Friends, we’re glad you’re here. And we’re glad to be back with you as well. Can we all take a deep collective breath together? Yes, just like that. Ok.

If you follow us regularly, you may be wondering whatever happened to OBI after lockdown began in March of 2020—we know we’ve been largely radio silent. Like many of our peers, friends, colleagues, and loved ones, we found ourselves in a significant paradigm shift as the threat of Coronavirus spread. For some of us, the shift meant hunkering down and taking care of loved ones; for some, it meant riding out the pandemic with individual online shows and collaborations within our “pods”; for some, it meant taking on additional work to support front line workers; and for some it meant re-imagining what we want our lives to look like “after the Rona.” It’s also been a time to reflect on our world and help rebuild our community.

A lot has changed for each of us as individuals, but what hasn’t changed is our love for the music we play as a band and the deep respect for and friendship we have with one another. So you might imagine that—after a year-and-a-half of being apart, aside from the occasional virtual happy hour—OBI got back to rehearsing some music together. What a balm!

So, after a hiatus, we’re diving back into performance, first in a special series curated by our very own Liz Draper at Icehouse in Minneapolis on July 26. It’ll be a night of incredible music as we share the evening with Truth Maze, Tashia Baron and Liz, and Soul Trouvère (Colleen’s new duo). Next, mark your calendars for September 8, as we make our return to the Schooner Tavern, this time on a new night: 2nd Wednesdays. We can’t wait to see your faces again—we’ve missed you!