In the winter of 2005, Oh Captain My Captain began life in Portland, Oregon and in the years to follow, has undergone many transformations. Following the band’s most recent release and tour of Recklessly She Split the Sea, its members disbanded to pursue other musical endeavors. This left Oh Captain’s front man, Jesse Bettis, without a band but it gave him an opportunity to evaluate the direction of the music and assemble a new lineup of musicians with the help of Michael Kitson, his long time friend and collaborator. With the new band came a new sound, although Bettis was careful not to discard the salient qualities of the old Oh Captain.
> The new lineup consists of Daniel Hunt, who brings to the band an innovative approach to the drums. Responsible in part for his unique sound, are the everyday objects that Hunt manipulates to add a variety of textures to each song. Matthan Minster provides backing vocals and keyboard. When not working with Oh Captain, he is busy fronting his new band, Yours, or touring with the Grammy awarded Money Brother, from Sweden. Michael Kitson, drummer for Portland’s Y La Bamba, plays glockenschpiel, toy piano, tambourine, snare drum, and sings backing vocals for the band adding wonderful elements of subtlety. The bass player, Seth Mankoski is not what you would expect from a Jersey native who spent many of his formative years at the shore. Contrary to what you might envision, he does not have a blow out with frosted tips, nor does he pronounce the word coffee, kaw-fee. He does however, appear to tan well and his bass playing is charismatic.
> Stay tuned for the release of Oh Captains new six song EP which captures the band's vintage pop sound featuring classic progressions, lush vocal harmonies, dramatic string arrangements, and tasteful yet adventurous lead guitar work.
"Sometimes drawing comparisons to the Beach Boys (because, duh, harmonies), OCMC implement a variety of instruments and vocal arrangements into their music, creating a substantial collection of live songs that hold up to any of the studio recordings available on their MySpace page." - Audioholic Media
> Recklessly Split the Sea is fine effort to be sure, squeezing proggy, ‘70s chooglin’ rock into compact and melodic frames. - Popmatters
> OCMC sounds like a Pacific Northwest-version of Queen without Freddy Mercury’s flamboyant outfits. And while it's possible for the theatrical rock on the band's debut full-length, 2007's Recklessly She Split the Sea, to seem a little over the top, more often that not, it feels like an authentic homage to music of the 1960s and ‘70s. - Seattle Weekly
Recklessly She Split the Sea captures a band with a knack for sonic theatrics. Bettis' vocal melody lines are unexpected and comforting while the slight psychedelic choppiness of the instrumentation adds a layer of drama and anxiousness to the songs on the band’s ambitious debut. OH CAPTAIN MY CAPTAIN maintains a solid ground in classic rock with all the proper updates and relevance causing Portland area critics like the Willamette Week to take notice and write: “Evoking three different branches of the pop family tree- the Beatles, Queen and Radiohead- OH CAPTAIN MY CAPTAIN offers distinct vocals and a gripping live show."
