With Battle of the Bands coming up, everyone seems to be wondering if any new acts will break into the scene. Fortunately for me, I caught wind of the new band Ominous Animals and quickly reached out to see what they are all about.
First thought, “That’s an interesting name.” Second thought, “Wow—a female lead!” About time we got some more power females in Battle of the Bands lineup.
Upon asking lead singer Sophie Capp how the group met, she informed me, “We all met at Cowboys on a Tuesday night, looking for love. What we found instead were people to make music with. We have Chris Lee on guitar/vocals, Brett Baekey on guitar, Robert Natielo on bass, [Sophie Capp] on lead vocals, and Nico Ravitch on drums.” It isn’t too often when people go looking for love and instead find something potentially better and long lasting, talented music partners.
If the rumors hold true, this is a talented bunch that will impact the music scene here. With a sound described as “bluesy rock punk, pocket runk Blues and bock rues,” they all come from eclectic musical backgrounds and plan to infuse all these different inspirations together to create something fresh and exciting.
So how does the musical process work for these Animals? Well, they all generally bring songs to the band, work them out, and each contribute different tunes. “Chris Lee wrote one of the songs that’s in our set now, and we have some others in the works,” says Capp. “As for lyrics, we have a basement full of monkeys and typewriters.”
Although this band may have formed second semester right before Battle of the Bands and the subsequent festivals that will culminate the end of the school year, they still have many goals such as growing their hair down to their ankles and beards down to their waists, although Sophie seems to be struggling with the latter. They also want to do outdo ZZ Top. Most importantly, they plan on spending this semester playing a few good shows.
I think those are great goals and if you happen to miss any shows they are playing, nevertheless do not forget to see them battle it out and outdo ZZ Top and other student bands with Battle of the Bands. Sophie Capp leaves me with this last note about Battle. “We’ll be making lots of noise first Friday of block seven,” she says. “Time TBD. Bring your friends, bring your parents, bring your children, and bring your parole officer. “
And in case you’re feeling a little dull or musically deprived, checked out this list of current favorite songs from members of the band:
Nico: “Another Reason to Go” by Vetiver
Brett: “LA Woman” by The Doors
Sophie: “The Love You’re Given” by Jack Garratt
Chris: “Little Wing” by Jimi Hendrix
Robert: “Always Waiting” by Benjamin Booker