County: Dublin

Decades Active: 2000s

About OMB and the Furious Tree

OMB and the Furious Tree, in its current incarnation formed in late 2005, born out of frustration, following a long year of ever-changing line-ups and "bust-ups"!

Keith 'Bat' Barrett and Johnner Ennis gigged 'round Dublin with 'The Ravines' throughout 2004, playing various watering-holes; TBMC, Slattery's, Dorans and Radiator Gigs !! Meanwhile 'The Ripleys', were playing; Isaac Butts, Whelans, The Music Room, and d odd support gig in Doran's on the Garageland circuit however they never crossed paths. Following some personal and directional differences, The Ripleys disbanded and vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Jay Ritchie had a brief spell in The Ravines, whom he met through a mutual acquaintence, filling in on guitar duties! During this short time and in the following months he would become good friends with Keith and John, while forming a new band, 'Harvest'.

Over the next six months The Ravines, who moved into their rehearsal studio in Ashtown, the same room that was once home to The Ripleys, began honing their sound, already sowing the seeds of what would become 'OMB and the Furious Tree'!! However, it would be a time of alcohol and drug fuelled brawls and surprise exits, ultimately leading to the end!! But the rhythm section endured, and over the next month or so the drummer Keith Barrett and bassist John Ennis would continue to jam together, sometimes alongside Ravines lead guitarist Mark Leddy.

Almost simultaneously, on the south side of town, Harvest who had been jamming for some months following almost frequent personnel changes and who had been touting their demo-single, 'Walter Jones' around to various managers and labels where threading the same perilous path!! In-fighting and commitment issues lead to the shock exit of their rhythm section, leaving Jay Ritchie and long-time friend and Harvest lead guitarist Peter Darcy to pick up the pieces. Harvest would play only one gig!

After several sorrow-drowning sessions on the town, Ritchie and Barrett would plot the next logical move for both parties,....to form a musical alliance, one that was always going to be difficult, given that both bands had established their own repertoire of songs. Although both parties had very similar influences, the sound was somewhat different and the band's overall set was being pulled in too many directions, resulting in endless nights of frustration. Mark Leddy would leave the band in October and shortly after, all parties involved would make the decision to bring proceedings to a close. Barrett and Ennis would remain jamming together, only to tighten-up on their playing, while Ritchie and Darcy would part ways and pursue solo projects.

Then in November, following a chance meeting with Tom-Morrison Bell, a London based Organ/Keys player settling in Dublin and studying at Trinity College and who had briefly jammed with an early version of 'Harvest', the OMB spark was re-ignited!! Ritchie and Morrison-Bell would join Barrett and Ennis in Ashtown and form "OMB and the Furious Tree", Obscure Musical Bedlam would ensue! The addition of Morrison-Bell would add a renewed vigour to the songs and ultimately to the sound! The four-piece began stripping down each track and re-building them in a punchier grittier fashion as well as forging new OMB tracks through jamming

Describe OMB's sound? "Catchy instantaneous melodies wrapped-up in a raw-riotous energy of beefy rhythms, punchy guitars and bright splicing organs, steeped in a rich undercurrant of retro-psychedelia,........ I was a chef in a past life". Ritchie.