Gothic Theatre
O’er The Ramparts
O’er the Ramparts. Makes you think of anthems, doesn’t it? Broad stripes
and bright stars and big bombs bursting in air. The five young men of O’er
the Ramparts know all about anthems. Packed tight with a gunpowder of pop
and indie rock, they can blast out symphonies of feedback and distortion
like a Howitzer or something. But their crosshairs are, as always, firmly
fixed on the GREAT POP SONG.
In 1999, this Denver quintet came together out of mutual admiration
and a shared love of cheap beer, dirty sneakers, and the sounds of All-
American Rock—indie, classic, and otherwise. After having kicked around
town for years in various outfits like Blastoff Heads and Sticky Five Pin,
the Ramparts knew what they wanted and they knew how to get it: punk
volatility, pop savvy, and a variety of writers and voices to create that
fabled “creative tension.” And it worked—over the course of their first two
releases, Viva Las Ramparts and Waves of Static, O’er the Ramparts
perfected their chemistry of ragged hooks and bare-knuckled riffs. With
four songwriters, everyone singing, and a live aesthetic that involves lots
of both jumping up and falling down, they turn any stage into a monkey cage
at the zoo. They are, however, definitely NOT a garage band—no uniforms,
no gimmicks, no blatant retro aping.
