OURS: Rock’s Best Kept Secret

New Jersey-based rockers, Ours, recently released their third major label album, Mercy, on April 15th of this year, after spending over five years working on it. It was recorded by legendary record producer, Rick Rubin, who has produced numerous albums including the Red Hot Chili Peppers “Blood Sugar Sex Magic” and Linkin Park’s “Minutes to Midnight”.

Who is Ours? you ask. Unfortunately, I think it’s a shame how much talent these guys possess and how little people have heard of them. Well, if you’re someone who loves loud, emotional, gut-wrenching rock music, then please read on.

I think everyone reaches a certain point in their life when they discover an artist that makes them fall in love with music all over again. An artist that’s music is so inspiring, you often wonder what life was like before discovering them. For me, this occurred about three years ago when I discovered Ours. At first listen, my first impression of the emotional, gothic rock sound of their music was a bit like a mix of Radiohead and Muse. Considering those are two of my favorite bands, needless to say I was pretty impressed. Since I enjoyed what I had heard so far, I decided to see them at the Avalon in Boston. I had no idea that what I was about to see that night would change my entire outlook on music forever.

To be honest, ever since the early 90’s Seattle grunge rock explosion, I had yet to hear a band or see a performance that actually moved me. In the early 90’s, there were some great bands that had evolved: Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Nine Inch Nails, etc. They were all so passionate and intense. Their music made me feel something. Even if it was something sad, it was something. It was real. It had affected me one way or the other, and it takes a great musician to do that.

As I got older, my love for music started to fade. It wasn’t that I loved music any less. It was the fact that there seemed to be a lack of talent in the music scene. A lot of musicians weren’t even writing their own songs anymore. How can you be passionate about what you’re singing if you didn’t even write it? How can you expect to move other people with your music when you’re not even moved by it yourself? The answer is simple: you can’t. In my late teens and early twenties, I went to a lot of concerts, but I can’t tell you one show that I went to and was actually moved by the performance.

Luckily, in 2005, I saw Ours in concert for the first time. They opened with a song titled “Murder’” which is one of the tracks off their recently released album Mercy, but at the time it was unreleased. I don’t know what in God’s name happened to me during this performance, but it completely mesmerized me. Finally, THIS was what I had been missing. This intensity, this passion, this emotion. It was indescribable.

The giant voice that escapes frontman Jimmy Gnecco is surreal. When that man opens his mouth to sing, the rest of the world seems to fade away. His voice was described in a novel “How To Kill A Rock Star” written by Tiffanie DeBartolo, as “…a voice that swept up and down the scales and was, at times, filled with deep, lush, apocalyptic emotion, and at other times was a burning falsetto of hope and love and seemed too big to come from his throat, lungs, or diaphragm.

From his soul, I decided.”

The author is actually describing the voice of a fictional character in her novel, which she admits was inspired by Jimmy’s incredible voice. But it wasn’t even just his voice that amazed me, it was everything about him. The entire band has such an intense stage presence that it’s hard to take your eyes off the stage when you see them live. At most concerts, by the time the first song was finished, I was usually ready to take a walk and grab another drink. Not this time. By the time their second song ended, I forgot I even had a drink in my hand. Actually, I think I even forgot where I was at that point. But I knew one thing: I had to hear more.

I didn’t move or take my eyes off the stage for the rest of the show. I stood there in a hypnotic state, listening to every electrifying riff and chord, praying that it would never end. I haven’t missed one Ours show in Boston since that night. There’s something to be said about a guy that can not only scream rock music, but can cover Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ as well. Enough said.

I think it’s a shame how many talented artists exist that don’t receive the recognition they deserve, not only for the band’s benefit, but also for the audience’s. It’s hard for me to imagine what life was like before the semi-annual anticipation of seeing Ours perform once again. I am extremely grateful that I discovered these guys, not only because of the beautiful music and amazing performances they deliver, but because they made me realize that real music… intense, emotional, passionate, soul inspired music… still existed in the world.

For those of you who haven’t been fortunate enough to experience the music of Ours, I would highly encourage you to see for yourself. You don’t know what you’re missing.
http://www.myspace.com/oursmusic