An Interview with Oneida

Oneida (pronounced “oh-NYE-duh”) has been a difficult band to pigeonhole, which is precisely what makes listening to them so rewarding. They mix genres as though no differences exist between them, and they’re supremely confident spinning off in any number of directions. Their latest album, Happy New Year, was released in July 2006 to critical acclaim. On Saturday, Feb. 17, Oneida will play in the Main Building Multi-Purpose Room at 9:30 p.m. with noise-rockers Genghis Tron and Parts & Labor, thanks to the good people at NoViCE. Arts Editor Mike Newmark had a chance to sit down with Oneida’s drummer, Kid Millions, and talk to him about Oneida’s modus operandi, what Happy New Year means to him, and what his favorite imaginary concert might look like.

The Miscellany News: Since 1997, Oneida has released eight albums. Eight albums! How do you feel?

Kid Millions: Wow, yeah, it’s been a long time, hasn’t it? We’ve got eight full lengths, but we’ve also released a handful of EPs, some singles, some compilation tracks. So we’ve been very busy, but certainly it’s also been a real pleasure. You know, 10 years after plugging away at this stuff, my expectations aren’t that we’re going to get famous doing all of this. One of our guys, Bobby, just had a son, and each of us has a full-time job, too.

MN: So what is your full-time job?

KM: I manage computer networks for small companies. I wouldn’t call it a sweet ideal career or anything, but it pays the bills. And it’s also enough of a tradeoff to keep Oneida’s music alive.

MN: To me and to a lot of others, Oneida is doing something highly unique. What made you guys decide to take the musical directions that you did?

KM: It might not surprise you too much to know that we started out with strands of music that we all liked. We’re big fans of New Order and the German band Can; this may sound naïve, but we’re just people who really love music. Having said that, we don’t go out of our way to define Oneida, so we’re allowed a wide range of styles. We can say, “Let’s do X,” or, “This song will be inspired by show tunes or something.” When we started to consider The Wedding back in 2001, we would ask ourselves, “Is this Oneida?” And the answer would always come to “Yeah, this is Oneida!” And I think that makes us a difficult band, and it keeps us from reaching a wider audience, but you know.

MN: Is reaching a wide audience a big priority for you? Or are you content to keep reaching your niche of highly devoted fans?

KM: You know, you’d always love anyone to hear your music; I very much want people to like it. But I don’t think that’s what we’ve been trying to do and it’s not what we’re trying to do now. From the outset, we’ve put aside our anxieties about that sort of thing, which gives us an advantage. The most important thing for us is to keep creativity alive.

MN: What does Happy New Year mean to you? Is there anything you’d like listeners to get from it?

KM: I wouldn’t say I have a specific mandate for listeners, no. Of course, it would be awesome if people listened closely, but I don’t think we had anything in particular that we wanted our listeners to get out of Happy New Year. What it means to me, though: The thing was created during a period of personal and creative struggle. We were recording in a place we were kicked out of, and that played a big part in the struggle, though everything turned out positively and we all came out of it feeling much better. I think it’s about feeling loss and change, and ultimately accepting it and staying open to newness.

MN: On a bit lighter note, who have you been listening to lately?

KM: Oh God, it changes all the time. Right now, mostly Big Pun (laughs). That question is a good one, but I listen to so much stuff that sometimes I don’t know what I’m listening to anymore. Last week, I was mostly listening to Mission of Burma and, uh, Big Pun.

MN: In your opinion, what’s the neatest instrument in Oneida’s repertoire?

KM: To be corny, I’ll say that the three of us together make a really unique sound, but in terms of an individual instrument, I don’t think I have a favorite. We have this really cool keyboard that’s like an electric string instrument—sort of like an electric harpsichord, but not really. Anyway, most of the cool sounds we create come from synths going through other synths. Those sounds on the song “Happy New Year” are mostly just synths modulating other ones. And we never try to use the synth as a main melodic instrument, either.

MN: I noticed that. It sort of reminds me of what the Liars were doing on their last album, using the guitar not to provide melody, but to anchor the rest of the music.

KM: Yeah, I agree. What the Liars did was play tones from their guitars to use as a drone that bridges the drumming. That’s the way I look at it, anyway. Their approach and ours is kindred but at the same time we might be more traditional in that what we play are “songs.” Not that the Liars don’t play songs, but you know what I mean. I think we lie on the same continuum, and they’re just another step removed.

MN: Tell me about the coolest, freakiest live performance experience you’ve ever had. Please say that robots and aliens dropped through the roof and had a 20-minute dance-and-convulse session during a rendition of “Antibiotics.”

KM: (laughs) No, no, nothing like that. I don’t think we’ve played “Antibiotics” in a few years, actually. But we’ve definitely had a lot of crazy shows. Like, for example, we did a tour where at every show we turned the venue into a giant dance party. I can’t do that at Vassar, though, because my parents are going to be there.

MN: Does your mom like Oneida?

KM: She’s happy that I’m into something. She’s seen Oneida, and she makes an effort to understand what I’m doing. It impresses her to a certain degree, but I wouldn’t say it’s something that she likes.

MN: Is anything in the works for you guys right now? An earth-shattering ninth album maybe?

KM: Right now we’re just working on getting some shows together. We might go to Europe in the summer to tour. In terms of recording, we’re doing little sessions here and there, but nothing major; we don’t expect to be releasing an album this year. We’ve released an album every year for, what, seven years? And now Bobby’s got a new son, so people just need to catch up.

MN: A couple hypothetical questions: First, if you could put together your favorite concert ever, who would be in the lineup?

KM: I’d probably be way amused to see a Rhys Chatham show, along with Beethoven’s late string quartet and maybe Coltrane’s classic band—I think it was Elvin Jones, McCoy Tyner and Paul Chambers. Rhys Chatham was a New York classical composer who used rock instrumentation. He influenced Sonic Youth a whole lot. It’s very hard-pummeling but immediate-sounding stuff. Beethoven’s late string quartets are amazing. It’s like having an unparalleled musical experience. And Coltrane’s classic band…I don’t know. Seeing them play probably would’ve changed my life.

MN: And finally, if you were stranded on a desert island and you could only bring one book, one record and one toy, what would they be?

KM: Hmm. The one record would be Richard & Linda Thompson, I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight. For the book, probably something I’ve never read, like Proust’s Remembrance of Things Past. The last one was “toy,” right? Wait a minute, you mean a toy toy?

MN: You know, like a Tickle Me Elmo doll.

KM: I’d probably bring a soccer ball. Hey, it’s like that movie where the guy’s stranded on a desert island and all he has is a soccer ball (laughs).

MN: Right, Cast Away. But wasn’t that a volleyball?

KM: Oh. Yeah, I think you’re right.