OCS + Shannon Lay

John Dwyer is mainly known as the guitar slashing, vocals yelping head of rock outfit Thee Oh Sees. That group's sound is largely defined by its ample use of distortion, disorienting echo and persistent rhythms, delivered by two drummers banging away at full steam. Its live shows are densely packed spectacles with unruly pogoing and ample sweat. Dwyer has a softer side too though. Making music as OCS, his songs take on a gentler tone. The group embraces slower tempos, string arrangements and folky ballads. It's not always acoutic, though sometimes it is. OCS first turned up in a series of early-aughts releases and again in last year's album Memory of a Cut Off Head. This year the monikier is back with a new concert double LP, Live in San Francisco (out Nov 2), which captures a 2017 performance, and several live shows at Brooklyn's Murmrr Theatre. For those you'll have the chance to see OCS perform as an 8-piece band featuring vocalist Brigid Dawson (a longtime Dwyer collaborator), along with bass, drums, keys, violin, viola and cello.