The Magic of Oh Fortuna

Bonus Points for Dancing

originally published March 12, 2008

Sometimes the most danceable electronic music ends up being a bore to watch onstage. Take Hot Chip, for example. DJs can spin "Over and Over" and the dance floor is packed, but put Hot Chip on a stage and it's just five dudes hiding behind laptops. Snooze. You can see the same "show" at Hot Corner any night of the week.

While perhaps musically similar to Hot Chip, the electronic dance collective that is Oh Fortuna shares more in common with The Flaming Lips or Polyphonic Spree when it comes to stage presence. This seven-piece ensemble fills the stage with eclectic costumes, wide smiles and contagious enthusiasm.

"It’s all about performance and humor," says synth controller Nick Lamberth. "If people aren’t having a good time watching you onstage, then they won’t want to listen to your music, and laughter is an easy way to connect with somebody at first, before you try to tug at the heartstrings a little bit."

From matching Harry Potter glasses to tacky Christmas sweaters, the band seems to get behind anything kooky that adds to the spirit of the show.

"We usually just bounce stupid ideas off of each other [like, 'Martin Luther Sting Day'] until one of them makes us laugh hard enough that we have to do it. It’s actually, probably, the hardest part of being in the band - coming up with and making costumes."

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While the silliness may make you smile, it's the tunes that keep you watching. Frontman JT Bringardner reaches out to the crowd like a preacher, his golden Robert Plant locks glowing under the lights as he sings the praises of love, family and friends. Around him, a veritable orchestra of performers plays an array of instruments from saxophone to banjo. The one constant string tying each track together is a steady electronic beat and the gentle swirl of synth. It's hard to tell exactly what all that knob-twiddling and button pushing is all about, but Lamberth isn't interested in divulging any secrets.

"We don’t use electronics," he insists, "we use sorcery."

If magic is at work here, it's definitely not the dark kind. It's more like a fairy landed in Gainesville, FL, waved her magic wand, and Oh Fortuna manifested itself in a cloud of glitter. These kids just seem so genuinely excited to be playing live, like every show is their collective birthday party, and they just want to invite the audience to celebrate with them. How do they stay so darn optimistic? "We all eat a bucket of marshmallows and watch Charlotte’s Web every day to keep the whole illusion up," Lamberth explains. It's hard to tell if he's joking. "Oh Fortuna’s origin story is a deeply guarded secret," Lamberth continues, "but I can say it involved wizards and the best game of Balderdash ever played." (Of course, even Athens' own mega-band Dark Meat will tell you that touring with this size band is a logistical nightmare. Although the group is still young, Oh Fortuna has already come to grips with this struggle and, not surprisingly, has been able to see the lighter side of the situation.

"Seven of us all usually tour, so transportation is a mess," Lamberth admits, "but it’s always a fun trip. It's kind of like an arty, dysfunctional family road-trip comedy - Little Miss Sunshine starring The Goonies, if you will."

In the past year, Oh Fortuna has just begun stepping out on the road and testing the waters. So far, the reception has been very warm. The band was pleased especially by the response in Athens, and was equally impressed by our local talent.

"We all have a band-crush on Ice Cream Socialists," Lamberth says. "The set they played with us was one of the best I’ve seen at a local concert."

In the midst of touring, Oh Fortuna has been busy recording material for its debut release. The first singles are posted on MySpace now, and will hopefully be released sometime later in March or April on an EP tentatively titled Oh Fortuna’s Bad as I Want to Be, by Oh Fortuna. In the meantime, the band can confirm the release of a split 7" with fellow Gainesville band Oh Sanders coming out in April. Oh Fortuna also plans on following the recent trend in music sales: giving it all away for free.

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"We did make the decision that until we professionally record, all of our songs will be up for free to download because we don’t want to be lame about distributing music that we love to make. That is, until we sign to a label and sell out. Then it’s 25 bucks a CD. Count on it."

Despite tales of wizards and marshmallow consumption, this is actually the one line from Lamberth that really seems unbelievable. An ensemble so set on having fun and making others feel good doesn't seem like the type to be easily swayed by dollar signs. In fact, having commercial appeal or success is hardly the group's priority.

Lamberth explains that in the process of writing and recording material, the band "eventually settled on a kind of mission statement for writing the music: Every song should be either physically or emotionally moving. If someone’s not feeling something or dancing, then we’ve failed as a band. Bonus points if they feel it and dance."

Michelle Gilzenrat

WHO: Oh Fortuna, Gemini Cricket
WHERE: Flicker Theatre & Bar
WHEN: Friday, March 14
HOW MUCH: $5