Ó (band)

Ó
Ó performing at NU Afterhours on February 11, 2016.
Background information
Birth name Gabrielle Smith
Origin Brooklyn, New York
Genres Indie pop, Indie rock, Folk, Bedroom pop
Occupation(s) Singer-Songwriter, Musician
Years active 2007–present
Labels Double Double Whammy, Yellow K Records
Associated acts Frankie Cosmos, Bellows (band), Told Slant

Ó (formerly Eskimeaux) is the recording project of Gabrielle Smith, an American singer-songwriter and producer from Brooklyn.[1] Smith began making and releasing experimental ambient music in 2007. Since then, the solo project has turned into a four-piece indie pop band made up of Bellows' Oliver Kalb, Told Slant’s Felix Walworth, Sharpless' Jack Greenleaf and Smith.[2][3]

Early life

Gabrielle Smith grew up in New York City. Born in Corvallis, OR, Smith was adopted at a young age and to this day knows little about her family history except for the fact that her father is of Tlingit descent. Smith spent her youth singing in choir and playing violin but did not start writing and performing her own songs until after dropping out of Bard High School Early College.[4] Growing up in Manhattan, Smith also spent many of her late-teen years going to DIY shows in Brooklyn.[5] Inspired to be a part of the DIY scene, Smith started writing songs under the moniker Eskimeaux.

Career

In 2008, Smith enrolled in the University of the Arts (Philadelphia) but dropped out in early 2009. During these two years, Smith met many of their current collaborators and friends, forming an artist collective based in Brooklyn that Smith later co-founded. These artists opened up Smith's eyes to new music stylings and influenced much of her work. Her early recordings from around this time were more electronic, experimental and synth heavy than her more recent releases.[5]

In 2011, Smith released Two Mountains and formed an artist collective with friends as a way to support each other and release art under one umbrella.[6] A year later, Smith released a self-titled album, which was almost entirely made up of re-recorded songs from an extensive collection of demos. It was with eventual collaboration from friends' bands, such as Told Slant, Bellows, and Frankie Cosmos, that inspired Smith to overcome a long writing block. She began to write and record new material through a song-a-day project with Frankie Cosmos, Japanese Breakfast, Florist, and Small Wonder. Many of the songs written during this time appear on O.K.[5]

By 2014, the live line up was cemented, and the band's sound began to resemble the indie pop sensibility it has now.[5] While trying to put together O.K., the band worked on old songs already written by Smith, adding dimensions and layers that would make the songs more suitable to play live.[2] O.K. was released on May 12, 2015 on Double Double Whammy Records and received favorable reviews from Pitchfork, NPR, and Stereogum.[3][7][8]

In April 2017, Tanya Tagaq used Twitter to say that the bands name was derogatory and a "slur against Inuit" and drawing distinctions between different groups of Native Alaskans. After several days of correspondence between Tagaq and the band, Smith announced they would change their name from Eskimeaux to Ó. According to CBC news Indigenous, Tagaq stated "Gabrielle has taught me that people can be open and respectful when mistakes are made. I am very pleased with this outcome of the band name change and our impending friendship. Pleasant surprises."[9][10] As a result, Smith changed the band name to Ó.

Discography

  • iglu songs (2008)
  • Doubt (2010)
  • I Am a Spiral (2010)
  • Ixsixán (2010)
  • Grain of Sand (2010)
  • Two Mountains (2011 and reissued in 2015)
  • Eskimeaux (2012)
  • Arms Apart (2013)
  • Walk Away From Me (2013)
  • Ingluenza (2013)
  • O.K. (2015)
  • Year of the Rabbit (2016) [11]

Live Band

  • Gabrielle Smith – guitar, vocals
  • Oliver Kalb – keys
  • Felix Walworth – drums
  • Jack Greenleaf – bass [2]

References

  1. ↑ Mohenu, Max (26 March 2015). "Eskimeaux: "Broken Necks"". Pitchfork. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 Rettig, James (10 March 2015). "Q&A: Eskimeaux's Gabrielle Smith On The Road To O.K. + "Broken Necks" (Stereogum Premiere)". Stereogum. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  3. 1 2 Duncan, Tess (11 May 2015). "Eskimeaux". Pitchfork. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  4. ↑ Rohinsky, Rachel. "DCMD Interview: Eskimeaux". DCMD. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Moreland, Quinn. "Is it O.K.?". Impose Magazine. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  6. ↑ Diamond, Peter (5 October 2015). "Q&A: Eskimeaux". The Wake. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  7. ↑ James (5 June 2015). "The 50 Best Albums of 2015 So Far". Stereogum. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  8. ↑ Boilen, Bob (11 December 2015). "Bob Boilen's Top 10 Albums of 2015". All Songs Considered. NPR. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  9. ↑ Tanya Tagaq pushes U.S. band Eskimeaux to change its name
  10. ↑ U.S. group Eskimeaux drops its name after online confrontation
  11. ↑ "Eskimeaux: Albums". Last FM. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
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