own band, The Sweet Hurt. It's amazing. Mike also plays with her.
Mike: Yeah.
Wendy: I've been playing music since I was like five. I started with piano and then played band instruments like clarinet because it's really cool to do it.
Alex: Yeah, that's a good reason.
Wendy: Yeah. Then in junior high [school] people had bands and I was like "Oh, I want to be in a band." And so I started playing guitar.
Alex: You started playing in a band in junior high?
Wendy: Well, no. I started learning guitar, and then I had my first band when I was like fourteen [or] fifteen.
Alex: Cool.
Wendy: I got into music because I had fun doing it and I want to be in a band.
Alex: Yeah. I just had to. I don't really like it. I feel like I would go crazy if I didn't do it.
Mike: You don't want to work a day job.
Alex: No. I'm just lazy.
Mike: I moved to California and there was so much music around at the schools. Everybody played, so it was like "Hey, you want to play drums, man? What do you play?" So I thought Oh, I'll just play some drums.
Alex: Is that really what happened?
Mike: Yeah. They just asked me to play.
Alex: That's crazy.
Mike: I always sang since I was little. I always sang, but nothing serious. I just always sang. And they were like "Hey you should play drums." So I saved up all my lunch money my parents gave me. In the tenth- and eleventh-grade year[s] of high school, I didn't eat. I think I begged for change, and I saved. I don't know how much she gave me [per] day [but] I saved it all. I've put on a couple of pounds since then. Then I started practicing here and there....I think I saw some people play jazz -- actually Greg Kurstin -- and it totally inspired me and I started practicing.
Alex: We played together for a little while in The Bird And The Bee, which is how we kind of -- I mean, I knew you before that --
Mike: -- from Bram and everybody.
Alex: Yeah, and now you're going to sing with The Bird And The Bee. It's kind of funny.
Mike: Yeah. It's like a close-knit bunch of people that we all love and we [all] have similar music tastes. Some of us are from Jazz and knew each other then, and we decided to get into this whole scene and sort of make music together, and everybody switch[ing] people like she said.
Alex: And we like talking alot. Wendy, you talk.
Mike: We hang out too. We are actually friends. Are we?
Alex: Buy me a beer, and maybe I'll think about it.
Mike: She told me to say that.
Alex: Yeah. Actually, we could be friends if you got one of these pins. We could have a club.
Mike: It would have been Barbara [Gruska]. Barbara would have had one.
Alex: We got pins and flowers. Barbara would have gotten one. Barbara is the drummer that normally plays. But Mike, you guys are awesome. Actually, Wendy just joined a month ago. We just had our first gig. We just had keyboard [and] bass before. Anyway we're rambling, but it's all Bluxx all the time. Maybe I'll give you my pin, just to wear.
Mike: Thank you.
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KGRL: What about the other band members? Can you tell us more about how you guys formed the band?
Alex: When we were Colorforms I was actually playing a lot with Oscar, who was my boyfriend at the time, who is the Swedish boy. I was playing with him and some other people. I've been playing with Bram. I've known Bram Inscore since high school so I kind of played with him in San Francisco a little [in] a kind of revolving door of musicians. But I put up with Oscar for a long time, and we played with Hudsomic Evil. Should I list people we played with or just kind of talk about --
Basically what happened is that we played with a bunch of people. We did different songs and then it just kind of developed into this band. Then me and Oscar broke up. We actually played for a while after and it was okay, but...it [was] hard. We broke up halfway through mixing the album and stuff, so [it's] kind of a sad story, but it's happened ten-million times before.
It's just a bunch of friends, people that were inspired by the music. So this is kind of where we're at now, based on people being on tour.
Mike: This is the most awesomest form of the group by far.
Alex: Yeah. The continuous thing is that it's my music and I'm singing and we all kind of feel the same kind of styles.
Mike: We all like each other and we like to play each others' music so that's kind of how it's been.
Wendy: Yeah, I was telling Mike earlier the first time I heard of Colorforms, my friend was like "Hey, check out this video." It [was] for Nothing Can Come Between Us. Gosh, that must have been two years ago. I can't remember.
Alex: Two-and-a-half years.
Wendy: It was a while ago. I was like, "I love this band." [It was] a dream come true.
Alex: Awww, Wendy! Brownie points for that. For that, she's our band Employee of the Month.
Mike: I had to ask Alex if I could play. You kind of like, said "no" a few times. Maybe I didn't have my shit together to play.
Alex: Yeah.
Mike: She was like, "Well, do a couple of auditions and keep practicing."
Alex: It's just I had -- Barbara said that she would play with me even if I went New Age. I just have to respect that.
Wendy: That means a lot.
Mike: That's really cool of Barbara.
Alex: So, she owns my heart, but I love playing with you. It's really fun.
Mike: Barbara's equally as awesome.
Wendy: Barbara's totally rad.
Alex: Yeah, and she's a girl.
Mike: Yeah, I don't have that. She's got one up on me. She does have one up on me -- boobs.
Alex: Boobs.
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KGRL: How long have you guys been playing together?
Alex: The name change happened like four months ago [or] three months ago, so if you want to think of it like that it's pretty fresh. But, I've been playing with Barbara for about two years, Bram for about three years on-and-off, [and] John Wood for about a year. So, it's been kind of staggered but I've known them all for a while and we've been playing together. I guess the average of that [is] two years.
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KGRL: Did you guys started playing original songs right away?
Alex: Actually we played originals right away. The only cover I've ever done [was] a Faith No More cover a long time ago.
Wendy: Really?
Alex: Yeah, I really liked that band....Actually, me, Barbara and Amir Yaghmai, who's a violinist and my boyfriend...played a cover of Ashes To Ashes by David Bowie at this tribute that Inara George puts on. That's really the only cover that we've officially [done] and that was just me, Amir and Barbara.
Mike: And Kirby.
Alex: Kirby didn't play with us.
Mike: No?
Alex: It was a trio. Fuck that guy.
Mike: I just assumed since Kirby is always in the scene, damn him.
Alex: No, I'm just kidding. Kirby's great.
Mike: Kirby?
Alex: Kirby's always stealing my gigs.
Mike: Yeah.
Alex: That's the only cover.
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KGRL: What was the first song you ever wrote?
Alex: The first song that I wrote that I played today, I think was Nothing Can Come Between Us, but I have a whole catalogue of other songs that I don't ever play because I wrote them when I was fifteen [like] I've Got My Pretty Horrors.
Wendy: Yeah, I played that one time.
Mike: I remember that.
Alex: Yeah, just some random songs. Maybe one of these days.
Wendy: When was Days Of Decadence written?
Alex: That was about five years ago.
Mike: I like that one.
Alex: Thanks.
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KGRL: If you were to talk about your music to those who have not heard of the band yet, how would you describe it?
Alex: I'd probably go "Oh fuck."
Wendy: That's really nice.
Alex: I would describe it as Fancy Pop. It's kind of a new sort of genre that we decided to design. I would maybe start just quoting some of my reviews:
Spin dot com: A whimsical layer-cake of synths.
Maybe just say that, just be a jerk and give blurbs. The reason I say Fancy Pop is that there [are] a lot of chord changes, I guess. I mean, it depends on the song. It's kind of involved sometimes. I guess it's...kind of sophisticated. I'm not sophisticated.
Wendy: Yeah, I think it's smart. I think it's really smart and delicate, but like sturdy.
Alex: Okay.
Wendy: Sophisticated. That's great.
Mike: I lay down the deep Man-drums on your light-in-the-loafers tunes.
Alex: Yeah, you're really trying to weasel your way into this band, aren't you?
Wendy: Yeah.
Mike: Is it working?
Alex: Yeah. So easily won over.
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KGRL: We read the whole list of your musical influences. Can you tell us who you think have influenced the band the most in terms of songwriting?
Alex: Let's see. Well the funny thing is a lot of the references I get is music that I haven't really heard until recently. I recently fell in love with Prefab Sprout but I had...just recently discovered them. I really like them. I would say, honestly if I was to just say who my influences were, I grew up listening to...Bowie, Bjork, and occasional Japanese pop thrown in there, and Pink Floyd. I remember freaking out in my living room in the fifth grade listening to The Great Gig in the Sky....I don't want to say Bjork because people always act like jerks when I say that, but I really like her stuff. I really like Cocteau Twins. This guy really likes them.
Mike: Big fan.
Alex: Big fan. That whole scene -- Tondo Club, Talking Heads -- those guys were great. I got more into them later. I like music that sort of is a little ambiguous. Talking Heads are...writing almost electronic music but they're playing real instruments, and it's this blur between...I don't know what I'm talking about but...
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KGRL: Can you tell us how your songwriting process is?
Alex: I would say that I just really try to find something that I feel has its own identity, that doesn't remind me of anything else. It takes me a really long time usually to find that thing. I'll write little things that I like....It really has to be something that I just have to keep working on. This is almost kind of pretentious or corny, but it's almost like it exists on its own. When you hear it you don't feel like someone painstakingly wrote that. I get so tired of that kind of music where it's crafty but you can hear the effort or something, and so when it happens it just feels like it just happens. Then you use your brain to make it better and to edit yourself and to shape it using your judgment, but I sort of like it when it just really feels like it's its own living creature, you know. So it takes me a while sometimes to find that and I do that through different ways, either working with a beat or starting on piano or using a keyboard that has a weird sound to get inspiration or...any number of ways I guess.
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KGRL: Do you write lyrics or music first?
Alex: I usually start with the music. I think it would be cool to start with lyrics first but I've done that maybe twice in my life.
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KGRL: How do you guys collaborate in finishing and polishing the songs, including the arrangements?
Alex: Usually I'll make a little demo of it...with a few parts, but it kind of depends on the song. In the past my friend Bram who's in the band contributed parts that have been really important in the production. You've come up with some cool beats. I think that you sort of came up with the beat for Within These Forest Walls. I don't remember really.
Mike: Yeah.
Alex: We work with an idea, basically the identity of a song. We want to preserve that.
Mike: I guess you kind of trust us to do our thing and we all like each other musically.
Alex: Yeah.
Mike: You're like "Hey, you can play something cool. It's going to be cool, maybe."
Wendy: Yeah, and if you don't like something you'll say it.
Alex: Oh, yeah. I'm just kidding. So, I start with a demo and maybe have some sounds in there and just different little ideas, and people in the band amplify it and make it better. Yeah, that's kind of been the system, especially recently.
Mike: Yeah, they add their own little icing.
Alex: Little icing.
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KGRL: Where do you draw inspirations for writing songs?
Mike: Seems like boyfriends.
Alex: No! How dare you. How dare you.
Wendy: There's been quite a few of them.
Alex: I'm trying to think of the other songs. Isn't Decadence a song about boyfriends? I would say Within These Forest Walls is about -- that would have been a nice one to play.
Wendy: I like that one.
Alex: That's about being crazy, but anyway --
Wendy: Really?
Alex: Yeah.
Wendy: That's why I can relate.
Alex: What are my inspirations? I usually come up with something musically. Then depending on where it feels like it wants to be -- I mean like I'll sort of decide, this kind of lives in this world, so then I make characters and things. It could be about me or it could be about someone else, but I guess the music kind of inspires us. It seems kind of boring but the music starts it. It lights the match or whatever, sparks the spark, and then from there I take what's happening in my life at the time or things that I'm thinking about and just sort of pick and choose what makes sense with that music.
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KGRL: How long does it usually take for you to finish writing a song?
Alex: It kind of depends. I guess I would say sometimes the lyrics come really slow[ly]. I would say it takes usually about two weeks or something, to put it down and choose all the sounds and make it come to life. So I don't know. It's a long time. For some people it's like they just write a song in a night.
Wendy: I hate those people.
Alex: Yeah. I'll write progressions and stuff really quick[ly]. I like to collect things so sometimes I'll collect a few progressions, so something could have been from a while ago. I'll think "Oh, this should be this part" and work with it, or make it work. So, it kind of depends. Tropical Fish I wrote pretty quickly. That was [done in] like a week.
Wendy: Oh wow.
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KGRL: How long did it take to finish the whole album, Capades?
Alex: Well, I would say about a year-and-a-half. It took a long time. It did because we tried to do everything by ourselves, kind of on our own. We recorded at a studio some stuff, but we did so much stuff at people's houses and we mixed so much. We did so much pre-mixing. Me and Oscar do a lot of mixing too, and just working with sounds and buying mics and experimenting with opening books like How Do You [unintelligible]. It took a long time because we were also learning while we did it which was fun but also kind of torturous. It took like a year-and-a-half to two years. It took awhile.
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KGRL: The album cover is a bit strange. We received some comments from our listeners that it kind of freaks them out. Can you explain to us what the album cover means?
Alex: Yes. Should I hold it up? Would that be kind of cool?
Mike: Where is it?
Alex: I want it to be like Reading Rainbow. [singing] This cover, I'm really glad you asked [about] because I would like to explain it. There's a track on here called Who Loves You Now, and...when we were taking all the pictures for the album I dressed up as a bunch of songs. I dressed up as a Swedish boy. I got a blond wig. The band -- me, John, Barbara and Bram -- dressed up as Days of Decadence, in '50s clothes. This is one of the concepts we did and this is based on the song Who Loves You Now, and basically the song is just about how these are supposed to represent all of the relationships, all the people that I've been with in the past and how they're always with you. Even though you have a new boyfriend or a new person you're kind of always dating everyone you've ever been with at the same time because all the things you learn and all the...baggage -- that's kind of the most negative word; it's not necessarily a negative thing -- is there with you. So I kind of wanted to show that concept. I thought it would be a cool cover, just kind of a surreal kind of vision, so this is Barbara, this is Bram, and this is John. Also so many people were on the album that I didn't really want to show the band as if everyone recorded because Mike G is on it and there are people on it that aren't represented, so it's sort of like anonymous. There's sort of a dual purpose behind it. That's what it is.
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KGRL: Which amongst the songs you wrote is your favorite?
Mike: Well I know my favorite. I like Blooms Like Flowers, and I like Days of Decadence because they lyrics were really quirky.
Alex: It's because you're on there.
Wendy: That's two songs.
Mike: I like Blooms Like Flowers.
Wendy: No, he's not on Blooms Like Flowers.
Mike: I like Green And White Stripes which you didn't play for a while. Now I get to play it. It's cool.
Alex: Yeah.
Wendy: Do you want to answer next?
Alex: I guess I'll answer. I think Origami sounds really good. Production-wise I don't think it's the best song but I'm always happy when I hear it.
Mike: I like that one too.
Alex: That will make sense when you hear the song. I would say...I really like Swedish Boy because it's just an easy one to play, and I like Who Loves You Now. Yeah, I like those. I guess I go kind of back and forth about different songs. I'll kind of be into one song more for a while. I like the concept behind Within These Forest Walls.
Wendy: If I had to choose one, I'd say Within These Forest Walls is my favorite.
Alex: Really?
Wendy: Yeah.
Alex: That's Bram's favorite.
Mike: [It's] because you love the drumming, obviously.
Wendy: I absolutely love it....Like Blooms Like Flowers, it keeps blooming and it flourishes.
Alex: And unfolding.
Wendy: Yeah, it unfolds. It's this thing. It's beautiful. I love it, and it's so cute.
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KGRL: Which of the songs gets the most crowd reaction when played live?
Alex: We don't do Nothing Can Come Between Us a a band yet but I would say...for Swedish Boy we have violins, so...people really like that because it's kind of exciting. I guess people like It's Because Of People Like You a lot. They really like that song. It's more upbeat. There's a video for it [that] we just did. I would say that one. And when Green And White Stripes sounds good live, then people really like it. I just don't always know if it comes across live as well. It really depends on the night and if we're feeling it. I think sometimes we're more into a song. I know that I'm definitely like that.
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KGRL: What was your best experience playing live so far?
Alex: I had a lot of fun playing at our last show. Spaceland was really fun.
Wendy: That was really fun. That was great.
Mike: Yeah, we got a lot of good responses out of that show.
Alex: It has good sound and it's fun to play there. I've been wanting to play there for a while.
Wendy: Yeah, and you premiered your video.
Alex: [I] premiered the video which was fun. Yeah. There's been good ones at Three Of Clubs. There's been some fun ones there.
Wendy: That was really good
Mike: I remember that.
Alex: We had backup singers at one show and it was like a tiny stage and we were all crammed. These guys didn't play actually.
Mike: Yeah, that was before.
Wendy: I was there though.
Alex: She was in the audience.
Mike: I was there too.
Wendy: You were?
Mike: I was there.
Wendy: No you weren't. Oh, not the one I was at.
Alex: We were there a couple of times.
Wendy: Oh, I see.
Mike: The first one, where Kim sang.
Alex: It was fun. Any place where the sound is good is fun. It's like we just have to hope the sound is good.
Mike: Yeah.
Wendy: I feel like [at] the Three Of Clubs, the sound...is kind of bad.
Alex: Really?
Wendy: I think the good thing about Obi Best is you guys listen to your environment and make proper adjustments. That's kind of off-topic but I'm going to just say that.
Mike: Yeah.
Alex: It's a hot topic.
Mike: Kind of what we did here, proper adjustments.
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KGRL: We love the retro-futuristic style for the video It's Because Of People Like You. Who created the concept for the video?
Alex: Manny Marquez directed it and we kind of came up with it at Mossa. [We] just sort of came up with this concept....I think it was my idea to have the people in the video going "Itsby" like how the different characters like a musical. I'm pretty sure I thought of that, but I think Manny thought "What if the car turns into a spaceship?" Yeah, it was....I was the first half of it and then we just sort of put our brains together and made a crazy mess. I like it a lot. It's great.
Wendy: I love it when you're typing in the code to transfer it to space.
Alex: That was his idea. Manny, you. So it was kind of exciting. That was such a crazy video because everything happened really organically and kind of we were flying on the seat of our pants....Someone was selling their car, their Oldsmobile. I needed a junky car because my Hyundai wasn't going to cut it because I needed something American [that] some reckless Cyndi Lauper-esque girl would have. I looked in Craigslist and some guy was selling his Oldsmobile for like $700. I was like, "Hey I'll rent it for like fifty bucks for the day." And it's really hard to drive but it was kind of fun. It's like an animal on Synth. You never really knew if it was going to start but it was kind of exciting. I don't want to get a car like that. Anyway it worked. It all came together.
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KGRL: How is it like working with Inara George & Greg Kurstin (The Bird & The Bee)?
Alex: They're awesome. They're crazy. Yeah, they're great. We had so much fun. Crazy fun. Crazy fun.
Mike: Good clean crazy fun.
Alex: Good clean crazy fun. It's great. They are both brilliant musicians. The melodies are really fun to sing, and all the backing parts. I'm always looking over at Greg to see what he's doing and ogling his equipment and ogling his voicings. It's just an honor to get to work with them and learn from them so it's really fun.
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KGRL: Have you tried collaborating with any other artist to write a song?
Alex: No. I would like to write with people actually. That would be really fun. I play sometimes with other peoples' bands.
Wendy: Juliet.
Alex: Juliet Commagere. We're actually doing a little tour in New York. I played a show with Petra Hayden. This guy played drums last night, so that was really fun.
Mike: Yeah.
Alex: I learned a lot from her. But I have yet to really write. We both want to get a pop song placed. I mean, we want to sell our souls to some hot star.
Wendy: Yeah.
Mike: We must.
Alex: We should get together and write a hit.
Wendy: Oh, totally.
Alex: Let's do it.
Wendy: It's on.
Alex: We're like learning so much about each other.
Wendy: I know. It's kind of cool. I mean totally cool.
Alex: Yeah.
Wendy: Yeah. Let's give Timberland a hot new track.
Alex: Oh yeah.
Mike: Yeah, Justin.
Alex: Justin Timberlake?
Wendy: Timberlake. Yeah.
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KGRL: If you were given a chance to collaborate with any artist around the world, who would you pick?
Alex: Who would I like to play with?
Mike: I want to sing in Brian Wilson's band, and then maybe play drums with Flaming Lips, South Bolton area.
Alex: Oh, I know. I just want to play tambourine with like Deer Hooves.
Mike: Oh, that would be cool. I want to sing with High Llamas.
Alex: Oh yeah, the Llamas are cool.
Mike: I want to just sing, not play drums. Just sing.
Alex: Something simple. If I'm going to play with an awesome band I want to do something simple so I can just listen.
Wendy: Yeah. I'd run the drum machine for Blonde Redhead.
Alex: Oh, nice.
Wendy: I would run that stuff like so well.
Alex: Yeah, they're awesome.
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KGRL: Are there any new artists you all listen to?
Wendy: Obi Best.
Mike: Field Music.
Alex: Oh yeah, Field Music.
Mike: David Brewis, Field Music. He's unbelievable.
Alex: Who do I listen to?
Mike: Ron Sexsmith. I love him.
Alex: Yeah. Did he just put something out?
Mike: Yeah, he's always got stuff coming out.
Wendy: Yeah, he just put something out. I think it's Something Soul.
Alex: I've got some stuff from him that I wanted to get.
Mike: Fleet Foxes. I love them.
Alex: Yeah, I'm hearing good stuff.
Mike: They're awesome. But then, I like all the bands we play in too. I'm kind of a fan. Bird And The Bee fan, Mike Andrews fan, Charlie Walters fan. I'm a fan of everybody's. I like all that stuff too. I'd listen to it on my own, besides playing in the band.
Alex: Yeah. The new Eagle And Talon record is going to be awesome.
Wendy: Oh yeah.
Mike: That was really rad the other night.
Alex: B.R.A.M.
Mike: Yeah, B.R.A.M. is amazing.
Alex: Benji Hughes.
Mike: Benji Hughes is amazing.
Alex: All of our friends.
Wendy: Willoughby.
Mike: I like Willoughby. He's amazing. I like Gus.
Alex: Hell Brigade.
Mike: Barbara's amazing.
Alex: Barbara songs.
Mike: That's the best music in town. There's nothing better than that, right? Is that the best stuff in town?
Alex: Oh. Oh oh oh oh. What's her name? Goddamn it. I wish Gabe was here to tell me the name of that.
Mike: Who?
Alex: Great R&B artist that I just discovered.
Wendy: Is it Janelle?
Alex: If I think of it I'll say it. Sorry.
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KGRL: How hard is it for you guys being an independent band?
Alex: I don't really know.
Mike: Well there's no money so we don't expect to get paid.
Alex: Well, we have a bit of support....Social Science released our record. That's a small indie label that just started with our first release and my friends work there. At least we have support. We do have help, like some financial help. I mean, it would be easy if people just bought CDs anymore. It would make things easier. But I would say it's all I've ever known, really, so I don't really know what it would be like to not be an indie band.
Wendy: I feel like being an indie musician pays off in other ways. You get more room to do things your way, and in that way you're happier and have more freedom. Maybe sometimes some people need to be...but I think if you're driven enough...
Alex: Yeah, maybe.
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KGRL: If given a chance, would the band choose to sign up with a major record label?
Alex: I don't know. I feel pretty happy with the label that we're on. I think that it just has to feel right for everyone. I don't know. I feel like I'm happy with how things are and I don't expect a major label to come around anytime soon and offer anything good. We're not really in a position to -- I mean, if there would be that could happen, but I don't think it would be anything that you'd want, I don't think. So, I don't know. A lot of major label people are leaving their labels or getting fired and coming to indies....Everything is being turned on its back, so I don't really even know what it means to be on a major label.
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KGRL: What do we expect from Obi Best in 2009?
Alex: Well, you can expect awesomeness. We're going to probably have some sort of distribution in January, like physical -- actually not in January, probably like in March. I'm going to actually go to New York in November and do a little bit of touring with some friends out there. It will be the same music. See, this is what I mean. I am cheating on people all the time. Sorry guys.
Wendy: Weren't you bringing me?
Alex: Well, she's coming with me. Wendy's coming. Wendy made the cut.
Mike: Wow.
Alex: I'm just kidding. I have friends that are going to be out there and so we're going to be doing a little touring in November. I don't really know what to expect next year. We're going to definitely tour. We're going to go on the West Coast probably in whatever comes our way. I never really know what's going to happen. Things pop up as they will and so we'll rock it.
Wendy: We should open for some killer band.
Alex: Yeah, we're going to try to open for some killer band. Exactly.
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KGRL: Any last words for the KGRL listeners?
Alex: I guess just keep listening. Keep giving us another chance.
Mike: Yeah.
Wendy: Thank you for listening.
Alex: Yeah. Thank you for the flowers. Oh, for the listeners.
Mike: Yeah.
Alex: I was thinking of for the station. Yeah, feel the love. Feel the Obi Best love.
Mike: Tell them about the show tonight.
Alex: Come to our shows and introduce yourselves, especially at the end of the night when I'm really drunk, and that will be a great time.
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Our special thanks goes out to Alex Lilly, Wendy Wang, and Mike G for coming over to do the feature.
Photos by Jeff Koga.
Transcription was done by our good friend, Flour (E.S.).
Obi Best Links:
Official Website: http://www.obibest.com
Myspace Page: http://www.myspace.com/obibest
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