Open Source Rebellion

I'm writing to tell you about a band called Open Source Rebellion, an Electro/Rock hybrid combining dirty synths with guitar driven rock & roll riffs. Elements of bands like ZZ TOP, Queens of the Stone Age, and Muse definitely stand out. They have a great heavy rock'n'boogie sound with just enough electro/synth thrown in to really get things moving and a groovin'.

What follows is my interview with Dela from Open Source Rebellion

Nick How did Open Source Rebellion form and could you give us some info on the bands history?

Dela A few years ago my old band Black Diamond Love went into the studio to record our first LP. We had a sort of artist development arrangement with Westlake studios and through them we were paired up with a young engineer (erock) who had been sort of an apprentice to Al Machera, who was one of the two owners of that studio. During this time erock and I became good buddies and we worked together on the eight or so songs that BDL was recording. Around March or April of last year I decided that it was best to leave BDL and I went off and started working on some new things. A few months later I showed erock some demos and he and I made a pact to work together on a new elctro/dance/rock/future/pop sort of sound. We really liked bands like Does it Offend You Yeah?, Justice, Death From Above 1979... but we also really loved bands like Queens of the Stone Age, Refused, Muse... aaand we also really really loved a lot of old shit like every Pink Floyd record, Jimmy Hendrix... so we wanted to fuse all that together into something that was fun.

Nick In your words, what have Open Source Rebellion got to offer music and rock fans?

Dela We want to rock and we want to have fun - and we want everyone else to have fun with us. We don't really have much more of a mission than that. We like to play and we love music and we really just want to kick out the jams and get people dancing and having fun. I think we as a band have learned a lot from dj's... dj's are there to keep the party going, to keep everybody dancing/rockin out, to make sure everyone is having a good time. If we can come close to that while still being a raw live rock band we'll be very happy.

Nick How does the creative process work within Open Source Rebellion?

Dela Erock and I are really honest with each other and I think that's the cornerstone of what we're doing. We're not afraid to disagree, but we agree to only go forward on things we agree on... if that makes any sense. I tend to come at songs from a more acoustic guitar / vocal angle... more verse chorus verse style, he's more of a big picture guy. He'll come in with something, fully thought out, all these parts, all this instrumentation, mixed, etc. I like to jam on things for a long time, kinda let it stew, see if I still like it a month from now. Erock is more like, hey, let's record it, let's get to work. So we do. I trust him and his judgment, he's very balanced and level headed - I'm a lot more emotional.

Nick 'Venus' is a great piece of boogie rock, what can we expect to hear in the near future?

Dela More boogie rock! hehe... definitely more let's dance and rock out and sing along kinda rock. We have a few ballads waiting in the wings too, but we really want to set the tone for fun-rockinfuckinroll with our first EP, so the ballads will probably start appearing on the release after that... but I gotta run that by Erock ;)

Nick Where would you like to see Open Source Rebellion in say 12 months time?

Dela Touring, touring, and touring. Playing festivals. We just want to play as much as we can. I think we'll also have a second EP recorded by then, if not a full LP. More videos. There might be a few other surprises coming along with all that too.

Nick Which bands would you like to play alongside of?

Dela Wow... like fantasy football style or like realistic? It would be SO awesome to open for Them Crooked Vultures or The Dead Weather... Silversun Pickups... Franz Ferdinand... Spoon... BRMC... QotSA... Bad Religion! The Arctic Monkeys... But also it would be cool to be a guest player on a DJs set. Like jump in on a cool Jimmy Hendrix mashup but with live guitars and drums meshing with an awesome DJ mix, if any DJs out there want to toy around with that let us know.

Nick Do you have any advice that you would like to share to help other budding bands?

Dela Help each other out. We're all in this together and there's more than enough room for everyone to make it and tour, etc. Don't be afraid to take lessons. I worked with a vocal coach named Amber Quintero for four months last year and it was a real door opener for me. Be careful with your money, the more you have the longer you can work on your music without going back to the grind. Take risks, have fun, but take care of your mind and body. Its a gift to be here on the planet so look after yourself. Eat your vegetables!

Nick Do you have any highs or lows/amusing moments that you may wish to share with us?

Dela Ummmmm... man I know we got some but going blank on that. We're both pranksters and totally pull junior high style shenanigans on each other all the time. It's hard to believe we're grown ups sometimes. I think right now is a high for us. We're about to release this EP, we just finished this video. We've got this really great family of musicians over at the studio (Bedrock in Silverlake where we rehearse/record). We have almost nightly hangouts and jam sessions/collaborations with the dudes from Second Sun and CB7 and this rad chick Jillian Ann who's doing a sort of gothic rock project. Everybody is giving each other tips in Logic, fixing each others gear, bringing each other food, counciling each other on life's ups and downs. I really dig that. We got this rock orphanage going over here except there's no parents. We just support each other and help each other keep the good vibes. - wessexrocks.com