Category All Art Classes Classical Music Concerts DANCE Etc Exhibits Families Farmers Markets Film Happenings Holiday Holiday Lectures Music (non-classical) Theater

Submit events

PHOTO BY JOHN LARSON

WE SAW YOU. Osiris is, from left to right, Chris Beardsley, Paul Bliss, Cody Green and Bon Johnson.

Osiris hits the ground running

By John Larson

Osiris has written enough songs to play a set, made up T-shirts and is heading into the recording studio. Not bad for a group that has been together for less than two months. The Auburn-based band consists of Bon Johnson on vocals, Cody Green on guitar, Chris Beardsley on bass and Paul Bliss on drums.

Bliss grew up in Southern California and moved up here three years ago. The others grew up in the Puget Sound area.

Green, Beardsley and Bliss had known each other from playing in various bands in the last few years. They were playing with a different singer but musical differences had them looking for someone else.

Johnson sings for AC/DC tribute band Soul Stripper. He first met Bliss when he hit a Soul Stripper gig and sat in with that band for a few songs.

Johnson was playing in three other bands when members of the band Unhailoed gave him Green’s phone number. At the time he was hesitant about joining a fifth band, but he went out to hear Green play. Johnson hopped on the drum set and the two jammed on a Stevie Ray Vaughn song.

“The minute I heard him I knew he was the next big thing,” Johnson said. “That is what sold me.” He kept his position in Soul Stripper, dropped the other three bands and formed Osiris with the other musicians in early October.

The name refers to the Egyptian god of music. Green typed in “god of music” on an Internet search and came across the word.

Osiris currently has 10 songs. Many of them start with Green coming up with a riff, then Beardsley and Bliss add their input. Johnson writes the lyrics.

Bliss said one person can bring in an idea for a song and the others will refine it. “Everybody gets to express their artistic values,” he said.

At 17, Green is considerably younger than his band mates, who all have been playing longer than he has been alive. They are all clearly impressed with his style, which combines the shredding techniques of metal guitarists like Yngwie Malmsteen and Jason Becker with the blues-based emotional playing of artists like Stevie Ray Vaughn.

Their material allows him ample room for guitar solos. Beardsley noted solos went out of fashion for many metal bands at the turn of the century. Bliss said avoiding solos is just a fad that Osiris has no interest in following. “We do what we do because we love to do it,” he remarked.

Green tried out for a competition for a guitarist to join Spike and the Impalers, the band led by Spike O’Neill, a radio personality on KZOK 102.5 FM. He had to play two Van Halen songs, “You Really Got Me” and “Eruption.” Green said his playing was well received, but he did not exhibit the right stage presence and thus did not win.

The band has not played any shows yet but is working on lining some up. Johnson wants to organize a big all-ages show at Renton Civic Theater in January.

They plan to be a very theatrical band, using dry ice, black lights and lasers in their shows. They have a coffin from which Johnson plans to emerge from to make his entrance on stage. Johnson was inspired by the elaborate stage shows that bands like Iron Maiden and Motley Crue did in the 1980s. “We want to stand out,” he remarked.

Osiris will enter a recording studio later this month to begin work on their debut album, which they hope to have completed by early February.

Story Tools