Multi-tasking is incredibly difficult. That's why Alex Schaaf is incredibly talented. He is the man behind Yellow Ostrich. Well he and his drummer, Michael Tapper. The sounds and ideas behind the band however, are Schaaf. And so are the guitars, samples, synths, and every other sound besides the drums emitting from the speakers when they perform. This guy isn't necessarily new however. In fact, I have 45 of their songs in my library. You can even grab every single one, as I did, from their Bandcamp page… Just name your own price. They have a new record coming out, on March 6th, entitled Strange Land. You can grab the free download of their tune "Marathon Runner" below.
However, I would like to focus on my favorite track from their previous releases, "Whale." It is their most popular, and deservedly so. It's a genuinely good track for countless reasons. Rather than focus on the music, which you can hear for yourself in all it's goodness below, I want to focus on the multi-tasking. I included the picture above, from their NPR KEXP Session (which you can download HERE), because it shows the talent that goes into Schaaf's act each and every song. If you listen to the studio version vs. the KEXP session version, there is little difference. Not only does Schaaf's voice sound just as good, but each instrument is even played… Even though there is only a guitarist and a drummer. As you can see above, he only has a guitar and keyboard in front of him. How does he play the bass? Those foot pedals you see below. How does he play samples? Even more foot pedals. All while playing guitar and setting the loops from the keyboard. You tell me if you can do that?
