Take Five with The Alternate Side: Yellow Ostrich

An evolution from laptop-in-bedroom dabbling to full-fledged, fast-rising band seems to be the biographical trajectory of every other fledgling group these days, but for Yellow Ostrich frontman Alex Schaaf, the transition from solo act to trio appeared to be an effortless one.

Easily morphing into threesome with the addition of former Bishop Allen drummer Michael Tapper and multi-instrumentalist Jon Natchez, Yellow Ostrich's sophomore release, Strange Land, out now on Barsuk Records, is an assured, assertive and confident leap from crafted loops to a raw, live sound.

The band embarks on tour on April 7 — along with opening dates for Los Campesinos! this summer, they play New York's Mercury Lounge on April 8 with TEEN — and Schaaf, Tapper and Natchez recently came in for a live session where they played four tracks off of the new record.  Hear the band on today's Take Five on FUV, and head to The Alternate Side to see all of the in-studio videos. For the full interview, tune in to The Alternate Side in Session — airing at 11 AM on 91.5 WNYE and streaming on The Alternate Side.