The three members of One Track Mind pose for a band photo. Credit: Courtesy of One Track Mind
Music has a reputation for unifying even the most remote of strangers.
This can be said for new band One Track Mind, consisting of guitarist and vocalist Keegan Davidson, bassist and vocalist Michael Woosley, and drummer Michael Blakesley. The heavy metal group formed in June 2019 and is currently working on releasing their debut album, “Empire on Fire,” sometime this year.
After graduating from Miami University in 2019, Davidson moved back to Columbus where he linked up with Woosley through a mutual friend. Woosley and Davidson played together in Woosley’s residence until his roommates complained about the noise.
“I remember it was in his living room, and he lived with like three other dudes. And then we jammed like once and then [his] roommates were like, ‘Please stop,’” Davidson said.
Blakesley came into the mix when the other two began searching for a drummer. Woosley and Blakesley were previously in a cover band called Love Carver and attended rival high schools Bishop Watterson and St. Francis DeSales, respectively.
“There’s a high school rivalry that’s fierce in this,” Blakesley said. “I was so easily able to talk shit to him the second I met him… the chemistry had to start there.”
The trio formed a band and transitioned to playing in Davidson’s mom’s basement. Eventually the noise became too much for her as well, and the group began playing music in a storage room at Kram-It Self Storage in Grove City. Woosley said that many other bands also rent space and play there, including a 12-man mariachi band that they witnessed perform.
Davidson said that the three were bandmates before they were friends and had to develop chemistry.
“It’s really weird starting to play music with people and you don’t know them that well,” Davidson said. “You don’t know their personality or how they react to different things.”
Blakesley said music was a “good unifier,” and all three agreed that their relationship grew as they played together. Woosley said that the trio combines their different musical tastes into a collective sound and that there’s no clear process for how they make music.
“The way we’ve developed our sound and stuff has never been set in stone, we always do it different,” Woosley said. “A lot of our stuff has been premeditated, but an equal amount of our stuff has just been literally us jamming.”
Davidson said that at least one member normally comes to a recording session with a concept in mind –– either lyrically or musically –– that guides what they execute that day.
Before the pandemic, Davidson said the band invited about 10 people to come to their unit at Kram-It Self Storage where they performed a “secret show.” He said it was a pivotal moment in his confidence in the band and their ability to perform for others.
“I remember doing that for the first time and then afterwards I was immediately just like, ‘This can go in front of people,’” Davidson said.
The group said they meet at least twice a week to rehearse, and they have developed a work ethic that has been essential to their sound. Blakesley said that their practices are the best part of his week.
“When you sit here and you commit your time to doing something that is worth doing, it makes a difference,” Blakesley said.
Woosley said that his hope is for the group to stand out from other bands. He said the band does not seek to be extremely technical or play intricate music, rather it just wants to make music that sounds good.
“If we stand out and have our own sound, that’s good enough,” Woosley said.
One Track Mind’s music can be found on their Bandcamp site, https://onetrackmindoh.bandcamp.com/, and more updates about the band can be found on their Instagram page @onetrackmindoh.
