Getting to Know… Ohmwork | Interview 🎤

On our 193^rd interview on The Musical Hype, we get some awesome insight into the craft of Norwegian three-piece collective, Ohmwork.

When asked about what makes them unique, 🎙 Ohmwork provides a compelling response:

“We may not be unique in that sense like, ‘Oh wow, this shit is some new innovative stuff never heard before,’ but being a three-piece band, we often hear that we have an energy level playing live that surprises many.”

Pretty awesome, right? The intriguing Norwegian band is comprised of 🎙 Anders L. Rasmussen (vocals and guitars), 🎙 Helge Nyrud (bass), and 🎙 Einar Petersen (drums).  As always is the case on our Getting to Know… series Q&As, we get the scoop – “the 411” – from the interviewees including beginnings, influences, favorite songs, and what they are currently promoting and working on.  Bassist Helge Nyrud answers our burning questions. So, without further ado, here is 🎤 Getting to Know… Ohmwork: Interview No. 193!

Starting things off right, for those who may be unfamiliar with you, what would you say makes Ohmwork distinct or unique? How do you rock the audience’s socks off?  

🎤 We may not be unique in that sense like, “Oh wow, this shit is some new innovative stuff never heard before,” but being a three-piece band, we often hear that we have an energy level playing live that surprises many. That reaction from the audience is always nice. The surprise element.  And that’s how we rock the socks off them.

Okay, let’s explore some juicy backstories. How did Ohmwork form and what were some of the goals or visions you had as a band early on?

🎤 The band formed in the spring 2012. The drummer and the guitarist wanted to form a new group with fresh blood, new everything… They needed a bass player, so they contacted me (Helge) and here we are. The only goal we had that I can remember was to just have fun, play, make a record and do gigs…

Let’s talk more about goals.  Have your goals or your perspectives changed since first starting out? What do your aspirations or goals look like now?

🎤 Yes, I would say so. We see things differently than we did in 2012. We always try to be better than we were on the last record or gig. But the pandemic has moved that goalpost further and further away from doing gigs, so that’s the hardest goal to achieve these days.

Everybody is influenced by somebody else. Who would you consider some of your biggest musical influences and how are they influential?

🎤 We are mostly influenced by heavy rock/metal from the 70s, 80s and 90s. Everything from Kiss, Megadeth to Alice in Chains. Who the biggest influence is, I honestly don’t know. We incorporate bits and pieces from every era we see fit.

Ah, the fun stuff.  What’s your craziest tour story or the wackiest thing that’s happened during a performance?  Feel free to be creative.  

🎤 It’s not a laughing matter, but… We may or may not have a slight drinking problem. One gig we did, we started WAY to early with the backstage drinks. Like we started in the second we sat in the car on the way to the venue. That’s a 5-hour drive. Needless to say, we were shitfaced when we went on stage. We got on stage, and the drummer counts 1…8….934…. and the three of us start on three different songs… It sounded like freestyle jazz and a gorilla getting raped. It was pure filth. So, we try to cut down on the booze before gigs these days. Just a little bit…

Woo – that is quite a crazy experience to say the least! Up until this point in your career, what would you describe as your favorite song you’ve recorded or performed live? What makes that song special?  

🎤 For me personally, it’s 🎵 “Mother City” and 🎵 “The Ballad of Elisa Lam”. I think those two bring out the essence of the band.

Is there anything else awesome, cool, or left of center the world should know about you? Secret talents or surprising tidbits?

🎤 When we aren’t making music, we do porn. The sick German stuff. With pee, poo and harsh language… No, we are actually quite boring … Hahaha

Closing things out, what is Ohmwork currently working on, promoting that you can share with us or want us to know about? We love secrets, but there’s no pressure.   

🎤 For the moment, we are trying to get the new album done and get out on the road again. So hopefully, during this fall we will be up and about. Other than that, we keep on writing new stuff for the next project. There are always good/bad ideas that needs to be tried out. Me personally, I’ve started the draft on a concept album about 2020. It will be played exclusive with Kazoo and farts… That will summon that annus horribilis quite well….

Thank you so much for sharing taking the time to provide some truly entertaining answers to these questions, and best of luck moving forward.

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 🎤 Getting to Know… Ohmwork: Interview No. 193 🎤 [📷: Ohmwork, Mads Sørensen Hammer, Brent Faulkner, The Musical Hype]