motel void

MOTEL VOID: You’re from the San Francisco Bay Area. How would you describe the current music scene there? Do you feel that you’re part of it?

LITTLE OIL: I feel as though there are many micro-scenes in the Bay Area. They feel very genre specific and kind of separate from each other. I always feel like a bit of an outsider looking in but I’m friendly with a lot of folks in different kinds of bands. The Bay Area is interesting and/or depressing because, to my eyes, there aren’t that many local “guitar bands” that actually play music for their livelihood. It’s more of a hobbyist or side passion/hustle culture. It’s just too expensive to live here with not enough paying gigs. Most of the more “serious” or career minded musicians/artists move to LA or Nashville. That being said, there are people like Stefan from Balanced Breakfast and Lee from Solar Van Saturdays who fight the good fight and put big effort into fostering a scene which is really appreciated.

MOTEL VOID: Your favorite local venues and artists?

LITTLE OIL: I really prefer playing backyard DIY type gigs like the Fountain Concert Series but the Hotel Utah is fun to play. It’s small and intimate and it is also a pirate ship. Just what I look for in a venue. My favorite open mic is Riptide on Monday’s (Shout out to Charlie, Steve, and Jean). I just saw a show below Thrillhouse Records put on by April from B.A.A.A.M.! Zine which was really cool. Rock n roll in the catacombs! In terms of local artists I’m a big fan of Chris Alarie/Bad Year No Mercy. He’s so prolific and original (and slept on). There’s great releases coming out on the Fountain, Inc label by Perhapsy and JCamden. Country Risque and Mos Tavern are releasing their albums which I’m really looking forward to hearing and Mitch Rocket and Treacherous French always put on fun live shows.

MOTEL VOID: You’ve just released your second album ‘Twelve Songs’. Could you tell us more about the recording and writing process of this album? Was the process somehow different from your first self-titled record?

LITTLE OIL: This album was made in much the same way as I made my first album but with some key differences. Much like the first album I recorded almost everything at home on GarageBand to a click track on my own.. Once I have a rough mix of the song I send it to Cody Rhodes to add drums/percussion. I give him minimal instruction if any at all and he comes up with a rhythm/drum part. He emails it back to me (we never met in person or even spoke on the phone on the first album). I listen to it and think “Hmm, that’s not what I originally had in mind for this. What the hell is he thinking? Why can’t he read my mind?” and then I listen to it over and over the next few days and go “Ohhh, okay yeah, that’s great!” Also like the first album I have a cast of friends that add their talents to some of the songs.

My East Coast connection Mary Hurley sings background/harmony when the songs needed a little sugar. And my soul brother Ian Michell plays bass on a couple of songs. All that being said, there are some notable differences between the albums, firstly and I would say most obvious listening to it, my pal Jason Gonzales mixed it this time. He added a lot of sonic clarity that worked really well for these songs. And then more subtly, the instrumentation is a bit more varied. My friend lent me a shitty keyboard that I wrote the song “Sweet Fruit Jar” on (I don’t know how to play piano) and then I was able to add little textures with it to other songs with it. My girlfriend had a ukulele (I don’t know how to play ukulele) in her house and so I wrote “Lazy Queen” on it. Uke pops up here and there on the album again for texture. There’s a fiddle/violin on it and some upright bass played by some virtuosos (Kyle O’Brien & Mike DeVito) whom I came across and roped into the album.

MOTEL VOID: Your biggest inspirations right now?

LITTLE OIL: In a Matthew McConaughey voice “Maaaaan just doing it.” But in all seriousness, all my friends who are artists and fight the good fight and process life by making art. I find them all very inspirational.

MOTEL VOID: Your other plans for 2024?

LITTLE OIL: Releasing this album which took 2-3 years to finish looms large! I have the album coming out on the Fountain, Inc. tape label sometime in April physically but digitally it is out March 28, 2024. I’m traveling to SXSW in Austin, TX to play with some Bay Area folks and hopefully I can find some other shows there. I’ll have a big release show/party hopefully sometime in April early May. I’m hoping to get a band together to play these shows as I typically play solo. It would be great to organize a little tour as well. I’d love to play more local shows with the bigger band as well. Oh and I have some cool t-shirts coming out as well!