Doomed Confessionary: Steven O’Kelly (Breath)
The story of Portland Oregon’s heavy duo Breath can be traced back to childhood friends Steven O’Kelly (bass, vocals) and Ian Caton (percussion) starting out playing together in Junior High. Taking notes from other stripped down heavy hitters such as OM, Grails and Earth, as well as classic mentors Black Sabbath and Ravi Shankar, Breath’s performance is filled with an atmosphere of spiritual waveforms, shaped by Eastern practices and philosophies and much more. Their sound is a virtual landscape of sonic down tuned bass with pounding earth shaking rhythms heavily influenced by greats such as John Bonham.
Their uniqueness puts them in the same realm along modern bands heavy, wise and mighty such as Eagle Twin. Occasionally adding textures with Tibetan monk chants and samples of earthly sounds, along with guest appearances on percussion duties and 6 string guitar for added flavor, Breath have no boundaries, and are always ready to paint more color on their canvas reflected by their 2021 debut release »Primeval Transmissions«. They take into consideration that their collective hive mind has no limits, and do with their music as they see fit, while still retaining their vibe and sound making them unique standout artists in the ever growing local doom scene of Portland, Oregon.
During the Spring of 2023 keyboardist Lauren Hatch was brought into the fold to record and later formally joining Breath. A welcome addition bringing a further realized landscape of sound. In Spring 2024 Breath welcomes Justin Acevedo on guitar.
Can you say a few words about your band?
An expression born of the projected visions seen through stone eyes of distant histories.
What was the biggest challenge for the band last year?
Learning about the different tools at our disposal to better collaborate with our band mate and sound engineer Rob Wrong while recordidng our new album was new territory, but a great process to deepen our understanding in shaping the sound. We worked at finding new avenues of instrument and effect to fold into the mix.
What can you be most proud of so far?
I’m proud of our scene here in Portland, Oregon. There’s a lot of ways the bands and creators in the community show up for each other. We’ve been putting together a Spotify playlist called Hidden Shrines of the Heavy Riff Kind for a few years now, and it’s cool to see how what started as just a playlist has evolved into a way for musicians to help each other out and a virtual town square of sorts for metal in the NW.
What was your biggest regret?
I truly regret not getting a hand truck sooner. It sounds funny, but once we invested in one to haul our gear to and from the car its changed how shows feel. Any angle to make the pre-show time go smoothly and relaxed helps for us.
What was the best concert/tour last year and why?
Earth playing at a venue called the Doug Fir stands out in my memory from last year. It’s a special subterranean stage with ringing acoustics. Dylan Carlson played a somewhat generic guitar instead of any other ultra rare one he probably owns, and still a complete transportive experience. Showing the player transcends the instrument.
What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
Grails’ new album »Anches En Maat« has been a regular record to put on lately. World creators solely through instrumental transmissions.
Can you say something more about the music scene in Portland and Oregon?
Oregon has a rich spectrum of diverse bands within the scope of the heavy music scene. Almost every band we’ve encountered goes out of their way to be helpful and supportive of the metal community. From Portland to Eugene, Medford, Bend. All greats.
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
Currently we’ve announced a show supporting our friends Red Mesa for their first trip to Portland from New Mexico. The guitarist Brad Frye runs the label we’re signed to Desert Records and we look forward to sharing the stage! More dates are in the works TBA.
What are your plans for the future as a band?
A lot of songs and inspirations up our sleeves. I can say that there is a new album that will be seeing the light of day sooner than later.
How can people best support your band?
You can find us at inbreath.bandcamp.com to listen to our remixed/remastered »Primeval Transmissions« and merch.
Do you have any message for your listeners?
Thank you for giving us the gift of sharing our heart and soul with you! We’ll have more for you soon.
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well