Oftiani
Cleveland, Ohio, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2023 | SELF
Music
Press
Oftiani, a husband and wife indie rock duo from the Rock Capital: Cleveland, Ohio, has released their debut album Off & On. The couple crafts original art rock music — i.e., songs that aspire to be aural artworks achieved through expeditions of melodic, poetic, and rhythmic exploration.
Oftiani’s arsenal leans more toward percussion and wind instruments (like glockenspiel and saxophone) instead of the typical guitars or keyboards common to rock music. Besides shooting for an outcome that is illustrative and emotive, they aim to make music that is relatively unfeigned and unadulterated — reflective of their relationship as not only business partners, but also life partners. The resulting sound of this unconventional approach is a fusion of alternative, folk, and indie rock.
“The entire band” is married to each other; they are high school sweethearts; and they met making music together in marching band. Hence, Oftiani chose Valentine’s Day 2024 as the date for their inaugural releases: album Off & On (with 11 tracks) and single US.
It could be said the band was founded in 1991, when the couple first became an item. Or in 2002, when they married. Or maybe 2005, when they posted an ad online looking for like-minded musicians to form a band. Or perhaps 2021, when they bought their recording equipment. Or 2023, when they officially organized as a Limited Liability Company.
But the reality is that all these dates are accurate — because the road to this premiere was windy and long, with any number of speed bumps and U-turns along the way. The two are now in their late forties — battle-scarred, but strengthened and street-smart. They’ve hence decided to throw caution to the wind and make do with what they have — rather than worry about a utopian archetype.
In addition to being a band, Oftiani LLC is also an autonomous record label and music publisher — meaning the group writes, records, and releases its own songs, making the results genuinely DIY music.
Digital Downloads of the songs are available via Bandcamp, Reverb Nation, Amazon Music, and the iTunes Store. Audio Streams are accessible through the major DSPs — including YouTube Music, Amazon Music, and Spotify.
Oftiani’s print-on-demand merchandise is obtainable via both Spreadshop by Spreadshirt and Spring by Amaze; plans include launching a signature line of homemade merch as well if logistics prove to be practicable. - Elicit Magazine
Discography
As spouses and heart high school sweethearts who met making music together in marching band, Oftiani released their debut album Off & On (with 11 tracks) and bonus single "US" on Valentine's Day 2024.
Songs from the album Off & On (in track order):
• Marriage V (Still Here)
• Empathy
• Irish Blessings
• Bedabbled
• You Are Beautiful
• Slow Burn
• On the Edge
• Castoffs
• Marriage (Love Letters)
• Bizarro
• Undying Love
Bonus (but freestanding) Single released alongside album
Off & On:
• US
Photos
Bio
Oftiani (pronounced ôftēônē) — an art rock band from the Rock Capital, Cleveland, Ohio — comprises husband & wife Matthew Thornicroft (thôrnēkrôft) and Bridget Viviani (vivēônē).
Bridget is the band’s songwriter, vocalist, drummer, percussionist, bassist, ukuleleist, illustrator, graphic designer, and artistic copywriter, and Matthew is the duo’s saxophonist, flutist, tin whistler, publicist / PR point person, editor, and advertising copywriter.
As an art rock band, Oftiani strives to compose songs that are canvases and carvings — with the instrumentation elicited by the storyline instead of being solicited by custom — creating illustrative, emotive, avant-garde music.
The sound fashioned is a fusion of alternative, folk, and indie rock. Though a bit anomalous in terms of instrumentation, the band’s music is analogous to the Cranberries, Bat for Lashes, Beirut, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Switchfoot, and The National.
A fortuitous foreshadowing of their marriage and musical act to come, Matthew and Bridget met in their high school’s marching band. Though they’ve been a couple ever since, they didn’t dream of weddings or rock bands as guileless teens — and thus staked out their own paths at separate colleges, where Matthew majored in Journalism (with a Public Relations focus) and Bridget majored in studio art (with concentrations in painting and sculpture). Little did they imagine how the tools gained doing so would lend themselves favorably to providing in-house resources for their new gig. As they toiled along their individual career and life paths, their love for each other grew and their zest for music accrued — till finally Oftiani ensued.
In addition to being a band, Oftiani (officially a Limited Liability Company) is also an autonomous record label and music publisher. The group writes, records, and releases its own songs — making the results genuinely DIY music.
Oftiani is registered with ASCAP, SoundExchange, The Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC), and Music Reports (MRI).
Digital Downloads of the band’s songs are available via Bandcamp, ReverbNation, Amazon Prime, and the iTunes Store. Audio Streams are accessible through the major DSPs, including YouTube Music, Amazon Music, and Spotify. Oftiani’s print-on-demand (POD) merchandise is retailed through Spreadshop by Spreadshirt and Spring by Amaze.
Band Members
Links
