Catching Up With Audio Book Club
BY KIANA MORIDI
Listening to Audio Book Club is like listening to a genre of its own. With notes of David Byrne, and touch of rock sprinkled in with 80s pop feels, Audio Book Club creates a quirky, unfamiliar sound—one that keeps you on your toes for what’s to come next. And as if their sound isn’t unique enough on its own, they’re also just as visually stimulating, creating music videos, bringing their audience along for an oddly entertaining ride. Equal parts talented as they are humorous about their sound, Audio Book Club tells us about their latest single release, a new addition to the team, and future plans for the five-man band.
When did Audio Book Club become a band?
We became a band back in 2018.
How did Audio Book Club come to fruition?
We’re made up of a lot of members of bands that all played together since about 2009-2010. When you play so much with other bands, you naturally develop a friendship. So really that mixed with good timing made it possible to get together to jam. Once we did that a few times and had some songs it really just progressed pretty naturally from there.
What's the story behind the name?
We kicked around a ton of names and then one night after practice we played Rock Paper Scissors and Audio Book Club was the victor. One time John Darnielle from The Mountain Goats told me that band names don’t matter, and I really agree with that sentiment.
Tell me about your recent single release.
“Boots” has been a long time in the making, finally released March 5th with the music video. It was recorded by Taylor Johnson at Lunar Manor in OKC like everything else we’ve recorded. We’re stoked to be releasing this track with local label Cowboy 2.0, operated by Wil and Danny who make up the band Husbands. With their help we’ve been able to navigate the massive online world of social media, streaming services, and just about everything else. Mega grateful for those lovely gentlemen
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If you could record/perform with any musician, dead or alive, who would it be?
Harry Belafonte, and it isn’t close.
In just a few words, describe the dynamic of the band.
We go boom on the drums and plink on the strings.
From songwriting to recording, describe a day in the studio with Audio Book Club. What does that process look like for you all?
We typically write during practice. It’s a lot of nonsense playing and singing and then we just adjust it on a white board until we have what we want. As far as recording, there's a lot of yelling. Taylor really likes to yell.
Who is the Audio Book Club listener?
According to the numbers, it’s 2% non-binary, 2% non-specified, 45% women, and 51% men.
How would you describe the Audio Book Club sound?
Do you remember the store Gadzooks? We sound like Gadzooks looked. Bottle cap belts and everything.
How do you know when you've created something good?
That’s pretty tough. You start to get an idea when you’re in practice just by how much everyone enjoys playing the song, but we definitely have some tracks in our set that one person may hate and everyone else really likes and vice versa.
What's next for Audio Book Club? Upcoming shows, projects, singles, videos, etc.
Going forward, we have our eyes set on a full length record. I can’t give you any details yet, but we have some things in the works with Cowboy 2.0 that we think are super exciting.
What do you hope to bring to the Oklahoma music scene?
We really just like having a good time with our friends and making memories; however, I do love helping create new opportunities for other bands. We’re always down to play shows, or if we’re not able to play, at least help facilitate something with venues or whatever for touring groups. I think OKC should be a big stop for touring bands, but I know from experience how difficult it could be to find help in unfamiliar cities.
Tell me something most people don't know about your band.
Billy Reid is in the band now baby!!!!!
Fill in the blank. If we're not making music, we're probably _______.
Fishin’
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You can listen to Audio Book Club on your streaming platform. Follow the band on Instagram @audiobookclubokc for more updates.