Oversat ready to take its Nordic fame to next level

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Knoxville band Oversat has a huge following in Scandinavia, and is ready to take on the rest of the world.

KNOXVILLE — Over a decade together, Oversat has mapped an unusual career. Since 1999 the trio of high school friends has made three major genre changes, taken a three-year hiatus, been selected as Verge Culture ambassadors and been featured in a bicycle safety PSA. These off-kilter odds and ends were only a start. Roughly 12 years after its inception the band's ambition switch has been flipped as Oversat prepares to unveil multiple releases before embarking on an international tour to the delight of its rabid European following.

What began as a Knoxville punk/hardcore outfit shifted to a rap crew, and while the band hasn't abandoned those sounds entirely, Oversat's new material is predominantly "surfwave." Coming into 2011, the band laid off gigs for three years, partly due to involvement in other projects and partly to build a catalog reflecting its new influences.

"During this whole time, we all played with our other bands," Jared Cooper (guitar, vocals) points out, "mostly all punk bands; we kinda stayed in a comfort zone. Then we got serious about putting (out) all the demos we'd been working on together. There were plenty of songs that didn't fit with the bands we were active in. Oversat provides us with a more creative outlet. Anything goes in Oversat."

"We do intermingle all the styles of Oversat past as well as the other bands that we've played in," continues bassist/vocalist Jeremiah LongBear, "which inevitably has made it hard for fans from various eras to keep up. We have punk fans and rap fans. Neither one probably likes our whole back catalog."

This year marks the first time Oversat's music has been available in any format outside dubbed-over cassette tapes. With one EP, "Mixed Signals," out already, the group will release the second installment, "Summer Saved Me," in August. With so much material amassed following its lengthy writing binge, the group will avoid Oversat-uration by debuting the recorded catalog incrementally in four releases over a two-year period. Combined, the releases form a single, epic story arc told in reverse for which "Mixed Signals" is an overture, containing a mix of the styles found on the three more genre-specific outings to follow.

"We put one out so far," says drummer/vocalist King Doug. "The 'Mixed Signals' EP is a look at the whole saga. You get to hear what the other three albums will sound like. It was mixed and mastered by Scott Minor."

"The second album, 'Summer Saved Me,' is coming out in late August," LongBear adds. "We're taking (it) with us overseas to keep the Norwegians warm. The third album will be a full length, and we have a special plan for the fourth — it's a secret."

Oversat is to Scandinavians what David Hasselhoff is to Germans, but how this came about is still a mystery. A likely factor is the band's moniker, which means "translated" in Danish or "translators" in Swedish. The Scandinavian meaning was a coincidence, but true to its name nonetheless, Oversat now prints its merchandise bilingually.

"We had no idea that Oversat was a Norwegian word," admits Cooper.

"Not until around 2005 when we were promoting the 'Keep Your Helmet On' campaign," LongBear says. "We were in contact with various government entities to share its powerful message of bike safety, and we got an email explaining that 'Translated' — that's what it means in Scandinavian languages — was popular in Norway."

Taking advantage of its status as an overseas sensation, Oversat is scheduled to take a Nordic trek in the fall, touring Norway, Sweden and Denmark in promotion of its "Summer Saved Me" EP. Despite its Scandinavian superstardom, the self-described "underground" trio has no intention of breaking away from the DIY roots it established more than a decade ago.

"The Schengen Accord allows us to tour for up to 90 days without a visa, so why not stay?" muses Longbear on the tour's scale. "The agency books outside of Scandinavia, so we were thinking of expanding to Germany and beyond if it makes sense."

Saturday night Oversat joins Madre and Billy Castro, playing The Longbranch Saloon at 10 p.m. Admission is $5. Oversat's "Mixed Signals" EP is available for free download at oversat.bandcamp.com, and a video preview of "Summer Saved Me" is now on YouTube.

Decade-ence: 10 Years performs at The Valarium tonight with Maylene, Skytown Riot and The Sons of Disaster. The show is slated for 8 p.m., and tickets are $18 in advance or $20 at the door. Attendees under the age of 21 are subject to a $3 surcharge.

Tryst of Freight: Preservation Pub hosts The Hot Shot Freight Train and Sons of the Southside Saturday night. Music kicks off at 10 p.m.

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