Oxblood is a new project of former Jack’s Mannequin guitarist and Richmond local Bobby Anderson. Oxblood’s first studio release is a self-titled 10 inch vinyl EP that came out earlier this year. The short collection of tracks showcases a laid-back-singer-songwriter mentality that exudes a certain maturity in its simplicity.
Oxblood is a new project of former Jack’s Mannequin guitarist and Richmond local Bobby Anderson. Oxblood’s first studio release is a self-titled 10 inch vinyl EP that came out earlier this year. The short collection of tracks showcases a laid-back-singer-songwriter mentality that exudes a certain maturity in its simplicity. Anderson’s often layered vocals melt effortlessly into his uncluttered and melodic guitar playing. By the end of the album I felt as though I was being swaddled in a velvety blanket stitched from Anderson’s baby-soft vocals. At times it can feel a bit like a more polished, less depressing Elliott Smith. “Is it one thing? Not really. Is it like, one vibe? Yeah, definitely,” said Anderson commenting on the Oxblood sound. You can check out (and download) one of the songs from the new EP below:
The six song EP was recorded solely to analog tape and all songs were recorded live with Anderson preforming guitar and vocals. “People talk a lot about the sound of analog tape, and I think it absolutely does sound better,” said Anderson. “But I like the actual act of recording on tape, it’s harder and that forces you to get more of a performance. The [music] world is [full of] digital recording and has been for a long time now, and people don’t record in a performance. They don’t start a song from the beginning and then go to the end–it just doesn’t happen like that anymore. You kind of have to do that with tape, and I like that.”
Many of the songs that Anderson penned for the Oxblood project were in the works while he was still a member of Jack’s Mannequin. “This is something that I’ve been doing for a long time; definitely when I was playing with Jack’s Mannequin,” Anderson said. “A few of the songs developed on Jack’s Mannequin tours, on days off in a hotel room recovering from tour, and just playing these songs because I always have a guitar with me on tour. It definitely came about that way.”
Anderson says this solo recording project has given him the ability to step out of the box more than any of his past projects. “It’s more ‘me’ than any of the other stuff I’ve done in the past. Whether it’s something to get people’s attention or shoot for more of that kind of pop product type of thing that people buy, [Oxblood] is not that case at all…. I guess you can say if there was an aim, it was to not do this thing that I had been doing.” Previous bands he had played for, while enjoyable, didn’t offer as much of an opportunity for self-expression. “I was in River City High, a Richmond band, so I started touring [with them]. Ever since I started [touring], I was kind of in this top world that straddles over into Something Corporate and then into the Jack’s Mannequin thing. It was never really what I did. So [Oxblood] was really more of … what I wanted to do.”
Aside from the six songs showcased on the EP, Anderson says he has a good amount of other material that he plans to release on a ten-song album later. Oxblood is a project he plans to continue in his off time for now, but he is excited to see where it goes. Anderson says that he will tour under the Oxblood moniker in the near future, and hopes to hit Richmond when he does.
Vinyl copies of the debut EP by Oxblood can be ordered by going here: http://bob-oxblood-shop.myshopify.com/ Each copy comes with a digital download.
Keep up with Oxblood’s musical activities on facebook and Instagram, and look for upcoming shows in the area.
