Oak House

Debut records are difficult to evaluate; the lack of context makes it nearly impossible to be fair. That being said, the inaugural release from local band Oak House documents a band brimming with potential.

It would be a mistake to overlook the similarity of Gresham Cash’s vocals to Thom Yorke’s trademark faux falsetto. Additionally, certain lyrics (“I know your face/ I forget your name/ It’s not important to me now”) are akin to Kid A-era Radiohead. But while copping Yorke’s style is a dangerous move, it’s surprisingly effective here. Paired with the intertwining violin work by Slade Adams and the sometimes erratic drumming of Wes Gregory, tracks like “Make it Rhyme” are strikingly novel.

Other surprising aspects of Plastique Cash worth noting: the substantial amount of experimental noise in the middle part of the record, the tempered chaos on “Loved Her,” the garage-inflected “Hated Her,” which also features a cavalcade of instrumental freak-outs toward its end, as well as some Fugazi-esque bass tones from Wes Kent.

When things go airy, they don’t stay that way for too long. Even the sparser acoustic numbers ("Synesthesia") are so nicely arranged that they hold interest, although I strongly prefer the raucous sounds of songs like “Kent’s Kentish.” Plastique Cash is a dynamic statement. - Flagpole Magazine

In the Classic City we prefer our music just like we prefer everything else . . . local. In a city so rich with music history and culture, I was excited to find a new band with a unique and unprecedented sound. One of our city’s debuting artists from this year is a sound you need to know . . . Oak House.

Named after Gresham Cash’s beloved house on Oak Street from his college days-known for its’ ludicrous house shows. Factually, his farewell house-show nearly obliterated the structure. Isn’t that how we prefer our parties, Athens? For Cash, the experience was nostalgic, and allowed him to play with crowd dynamics.

I headed out to the album release show for Plastique Cash on September, 19th at the 40 Watt. I couldn’t wait to check out the band live, based on how the album played through my speakers. One of my favorite songs called Little Queen quickly became a pulsating anthem for my fall season.

With strong local openers such as Thayer Serrano, Brothers, and Powder Room, Oak House had the support of the music scene native to Athens and a packed out crowd.

Seeing Gresham Cash on stage is an experience of witnessing a true performer. He reels in the audience with his stage presence, shakes the house down, and then takes songs up to a more fluid dynamic with his Thom Yorke-honed pipes.

Listening to the album Plastique Cash means getting caught up in the story of their sound. It is reminiscent to my days when I would really wear out an album for a season of my life. When music meant something to me like The Arcade Fire’s Funeral, or Weezers’ the Blue album; it is a complete work.

Do yourself a favor and check out this promising band open for hometown heroes The Whigs this Friday night at 9pm The 40 Watt.

Much like an Oak House party from the days of old, it will not disappoint! See you out on the town! - The Broad Collective

9. Oak House: Plastique Cash (Independent Release)
This was a year of growth for Oak House, formed in January as Sehrmann and led by songwriter Gresham Cash. In addition to a raucous AthFest show, a September album release at the 40 Watt and a November blowout with The Whigs, there was a surprisingly great debut album, Plastique Cash, epitomized by the back-to-back tracks “Loved Her” and “Hated Her,” which mix straight-up indie rock with screeching garage and grunge. [Carolyn Crist] - Flagpole Magazine

Upstart Band of the Year - Oak House - Flagpole Magazine

Formed in Athens, Georgia, Oak House is a relatively new band. Opening for other Athen based bands like the Whigs, T. Hardy Morris and Easter Island, Oak House is slowly making a name for itself across the East Coast. On tour this fall to introduce their debut album, “Plastique Cash,” (which they finished with Ryan Monah of Easter Island) Oak House will be performing at the Green Bar in Tuscaloosa on Sept. 10.

Oak House plays a heavy mix of melodic indie rock, psychedelic, experimental and grunge. Occasionally, there are chaotic moments of Southern infused guitar riffs, which hints to the bands Georgia roots. Drummer Wes Gregory said the style of the band is based on each member’s various influences such as Grizzly Bear, The Pixies and Nirvana. Gregory, a recent University of Georgia graduate, grew up listening to a lot of heavy music that emphasized speed and technicality.

Gregory said their front man, Gresham Cash, had a wide range of influences: from electronic centric music like Radiohead to rock classics like The Beatles. The band’s bass player, Connor Sabula, primarily plays the jazz guitar outside the band.

“This lets [Sabula] approach his instrument in a unique way, allowing him to draw on his influences in ways that most bass players would not do,” Gregory said. “When we write music, these differences allow us to offer insight into each other's playing habits and create a unique and healthy balance of all the influences we draw upon, creating the sound that is Oak House.”

Although not all college students may be interested in this style of music, Gregory said, the band is still accessible to people, even those who primarily listen to hiphop or pop.

“Having a unique sound is a two edged sword in a lot of markets that we have played in the past. On one hand, because people may have never heard the style we are playing, it has the potential to be difficult to relate to, or inaccessible to people who primarily listen to pop music,” Gregory said. “On the other hand, our uniqueness enables us to stick out and cut through the noise of stylistically common bands. It makes our shows memorable and hard to ignore, no matter the musical disposition of our listeners.”

Check out their website, www.oakhouseband.com, for future tour dates, and visit the Green Bar at 2209 4th Street on Sept. 10 at 9 p.m. to experience their interesting sound. - The Crimson White

Playing a string of dates in New York City the week of March 7, meet Oak House so specialize in their own Athens, Georgia style of psych baroque. Their recent release, Plastique Cash presents a melding of strings, song suites, and more that runs through the opener “River Bridegroom” to the haunting epic closer, “Vexilla Regis”. Catch them playing Rockwood Music Hall March 7, Niagara March 11, a TBA show in Montclair, NJ March 12, March 13 at Brooklyn’s The Living Room, and at The Candy Barrel March 14 in New Brunswick, NJ. Frontman Gresham Cash offered us the following words on the making of Plastique Cash, and upcoming east coast tour:

We went into the making of our first album a month or so after the formation of Oak House. Our first show together was under a different name and had an equally different arrangement of band members. However, there was a core group of songs and members that continued to develop. “New Wake”, “Riverfield Bridegroom”, and “Spade for You” were some of the earliest tracks that we knew we liked, but songs like “Little Queen” and “Further” were ideas from Gresham that materialized quickly in the final days of recording.

With a year together, the band is taking Plastique Cash to NYC. Thanks to enormous support and help booking from Jersey band Perennial Reel, Oak House has five (or more) shows booked in the NYC area for the week of 3/7 to 3/14. Although Athens and Atlanta have a thriving music scene, the band is excited to play in arguably the greatest music scene in the world. New York, and cities like it, can make or break baby bands. At the very least, we hope to play to human beings in a great city on our mini tour, but if our shows don’t yield people, then the dark, dreary doom of New York’s night will quiver with our sound waves. - Impose