Epic highs and bittersweet lows beneath a psychedelic/hip hop backdrop . . . and musically, they’re not half bad either.
The origins of Oui Si Only You began as a rusted musical revolving door in Hoffman Estates, IL. Two thirds of the lineup, Adam Ginsburg and Ramsey Ghunim, were just a fledging backing band for Phil Richard while playing under various monikers-“In Just” and “A Little Closer.” The song quality ranged from pretty bad to migraine-inducing. Other members came and went like the hurricane season-only far less powerful and they never came back a year later, or a year after that.
Meanwhile, Ben Muniz was hungry to leave “The Magic City” his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, tiring of the repetitive cycle of b-boyin’ and emceeing in the same venues and local hang outs. Ben thirsted for larger opportunities. He immediately began honing his emcee skills and moved to Chicago, IL to network with other artists.
It was during this time that Adam taught Ramsey how to hold his mom’s birthday present, a guitar that was better to look at then listen to.
So they practiced as a two-piece. Adam got on time and lost a lot of weight. Soon, the half-Mexican, half-Arab guitarist, became possessed by either half of his musical ancestors. He ended up Spanish finger-picking Eastern rock rhythms through eerie compromise. The side-affect was that it turned one guitarist into a bass-player and a guitarist. Just like that, Ramsey began leading with his heart and not his head. Inspired by uninspiring scholastic settings and people, he found he no longer wanted to make music. Ramsey needed to make music for this band. Strange as it sounds, Adam got blessed with a car accident at the same time. After this near-death experience, he too became a born-again die-hard musician; with a changed world view. His focus shifted to spending many waking nights beneath the glow of a computer screen and hovering over a mixing board for hours on end.
By this time, Ben Muniz had established a foothold in the local Chicago Hip Hop scene. It was during this time that Ben had the opportunity to perform nationwide, sharing the stage with such acts as Afrika Bambaata, Slick Rick, DJ Kool Herc, Immortal Technique, Zion I, and many others. Feeling a need to elevate himself to another creative plateau, Ben felt destined to incorporate all of his musical influences into the music he wanted to write, no longer limiting himself to one style.
Following a few more years of mastering their musical visions, patience finally rewarded the three, when Ben replied to a seemingly dead-end posting on craigslist.org.
The vibe was perfect the moment they began to play. The sound was new to Ben, while the energy was new to Ramsey and Adam. This combination of contrasting elements signified the completion of years of musical struggles.
Their sound has become structured with an unspoken motivation to challenge the idea of a conventional arrangement. Their self-titled EP gives their listeners a four song taste of things to come. Each track pinches the listener by the ear like an angry parent, ably displaying love, anger, and wisdom all at once while provoking the rebellion and freedom of thought that the band itself craves. Each song rarely ends where it begins and each reaches for the soul, with guitar/drum dynamics that are only pushed further over the edge through manic wordplay. The coming year provides Oui Si Only You with the opportunity to connect with audiences including Yes Yes Only You.
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Oui Si Only You (@ Reggie's Rock Club tonight 共有 4983 位好友。
Me and Pez are not besties! But atleast he doesnt call me names or say he isnt my friend!!!!!! An that no girls allowed rule is completely GAYY. Maybe other girls have cooties but i dont!! haha. Flowing main of curly hair? haha sweet. An if you dont wanna look like a neo nazi then dont shave ur head!!:] An look it up..theres alot of venues in bloomington..like the isu coffee shop. ughh ill try to look around for you. Thats alot for me to do for someone who isnt my friend!!!!;] xoxo, danielle.
Hahaha! Bambam bambam bambam! BAM! Yah...she brought ur name up..said she saw me on ur page..Hi Erin! If ur stalking me!!! One of these days I'll find Pez! Reggie's Pizzeria...got it! Hope u guys have a good Turkey Bark today! -Nee
hahah thats what sucks about conversations online. you can never tell the tone of voice with the other person youre talking to. haha well at least u know ur a good band. :) and i dont think anyone could ever be tooooooo sarcastic.
yesss. tumbleweeds. i'm from texas. and i don't think you should call me weird or random because i requested you. i mean, i'm weird and random but not for that reason, sheesh. i wasn't sure exactly which moron it was that wrote these, but i looked at your pictures so i could tell and now i know and see why. well, the word "concert" is very 90's but i like your compromise of "awkward social gathering" mostly because much of my life consists of those and i'm getting pretty good at handling them. i'm planning on being there saturday unless something goes terribly wrong and i'm stuck in texas for the rest of eternity, in which case, you guys will just have to go on tour or something.
Haha no I really meant like crazy amounts of homework haha but luckily for me I don't have any homework for the weekend. Ill be at the show for sure ;)
ouch sorry about that, but..uh..yeah cant help you, but as it turns out i am not going to fall formal as my best friends mother died..who pretty much adopted me...so i think im gonna spend time with the family on saturday, but have a hell of a show and maybe...just maybe...i can make it out a little later to hang out at the show or something.
Hahaha! So I finally logged into my myspace for the first time in ages and I see this sleu of comments from you. My first reaction, I love these guys! I will be the first to admit that I haven't checked out your music yet, but it is on my list of things to do. I agree with you that the Chicago live music scene is slowly becoming an emaciated old bat who remenices about the way things were, it's not a pretty sight, obviously. So I will make this commitment of popping on over to your show without even hearing the music. Surprise me!
LOL - you're the ONLY whiny local band that has ever sent me long a** messages here! good grief ...i mean - when are you guys going to reach the heart of your messages ...it's like reading a novel by Dickens!!! you know my time is very very very preccious here - oh yeah btw - the check cleared ...so you'll get a favorable review *smiles* anyway enough of this useless shop talk - yes i did enjoy myself ...writing the review and will have it posted next week. ok, Scotty you can beam me back to the Enterprise!