From Rain, a Garden Bloomed: On Oakum's Debut Album 'Bloom' and How a Solo Project Turned Into an Alternative Rock Band
Oakum ‘Bloom’ Album Artwork
Changing and growing. It's a loaded concept when you think about it. Everyone has their own experiences and journeys that they go through. Some are easy. While some test us in moderate ways, others do so in ways that are almost cruel. But yet, we are resilient. We fight back. Sometimes challenging those very experiences that have crippled us, and we mold them into something better. What comes out of those experiences is something new. Something fresh. Sometimes even beautiful. Last year was the perfect picture of many of those stories. How many of us rose to the occasion musically and created something truly spectacular out of something so catastrophic. We are making the world pay attention to music again when our minds were and still are filled with disarray, questions, and still are coping with last year's afterthoughts.
Debut album Bloom is a gorgeous and real product of that experience and then some. It's not just an account of one's trials and how they blossomed from them, but a beautiful story that all can take from and hold on to it during a time where people are still questioning and hurting, and need a helping hand. Here delving deeper into their debut album experience is sparking Jersey native alternative rock band Oakum, to share not only their story of how they came together as a group but how they too grew from this writing and recording experience.
How did the concept of Oakum come about?
Dylan: Oakum was an idea that I had while still living in Florida. At the time, I didn’t have many friends and I was going through a lot of personal issues. So, naturally, writing music was my way of coping with everything that was going on. Fast forward a little bit, I moved back to my hometown. I didn’t really have any aspirations to be in a band, so I just sat on a bunch of singer/songwriter tunes that I had written and just kept writing and adding to my collection of songs. Connor, our bass player, and I had many conversations about taking my songs and reimagining them with a full band. I was hesitant at first because these songs were so personal to me, so I could only hear them one way. But, I eventually came around to the idea. Connor and I got together and started hashing out ideas. At first, it was just me and him, we were working on “Sunflower”. He would lay down a scratch take on drums so we had a beat to follow and then he would hop on bass and noodle around.
After a few rehearsals, we started to feel that we had something special going. At this point, I started looking around for other musicians that would be interested in being a part of our group. I always knew that I wanted Andy to be our lead guitar player, but he kindly declined at first because he had two other projects going on and didn’t think he had the time to manage another. I was bummed, but I wholeheartedly understood. Connor and I would continue to rehearse as I was searching and then one night it happened!
I went to Connor's place to hang out and have a few drinks and both Andy and Brian were there. Connor had proposed that we all should jam and we all were down. Brian jumped on drums, Andy on guitar, Connor on bass, and me on lead vocals and guitar. What happened next was pure magic! The vibe was just right and most importantly, the four of us gelled as one. As some would say, the rest is history! On a side note though, about six months into playing with these guys, Connor had to move due to a job opportunity which meant he wouldn’t be able to rehearse with us. During his absence we had a good buddy of ours fill in on bass. His name is Chris and he became an essential part of crafting the Oakum sound. It’s complicated so we’ll leave that for another time!
What are your musical influences? When listening to this album there is definitely a lot of melodic nostalgia wrapped up in your alternative-rock sound. How have you managed to fit those influences in?
Dylan: In my early years (6-12), I was heavily influenced by bands such as Green Day, New Found Glory, Simple Plan, and the Foo Fighters. Without albums like Dookie, Catalyst, No Pads, No Helmets, Just Balls, and The Colour and The Shape, I don’t think I would’ve aspired to be a musician. All I knew when I was 10 years old is that I wanted to learn to play guitar so I could be just like Billie Joe Armstrong. In my teenage years (13-19), those bands would end up taking the back seat to the likes of Silverstein, Breaking Benjamin, Mayday Parade, and Go Radio.
I was a hardcore kid on the outside but as pop-punk as they came on the inside. I wanted to write lyrics like Mayday and sing like Jason Lancaster from Go Radio. So, by the time I was leaving my teens, I wrote “Anthurium”. It was everything I was hoping to achieve. The lyrics had a Mayday Parade aesthetic to them. I learned how vocal distortion worked, which was something that made Jason Lancaster's voice special to me. From my early 20’s to now, I fell in love with the music from my early days, with some exceptions such as City and Colour and Noah Gundersen. Anything ’90s and early ’00s is what I draw inspiration from now. It’s just so raw and enjoyable for me. As for fitting those influences into my stuff, I just try to write music that I would enjoy and keep it as organic as possible.
What was the writing and recording and writing process like? How have you evolved from this process?
I came to the guys with seven songs already written. Most of them were written from the heart. As I previously stated, I was experiencing a ton of hardship in my early to mid-’20s and the only way I could cope was by writing about it. Usually, all of my songs are written in a singer-songwriter/folk fashion. It all starts on an acoustic guitar. I noodle around a bit, maybe I’ll find a riff like the one at the beginning of “Sunflower,” or a few chords that sequence well together and start structuring out a verse with lyrics.
Once I get a rough idea down, I’ll demo it and actually walk away from it and come back to it later. Walking away from it for a bit helps me make sure that nothing is forced. There are times that I’ll have lyrics sitting around until I have music that is a perfect fit for them and vice versa, but my usual method nowadays is the aforementioned. Sometimes I’m lucky enough to write a whole song in one go, but as I’ve gotten older, that’s becoming more of a rare occurrence. As for the other three tracks, “In The Pines,” is a Nirvana cover originally written but Ledbelly. Instrumentally, “Bleeding Hearts” was fully written by Andy and me, who wrote the lyrics, while “Snapdragon” was written by Chris both musically and lyrically. The recording process was pretty standard. We recorded at Second Sense Studios and engineered by Chris Kapschock.
Recording likes to tap into your insecurities and make you question yourself as a musician. One day you can walk in and just slay your parts, then you’ll be back the next day and be stuck on certain parts for hours. It’s challenging because you don’t want to waste your mates’ time and from the other end, you don’t want to come off as a jerk and make your mate feel bad for not being able to nail the part. Being a part of the recording process has helped me to be mindful of others and to be kind and encouraging.
How did last year shape the process of this album? I know this was a time everyone kind-of looked at differently, even as an artist.
Dylan: Ah, 2020, what a year. The minute Covid hit the nation, everything came to a halt for us. It delayed the album release date due to vocals not being done. I had just had my first child and the last thing I wanted to risk was her getting sick. Not to mention the guys and their families. We waited for the warmer weather to come around to start tracking again, but there could not be more than two people in there at a time. It was difficult because we would track vocals and then have to wait for everyone to listen and give us the okay, which made the process longer. Other than that, all things considered, I believe it has made us stronger as a whole.
What does Bloom mean to each of you? Each of you can answer this question individually.
Dylan: It’s simple, “Bloom” means to grow. You need to learn from past experiences, live your life to the fullest, and let go of negative entities. If you can’t do those three things, then you’ll never “Bloom” to your fullest potential.
Andy: Out with the old, in with the new. This album marked a growing experience for me. A dark, tumultuous past is confronted and built upon with the light from the present, resulting in a bittersweet flower of understanding.
Chris: Bloom, for me, is introspective. It's an album that is relatable in concept, familiar in style, but fresh in execution. Dylan's songwriting style is very homely to me. I grew up with him while he composed some of these songs, which I feel also comes across in the music. “Bloom” means growth. It means pain, loss, comfort, and catharsis. It encompasses key emotions, feelings, and headspaces that I think anyone can relate to. Mostly, it means to become better. To lift yourself and life those around you in tandem. It's a release I'm very proud to have been a part of and a release I hope listeners can take something from.
Brian: Bloom ultimately represents change and growth. It represents learning from your past and becoming the best person you can be. There is always a light at the end of the tunnel.
Connor: Bloom started as a collection of singer-songwriter style songs that Dylan had made over many years. When he moved back home and showed me the songs as we were reconnecting, I remember saying “We can make something out of this with a full band.” We had no idea who would be a part of it or what would come to be, but somehow it turned into what is now known as Bloom. It means to me that when a group of people really want something to happen and work together great things will come. We took something, nurtured it, and let it naturally grow into what it could be.
What do want people to take from this album release?
My one goal as a musician has always been to write something that someone can relate to- maybe even help someone out of a rut. To let people know that they're not alone in this world and that there are others out there that know exactly how they feel. I hope someone somewhere will listen to one of these songs off of Bloom and find that they’re more resilient than they chose to believe at a time in despair and live the beautiful life that they were destined to have.
As an alternative-rock band, what do you feel you are bringing to the table that other bands haven't so far?
With all the sub-genres in the world today, it’s hard to pinpoint what exactly alternative rock is in 2021. If anything, I would say that we bring a more technical, melodic aspect to the alternative-rock genre. I’ve been told we are reminiscent of A Day To Remember and The Story So Far, but with artful attention to detail.
What other plans do you guys have for this year?
As far as I know, the only plan we have for this year is staying Covid-free (haha). For real though, we are currently working on some new tunes. If everything takes a turn for the better soon, then possibly also playing some shows! I guess the future will tell.