Folk Rock from David Omlor

After more than three decades spent moving through the ups, downs and sideways turns of the music industry, David Omlor has arrived at a place of self-awareness that is equal parts reflective and self-deprecating. A songwriter, performer and long-time fixture of various musical projects, he’s spent his adult life using music as a form of self-therapy, turning personal experience into songs that sit somewhere between storytelling and survival.

His journey began in the Philadelphia music scene during the 80s and 90s, where he played in bands such as Somebody Else’s Problem and The Thangs. Both groups developed something close to cult followings in the region but that chapter, however, came to a dramatic and unusual end in 1996 following an onstage incident involving a nail gun, a 1978 Les Paul and a large stuffed llama, prompting his departure from Philadelphia altogether.

Eventually settling on the west coast of Florida, he continued to walk his musical path, most notably as part of the band Benjamin Road, which released its debut album Naked Sunday in 2019 and has remained active on the live circuit across the state. Like many artists, David’s creative output shifted during 2020 and working through that period of uncertainty, he created a solo album titled Entropy, written and recorded in lockdown conditions and shaped by distance collaboration.

Following Entropy and the Bucklore EP For The Sirens, David Omlor has returned with a new single titled “The American Boys (The Ballad of Frank Gusenberg and the St Valentine’s Day Massacre),” a track that blends historical story with a raucous musical approach. Working closely with producer, engineer and guitarist Shane Blank, David presents a song that recounts the true tale of Frank Gusenberg, the only survivor of the St Valentine’s Day Massacre in Chicago in 1929. Gusenberg was shot 14 times during the event and found alive by police, yet refused to identify the attackers, insisting that Chicago mob justice would ultimately take its course before he later died of his injuries.

Wrapped up in a lively folk rock fabric, “The American Boys” rolls with a bouncy groove formed by pulsing basslines and jittery guitar rhythms as David channels Frank Gusenberg’s perspective to trace the dramatic events of almost a century gone by. Carried by catchy melodic leads, his voice spin storytelling lyricism while the arrangement flows through instrumental passages of rustling drum rolls, bright guitar leads and staccato piano runs.

Despite the heavy subject matter, the song delivers a playful sound that’s guaranteed to put a smile on you face, marking his return as a solo artist in superb fashion. Distilling a vintage blues-inflected sound, “The American Boys” sees David Omlor put his highly original songwriting and performance talent on full display. With “The American Boys,” he continues to operate in that space where storytelling and sound collide, offering an epic musical moment that frames an eventful historical story in an enjoyable sonic package.

Listen to The American Boys below

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