Odhogan: The Melodic Start of a Music Journey

Published in Unrated Magazine, on April 4th, 2010

by Sadaf Fayyaz

The interview is of a very talented alternative rock band named Odoghan. The band started their music about five years back in 2005, when Jose Visconti asked his friend Cesar Nocetti to join the project as the lead guitarist of the band. Jose Visconti was born in Cordoba, Argentina. Jose Visconti is the song writer, singer and guitarist of the band. Cesar Nocetti is the bass guitarist of the band Odoghan. His birth place is San Luis. Later on, Enrique Paglia, who happens to be a cousin of Cesar, joined the band as the drummer and engineer. He also played in three different bands before being Odoghan's drummer, "Cables en Corto", "Santos Pecadores"," Medium". The band music genre is definitely alternative rock. The members belong to Argentina and all exhibit great talent. Cesar Nocetti played some bass in "Unimog" before joining Odoghan. Cesar Fernadez is the lead guitarist, backing vocalist and graphic designer. He played in a local band "Medium" too. The band comprises four members and all are very talented men. Their songs include "Sail to the Moon", "Beautiful Soul", "It Ain't Over", "Mankind" and "Stranger". Their song "Sail to the Moon" stood at local number one. According to their press items, the song critique Frenchy Gloder says a few words about the song "Sail to the Moon":

"Sub Steely, Dan Rocky offering, everything from vocals to drums is completely played. It is well recorded and well produced. Pleasant rock track to shine your cowboy boots to"
According to Frankie Briggs, "Very good, I like the chords a lot, the production was really cool and the tune is cool!!!!"

You can find their music at the following link: http://www.myspace.com/odoghanmusic
Sadaf Fayyaz: Tell about your inspiration.

Inspiration comes from daily living. The victories, doubts and feelings you confront and experience every day. Looking to your inside, writing while traveling, switching places and people, exposure to different cultures, time on your own. Love, observation, people, adversity and willingness to speak up your mind, or what at a certain time feels like your mind. It comes from bringing your inside out.

Sadaf: Give a brief introduction of the band members.

Jose Visconti: Songwriter, singer/guitarist, born in Cordoba, Argentina.
Cesar Nocetti: Bass. Played in "Unimog" before joining Odoghan. Born in San Luis, Argentina.
Kike Paglia: Drums and engineering. Played in three different bands before being Odoghan's drummer, "Cables en Corto", "Santos Pecadores"," Medium". Born in Cordoba, Argentina.
Cesar Fernadez: Lead Guitarist, backing vocals. Graphic Designer. Played in "Medium", a local band that's been in the local scene for ten years, with Enrique playing drums. Born in Cordoba, Argentina.

Sadaf: How and when did you guys get interested in music?

J.V: When I was a kid I loved listening to music, spent hours and hours listening to the Sex Pistols, The Ramones, and The Doors, 90 minute cassette's tape rolling and rolling. Felt so many things with my headphones on, music was moving me in every sense. Very liberating and full of truth. In high school, I saw some of my friends on stage playing with their bands, I felt like had to be there, and wanted to be onstage very bad. I hated watching from my seat.
C.N: I used to listen to my dad's albums, lots of "Beatles music" and later on started putting together my own "cassette collection" and started to broaden a little the whole thing.
K.P: I first got a lot of music from my older brothers, bands like Seru Giran, Pedro y Pablo, Sui Generis, Charly Garcia, Riff, Orions and Polifemo. I spent long lasting afternoons listening and listening but it wasn't until 9 when I was completely blown away by KISS' "Dynasty" LP. Later watched them perform on T.V. and had a blast. I could not believe my eyes and thought to myself: "This is what I wanted to be". At nine being a Rock Star seemed like the best plan.
C.F: Music caught my attention for the first time when I listened to a "The Police" album during a family trip to the coast, the album belonged to Enrique, my cousin.

Sadaf: What was the first instrument you learned playing and at what age? (Education, music training)

J.V: I've been singing since a kid (always loved it) and gave it a try to play guitar when I was around 12. The teacher (my mom hired back then) really mastered me being completely bummed out, the songs totally sucked, were very uninspiring, so kind of hate it and quit, and then my ambition to be a guitarist made it back when I was 18 that I started taking guitar lessons from one of my best friends. Later I took formal guitar and singing lessons. Then I studied at music school for two years, to approach music academically and dig into reading music and some theory. Meanwhile I did sing in two different choirs for three years.
C.N: At 12 I grabbed a bass for the first time (from a friend of mine, who had his own band) and had a crush on the instrument already, hooked me completely and felt very comfortable with it. It was then at 15 when another friend taught me the basics that I put my first band together.
K.P: I gave the guitar a try when I was 10 years old, but quickly realized that it was not really my thing. After messing up my mother's tupperware kits and making everybody in the house go nuts (due to the noise), I took some drum classes at music school, and at 16 had my first drum kit.
C.F: Started playing guitar at 15, was such an enormous change to be able see music from the inside.

Sadaf: Who are your favorite bands and musicians?

J.V: I am a big fan of The Beatles, The Ramones, Pearl jam (Eddie Vedder), Nirvana, Radiohead and Coldplay.
C.N: I am influenced by different sorts of music, Blues, heavy, grunge, Jazz, classic, bosa nova. Bands, to name some: Iron Maiden, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Rolling Stones and some local bands like Papo and Spinetta.
K.P: My favorite bands: Led Zeppelin, KISS, AC/DC, The Who, Deep Purple, The Police, Genesis, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Anthrax, Megadeth, and Slayer.
C.F: Great bands and guitarists: Incubus, Metallica, Steve Vai and Joe Satriani.

Sadaf: Share a few lines on your album. What are your expectations from fans?

The album got 11 songs, written during the last 5 years, so they are quite a mixture of experiences and things the band and me had gone through. It is very diverse and we are very proud of that. Sometimes gets very hard not to repeat yourself. If you write a couple of songs and that's it, may work, but if you want to go further and you intend to put an album together and go out and play live a 60 minute gig, there's were the real challenge begins and you got to start thinking of ways to put an interesting piece together. We wanted the songs to express different moods and wanted the listener to be exposed to those different moods, stories and feelings and not sense that they may get bored after 3 or 4 songs, having sorted out the band's style. Though we remain loyal to a style or genre or however we would call it, what stands out is what we want to say on each song and therefore the music we pick to express it.
We expect from our fans that they simply like the songs and enjoy the album.

Sadaf: What is your music genre?

Vaguely, Indie rock, Alternative rock, though the genre should by no means limit the power of expression, labels should not..., though it is hard not to fit one. We want to believe, we just play music.

Sadaf: Have you ever played cover songs?

Yeah sure, plenty, we gave lots of "cover songs gigs" (We would play 30 songs sets, songs from our favorite artists). We even took part on contests playing cover songs. I believe it is very hard to start from scratch writing your own songs, it's just too many things you simply lack of. Though cover songs are needed experience and formation you have to be wise enough, to let the cover songs go, before it's too late and they may influence your style in a way you are not allowed to discover and shape your own style. You got to leave the "comfort zone", jump and believe in what you do, face a crowd with your own material, meaning what you sing and play.

Sadaf: What is your source of learning?

Listening to music, studying, being critical (very), and trying out, recording yourself a lot, and listening to yourself is the real deal. Be acquainted to the way you actually sound, not the way you "think" you sound.

Sadaf: How do you define music?

A great means of self expression and a great way to connect and share with others

Sadaf: What is your message to fans?

Hope they enjoy the band and songs and relate to them (make them of their own). We would be very flattered if the songs get to be part of their lives somehow. And one last thing: Keep on listening and supporting your artists. Bands and their music are nothing without the fans. It is such a great motivation to think that somebody you will never ever get to know, at the other side of the planet, in a little corner, going to set his/her MP3 player and be listening to your tunes...crazy.