8/6/2019 Who is Terry Ohms

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november 11 - november 18, 2010   BIRMINGHAM WEEKLY22

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Who is Terry Ohms?Wes McDonalD heeDs the voices anD channels his inner goof

music feature  Sam George

 arts   culture

Terry Ohms is about to release his very frst ull-length album, and he doesn’t exist. That is to say, heexists only in some dusty corner o Vulture Whalerontman Wes Mcdonald’s brain, waiting patiently or his moment in the sun. Well, that moment isnow, and the result is the confdent and slightly silly album “What Do You Mean, What Do I Mean?”(WDYMWDIM).

Though he’s donned a moniker or this project,McDonald indicates that it wasn’t really an attemptto assume a new identity. “I was in a band in Ath-ens, Georgia called The Ohms. As a joke we all hadOhms names. I was Terry Ohms. We had Guilty Glen Ohms, Ron Ohms and Lance Ohms. Then,I got to the point where I didn’t want to put outWes McDonald albums anymore. I just got bored,

and it kind o gets weird with your name out there.We had [Wes McDonald] and The Plan and WesMcDonald and the Fizz, never anything elt really good, so I said i I did anymore solo stu i was justgoing to be Terry Ohms. It’s a lot more un.”

McDonald doesn’t get to spend much timeplaying with his alternate identities, because Vulture

Whale, his primary ocus, has been more than alittle successul. In act, they will be returning torecord another album shortly ater the Terry Ohmsrelease. In many ways, Terry is a reaction to theenvironment o Vulture Whale.

“In Vulture Whale,” McDonald says, “every-thing is done with our guys doing what bandsdo—consulting with each other, bouncing o eachother—and that’s a totally dierent energy thansomeone doing a solo project where one person iscalling all the shots. So, with Terry Ohms it’s justme and I can do whatever I want, and it’s the totalopposite. I play everything on the album.”

And he really does mean everything. WDYM-WDIM has a very ull sound with plenty o layers,and it’s a testament to Wes McDonald that he’s

solely responsible, especially since the songs were written in stolen moments and over a long periodo time.

“It’s really, truly a side project,” says McDonald,“that I do in my spare time. I try to do songs thatdon’t ft the Vulture Whale thing. Vulture Whaleis sort o a straight ahead, let’s see what we can do Horse power: Wes McDonald, comman

horses as his quirky alter-ego Terry Ohm

 with our guys—it’s kind o a gang mentality. Terry is just some other part o the brain. [Vulture Whale]is more o a rock band and Terry Ohms is more o a goo.”

That he is, and though some o WDYMWDIM’smore eccentric moments are just downright weird,they give it zany charm. Anyway, I’m willing toorgive any weirdness, because at its core, this is areally un rock album. It’s got just enough dance toget your toes tapping, and just enough amiliarity tomake you comortable without boring you.

I all this is sounding like your cup o tea, then you can do something about it. The Terry OhmsCD Release show is this Friday, November 12 atBottletree, and according to McDonald the lineupis really out there. “Hank Lazard is doing his puppetthing and you got [local chip-tuner] HROM. Itshould be a really weird night at the Bottletree. I’ll

 be singing and playing drums at the same time. I’mplaying drums, and Les Nuby is playing guitar andDrew Davis is playing bass. James Brangle romThrough the Sparks is playing keys and guitar.Drums were my frst instrument and singing wasmy last instrument. So, I’m going to be doing both,and I have this helmet, the Terry Helmet, because Idon’t want to look like an operator or Garth Brooks

or Celine Dion.”Though he’s only just released his frst ull-length,

McDonald is already looking orward to the nextone. “I’ve got a bunch o songs to do another one;I’ll probably do that one with the band. I really like the band I got going with those guys, and Ilove to play drums, but I never really get to, so it’s

kind o an outlet or that as well. That’s anothdierence between Vulture Whale and Terry,drumming. Jake [rom Vulture Whale] is a rodrummer. He can pull out all the stops and Ipull out only a couple.”

That may be so, but it doesn’t stop WDYMWDIM rom being a thoroughly enjoyable aand it won’t stop the November 12 release shrom being a good time.  

The show starts at 9 p.m. and costs $8. To ptickets, visit www.bottletree.com. For more infTerry Ohms, visit www.terryohms.com.

Sam George is the managing editor of  Birmham Weekly . Please send your comments to ebhamweekly.com.