“…And lo! The three Psychedelians stood beneath the waning gibbous of Synapsia to chant at the monument of Oznoggle. From the Mellomarsh, they gulped the Foam, and underwent cosmosis. Under the banner of the Black Ribbon they became orb-like, pressure-less beings, and traveled the cosmos championing peace and grace. The remainder of this tale will be transmitted emotionally.”
Ohm Foam’s December 28 set at the Middle East opened with a caped woman reading this passage from a leather bound book. Listening to Ohm Foam, per one of their friends, “feels like landing on a different spaceship or planet.” Their music ranges from heavy progressive rock to chill, groovy psychedelic, and they list Khruangbin, early Pink Floyd, and Radiohead as influences. With hard rock-inspired riffs, tight and technical drumming, and expansive soundscapes constructed from guitar loops, Ohm Foam’s music invites you to climb aboard and hang on for the journey.
The Allston-based band’s members, drummer Billy Leva, bassist Renee Goudreau, and guitarist Charlie Gargano, met years ago through the Boston music scene while involved with other projects. Right before the COVID pandemic, Leva and Gargano opened a recording studio together in North Attleboro. With the additional time, studio space, and musical gear, the group started jamming for hours at a time. Eventually, they decided to piece together highlights of the musical sessions into dedicated songs that they collected into their self-titled first album.
Due to the organic nature of their original sessions, Ohm Foam’s music forgoes traditional verse-chorus structures in favor of extended instrumental jams. They also produced music videos featuring sci-fi themed visuals and animations made by Leva, such as their video for “Pressure/Less,” which features scenes of spaceships, planets, and robots interspersed with shots of the band. The song is grounded by a hypnotic bass riff that repeats with only small variations throughout its entirety. This steady beat, along with Leva’s drumming, serves as a platform for Gargano’s reverb-laden guitar improvisations that creates a spacy effect reminiscent of a classic Pink Floyd track.
The band’s Middle East gig was their first live show, supported by The Dead Flowers and Professor Caffeine and the Insecurities. They packed the upstairs bar with friends, family, and rock enthusiasts. Using the songs from their album as templates, their live show featured significant improvisation, showcasing their talent and creativity. For example, while most of the album tracks are under four minutes, some of the live songs lasted for more than ten.
The set was grounded by Gargano’s guitar loops, and using three to four different guitar loopers – as well as reverse delays and expansive reverb – he created epic, otherworldly soundscapes. Leva and Goudreau built onto this with riffs and grooves that transformed throughout the set and kept the audience engaged. Gargano was also able to manipulate his loops to adjust to new tempos, allowing the group to segue into a new groove spontaneously. They moved through multiple styles as well, beginning and ending the set with heavy, Sabbath-like riffs, but playing chiller Khruangbin vibes in the middle.
Joining a storied tradition of jammy, spacy, instrumental rock, Ohm Foam writes a gamut of subgenres ranging from chill to trippy and heavy. What was most impressive, though, was their level of creativity and musicianship as they created extended improvisations on their pre-written tracks. As they’re emerging beyond the house show scene and starting to play more shows around town, their interstellar tunes are ones you won’t want to miss.
Photos by Omari Spears