#ryan olcott

If We Stayed Alive by 12RODS

If We Stayed Alive by 12RODS

If We Stayed Alive by 12RODS

Ryan Olcott and his extremely underrated 12 Rods project, has been a legacy shrouded in mystery. I remember hearing “Glad That It’s Over” for the first time on the Orange County soundtrack. A movie which has become a cult classic.

 If you ever dig into Twin Cities music history, you’ll know that 12 Rods Has made an impact on the local scene as well as alternative music, in general. After a reunion in 2015 and the documentary “Accidents Waiting to Happen”, No one knew if we’d hear from them again. But here we are in 2023 with a new 12 Rods album, out on July 7th (Vinyl release via American Dreams)… the first new music from them in two decades. “If We Stayed Alive” was recorded in Saint Paul, and is an unexpected gift from from one of the few bands who was given the perfect 10. “Twice” is a slacker anthem that could have easily been on the classic “Gay?” EP. (you can listen to their entire discography on Spotify.) 12 Rods will play First Avenue on Friday, July 14th. w/ Crimes

Download the hour long Podcast interview HERE! UTintrvw#19: Ryan Olcott

Ryan Olcott came through the loft for the last interview I conducted @ the Carlton before moving out in March 2012.  The mastermind behind FoodTeam / Mystery Palace / 12 Rods spoke on growing up in a musical family, his relationship with popular music, the many facets of his career in engineering sound, and his direct experiences taming the glitchy, tone-deaf beast known as circuit-bending.  If you are not aware of circuit-bending as an art form, I suggest watching a few parts of FoodTeam's in-studio performance before listening to the interview.