San Francisco-based experimental garage-pop group Thee Oh Sees has gone through several name changes (OCS, the Ohsees, Orinoka Crash Suite, Orange County Sound) and some lineup changes too, but it's always been based around the songwriting of John Dwyer, previously the vocalist and guitar-playing force behind noisy punk bands Coachwhips and Pink and Brown, bands especially notorious for their unhinged live performances. Following Coachwhips' break-up in 2005, Thee Oh Sees became Dwyer's primary musical outlet, gradually shifting from a minimal, warbling folk project into its much different…entire summary

John Dwyer - vocals, guitar
Brigid Dawson - vocals
Petey Dammit - guitar
Mike Shoun - drums

San Francisco-based experimental garage-pop group Thee Oh Sees has gone through several name changes (OCS, the Ohsees, Orinoka Crash Suite, Orange County Sound) and some lineup changes too, but it's always been based around the songwriting of John Dwyer, previously the vocalist and guitar-playing force behind noisy punk bands Coachwhips and Pink and Brown, bands especially notorious for their unhinged live performances. Following Coachwhips' break-up in 2005, Thee Oh Sees became Dwyer's primary musical outlet, gradually shifting from a minimal, warbling folk project into its much different shape today: Robust psych-pop with a gritty, manic sensiblity unlike anything else out there.

At 2009's Noise Pop festival, the now four-piece band headlined a sold-out hometown show, unofficially the garage-rock showcase of the festival—other bands on the bill included Tyvek, the Unnatural Helpers, and fellow locals the Fresh and Onlys (whose 2009 self-titled debut Dwyer released on his own label, Castle Face). This show happened shortly before the release of Thee Oh Sees' then-newest LP, Help, and half the set draws from that record, while most of the remainder comes from 2008's The Master's Bedroom Is Worth Spending a Night In. The songs from Help, including "Enemy Destruct", "Ruby Go Home", and "Meat Step Lively", all have a muscular vigor colored by '60s AM radio pop, a combination they somehow make work wonderfully. The interplay between Dwyer's voice and the dulcet tones of co-vocalist Brigid Dawson is especially pleasing. Since this particular show, Thee Oh Sees have continued touring and have released several new singles, a demos collection titled Zork's Tape Bruise on Kill Shaman, and a new full-length album, Dog Poison, on the Captured Tracks label.

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