Oddzar to perform live at Six50 Fest

On Saturday, August 28 at approximately 12:30, the band Oddzar will perform live at Six50 in Spencerville, Maryland, along with nine other bands as part of Six50 Fest. The local hard rock group from Columbia, Maryland, has signed to Baltimore's DCide Label (Trust Company, Nothingface), and their self-titled debut album will be released on September 14.

Oddzar, with Russ Eckell on voice, Greg Loman on guitar, Travis Lockhart on bass and Blake Silvea on drums, formed in 1999, when Eckell, Lockhart and Silvea as well as the band's previous guitarist attended Oakland Mills High School. Averaging only twenty years old, these musicians will be touring this August and September to promote their exciting new album. "We're still a band in development," says Eckell, "But there are definitely big moments that I hear."

Oddzar sounds like a cross between Tool's angular guitar riffs and driving rhythms, Linkin Park's vocal style and polished sound and complex Radiohead-like song structures. "There are definitely some parts that I think are derivative," says Eckell, but Loman adds that they never try to sound like someone else.

Although its music contains intricate arrangements, syncopated rhythms and odd time signatures, Oddzar never lets technical intricacies get in the way of its fundamental melodic sensibilities. "I try to come up with stuff that's interesting," says Loman. "But we're all focused on writing songs, not parts," Lockhart adds.

The album was recorded before Loman joined the band and was produced, engineered and mixed by Drew Mazurek (Nothingface, Linkin Park, Dog Fashion Disco). It showcases Eckell's vocal range, raw intensity and meaningful lyrics, inspired by his observations and experiences. From the abrasive guitar riff on the album's opener, More From You, to El Cajon Pass, the rhythm section's tour de force, to the Toolesque time changes of The Tide, to the delicate piano outro on Abandoned Road, the album is an emotional roller coaster.

Live, Oddzar is even more intense than on record. "I've played with a lot of different guys and I've never played harder than with these guys," says Loman. "We're dealing with forces out of our control."

At their shows you can also purchase Oddzar t-shirts, which read "Oddzar, eat flesh" in the Subway lettering. "I'm a sandwich artist," says Lockhart. "You have lots of time to think about stuff like that." For more information about Oddzar or for Oddzar merchandise, click here

Six50 Fest will be from 11AM - 7PM at 2100 Spencerville Rd., Spencerville, MD 20868. The other bands performing are One Step too Many, Pennie Saved, The Rockvilles, The Huntingtons, Agents of the Sun, Lennex, Sarcasm, Underscore, and Sev. For more information, or for directions, click here