Harbinger Magazine would like to thank Wild Bill and The Lost Knobs for doing this interview. This is a group of fun-loving characters from Austin Texas. So, let’s get into the interview.
Bill Ogden, give us the name of the group members and their instruments?
Wild Bill Ogdeb: The Lost Knobs feature Pete “the heat” Gray on bass, Marshall “the hitman” Hood on guitar, Devin White on drums, Amanda sings, and I play guitar and sing.
You have colorful cartoon album covers, how many albums have you made?
WBO: Thanks! I’m a marketing man so I’m all about presentation. After all, it’s another chance to sell the idea and concept of your album, so it needs to be strong and match that. I have been fortunate to find EXCELLENT artists here in Austin, each with their own unique style. I’ve officially released 6 albums, and I did one cover myself out of necessity. Justin Jackley did the cover for “The Show”, Billie Buck did the “Scumbags of the Rodeo” cover (she also did one of the Christmas album covers), and Dave Creaney (photography) and Luke Litman (designer) did the “Fighting for the Title” cover. I’m proud of all of those covers!
How do we find you on Bandcamp?
WBO: This makes me laugh because I had to go look this up. My bandcamp is (apparently) called worldofwildbill.bandcamp.com. I’ll work on updating it with more music. All of my albums are on most digital platforms (spotify, tidal, apple, etc). My solo stuff is listed under “Wild Bill Ogden”.
When did you form this group?
WBO: The Lost Knobs were founded around 2006. The name came from our bass player at the time (Cheyney Shackleford) who had lost all the knobs on his bass. One time I asked him what happened to them, and his response was, “I don’t know. I guess they fell off.” We all died laughing at his seeming lack of concern about what his bass looked like. It was a perfect name. But it even got better when we went to England for the first time and learned that “knobs” is what they call “penis” over there! We’re just a bunch of lost penises really, we don’t take ourselves too seriously.
I see you have a special Christmas feature, tell us about that?
WBO: I wrote a full-length original Christmas musical in 2011 and it has become an underground Austin tradition for the true weirdos who live here. We performed it for the first time in 2011, and we’ve done it every year since. It includes 18 Austin musicians. There is a live band and choreography for all the songs. The story is about Santa Claus getting a divorce and moving to Texas to become a honky tonk hero. He lands in a conservative Christian town and hilarity ensues. It’s an impressive production for a scumbag like myself. During the pandemic I produced a fully animated version and you can find that online.
Honky Tonk Holidaze: The Movie
Bill, where were you born and what took you to Texas?
WBO: I was born in Enid, Oklahoma which is a lovely little town with a ton of churches and bars if you get bored. I did. I attended college at Oklahoma State University, and upon graduation moved to Austin, Texas to play music full time.
Tell us about any future projects or plans you have in the future?
WBO: I have a new solo record coming out soon which I am excited about. I also wrote and produced an Easter musical, and we will be bringing that back to the stage this year with a new soundtrack album as well. I produced an animated version of my Easter musical, Easter Oddity, and you can find that online as well!
Who are your favorite artists or groups?
WBO: Most people take one look at me and say “Zappa” and they aren’t wrong. I love me some Frank Zappa. But really I love any artist who uses their art to challenge the status quo. Dr Hook maybe speaks to me a little more. I was raised listening to a lot of western swing and orchestra stuff, but rock n roll changed me at a young age. My musical taste is all over the place. I’m lucky to play with musicians I admire. Marshall Hood is releasing his own music which I absolutely love. Pete started a band called English Muffin Divers, and they released a fantastic punk rock album.
Bill, is there a question I could ask you to bring out something else of interest?
WBO: “You mentioned animation a couple of times. What’s up with that?” I started animating when I started my Patreon account (patreon.com/wildbillogden). I produced a movie called “Senor Loco” which snowballed into animating the Christmas and Easter musicals. After that, I was approached by Duel to make a music video. It’s very time consuming, but rewarding. I don’t currently have any new animation projects coming, although I never released the full version of Senor Loco, so be looking for that!
In closing is there anything you would like to say to our audience?
WBO: Normalize buying CDs again! It’s the best way to support an independent artist because of the cost structure. Go to shows, tip when applicable, and for God’s sake, BUY THE MERCH!
– Dave Bixby
Dave Bixby 