OGD – The Big Prog Game Discussion

Interview with Bobby Gavin of OGD

1. Which is the big secret behind the name of the band OGD? Why did you decide this name?

The secret was not due to anything more then so many bands had our old name of Outtland and once we were getting into the legal stuff we realized we had to change it so we took the first letter of our last names (surname) and that’s how we came up with OGD.

2. Which the story of the band so far and what about the current status?

Right now we have been rehearsing and have enough material written to do three more albums. We are now in a media campaign globally getting our album out to as many USA based and international  radio stations and reviewers as we can. We are getting good traction on Radio Actaaf Amsterdam and Rockfile internet radio ICE.

3.  You have a debut album called “The Big Game”. Where and how did you record it?

The Big Game actually was taken from Hugh Syme who did all the artwork for the album and the booklet. One of his original pieces is titled the Big Game so he said to us this really is you guys…the Big Game for the Big sound you guys make so it worked for us. The Album was recorded at Dreamland studios near Woodstock, New York State with Jerry Marotta producing.

4. Why and how did you hire the famed album cover designer Hugh Syme (Rush, Aerosmith, Dream Theater) for the artwork of your new musical work?

This was something of a stroke of luck. Jerry met Hugh once in Toronto Canada and he remembered his contact information. We made contact with him one Sunday afternoon in the spring of 2020 and after 2 hours of talking and Hugh reading our Lyrics he was hooked and we were hooked on him. He really got into the music and decided not only to do the album cover, he liked the music so much he did a complete booklet on every song.

5. Your new album was produced by the legendary Jerry Marotta of Peter Gabriel. What did you learn from this collaboration?

Jerry is not only the producer he became a friend and a brother to me, Derek (D.O.) and Dave. He heard us 6 months prior when we went to Dreamland to test out the recording studio to see if we liked the sound. Jerry was there and we played for an hour and we immediately connected and Jerry told us “ I want to produce you guys and make the record at Dreamland” When we started the recording sessions we did all the basic tracks in a week meaning the drums completed and other guitar and bass tracks laid down. Jerry really pushed us hard that first week and he made suggestions here and there. Being a drummer I thought I was in for some major conversations but to the contrary he asked me on three occasions to change minor accents, that was it. He really supported my drumming and loved the execution of my efforts for the album, he is an amazing person to work with and I cannot wait to get back into Dreamland for the second album, he is that good at what he does and a gentleman to work with and a genius in sound generation.

6. How does a producer change the sound of the album compared with what the musicians had initially on their minds?

Wow that is an interesting question, OGD has an attack and a sound but what we had in mind really came about pretty much initially. What changed was an approach to vocals and harmony but more Harmony and Jerry is really good at that. The lead vocals were executed exactly what we had in mind but Jerry always insisted on an extra push, try it again, or try it this way and let us see how it goes. He explored every channel, every possible combination, then we would all sit down and listen and pick the best versions. However the real sound of the recording exploded once we handed over the tracks for mixing with Michael Cozzi that was truly amazing work on his part. He knew how to dial us in and the sound is in your face at times and other times it surrounds you. Mastering was done by legendary master Chris Athens who has worked with Jerry for years.

7. Is there any strong message behind the lyrics of the album?

As our singer/guitarist and main songwriter Derek (D.O.) would say there is something for everybody to listen to and come away with whatever feeling you get when you listen to the songs. We leave it up to the listener to interpret the lyrics.

8. You have a new single and promo video called Young Love. Please let us know about the story behind this animation video.

The animation is the brainchild of our media guy and strategic liaison A.J.Chippero along with his sidekick designer Doug Hatley who came up with the whole idea. We thought it was cool so we all agreed to let it fly in the global internet. Of course there are a lot of ideas that were depicted from Hugh Symes artwork but we took the static artwork and made it real life.

9. How do you deal with the Covid-19 in terms of musical activity?

Due to Covid -19 like most musicians we cannot play live, so we focus on rehearsing and song writing for next phase. We are currently involved in a 12 week campaign to get our music out worldwide.

10.  What about your next musical move?

Without a doubt we will be back in Dreamland with Jerry Marotta for OGD album number two.

Information: https://ogdband.com/

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