An Interview with Ouzo Bozo, September 2026

How was the band formed? How/when did the members decide to start a band?

Jaxen: Hunter and I have been in a band together since middle school. Mutual friends brought us all together and here we are :)

Connor: I was sent a life-altering “wanna jam” dm from Hunter I believe. I was so new to drumming, I was sure I’d be kicked from the group pretty early on lol. It was an insane motivator to get better, and still is. 

You cover a lot of genres in your music! did you develop your sound as a group? Was it an instant click or has it evolved over time? Has anything specific influenced your sound significantly? 

Jaxen: I think our sound has always been very fluid and able to move in any sort of direction. We all listen to very different music yet we listen to a lot of similar music as well. That's one thing I really enjoy about being in Ouzo Bozo, no matter what genre a song starts as I feel our individual touches and parts can easily make it sound different/original.

Connor: We usually sound different than any other bands on the bills we play. I like that.
There’s always a moment of “Oh shit, this is a punk/indie/hippie lineup- will they like us?” And then they do. 

Describe the average band practice! What does your creative process look like? How do these songs go from ideas to music?

Jaxen: Band practice is always a little different which I love. Sometimes it's us just having fun and jamming out, other times it's us rehearsing for shows. As far as new music, we typically send each other demos of our new ideas and by the time we get together next, we usually have an idea for what we're going to play. I think another thing | love about us collaborating is that most of our new songs are demos, we all kind of have an input on how the song is structured or adding extra elements into a song. It makes me feel like we all wrote the song, not just one person. We all also respect each other and if someone wants a specific part, we get it done. 

Connor: Fun and games. 

What's the hardest part of being in a band? 

Jaxen: Being broke and balancing work with music.
We all work quite a lot, and on top of that playing shows on the weekends can be quite exhausting. With that being said I wouldn't trade it for the world. 

Connor: I’ve never been broker but I’ve also never been richer. Ew. We only do about 4 shows a month, and it’s already become harder to keep as close with my friends and family as I’d prefer. 

Tell me about Don't Ask!! How did you create this work as a collaborative effort?

Jaxen: This is my first recorded project ever and dude, I’m so glad it was. We wrote the music over the course of our first year, recorded with our good friend Ralphie at his at-home studio, and play it regularly for people who understand it. It’s got what I think is the perfect balance of masculine and feminine musical energies. It’s got jump-around tracks as well as melancholy I adore. 
Some people think Don’t Ask (Don’t Tell) is a love song, which I think is funny. It can be whatever you want it to be, but at the end of the day it’s about being stealth today in the South. I’ll always appreciate there being a space on our EP for a tender song like DADT- as much as I appreciate the rawness of POV. Both songs are my favorites. 

Connor: The “Don’t Ask” EP is a perfect temp-check on where Ouzo is right now. We’re still developing our sound, but what we have now is real, recognizable, and I think pretty good. 

Which song From Don't Ask was the most fun to write & make? why/what was the process?

Jaxen: For me personally I think “Rainfall” was my favorite to make and bring to the band. I listen to a lot of math rock and progressive metal. I really love odd time signatures, and the fact that I got to add that into “Rainfall” made me quite happy. It also showed me personally how well we could come together as a band and make something we are all happy with. Connor had never played anything in 7/8 timing so watching him learn how to play something new and putting in the effort to learn more about his instrument to play something a little more challenging for my song made me extremely happy and proud. 

Connor: Aw that’s very sweet Jaxen. I really reveled in seeing “Don’t Ask (Don’t Tell)” come to life. I wrote that song with my whole heart and I honestly never thought I’d have a group as awesome as Hunter and Jaxen to breathe life into it.

What helps you bond as a band? 

Kissing practice - Hunter
Kissing practice - Connor 

Aiming for the sky - what is your biggest goal as a band? 

Jaxen and Hunter: As far as my music career, I would love for it to allow me to live comfortably and travel the world. One of my biggest goals is to play at Red Rocks. 

Connor: I want to live happily off of playing live and recording music. Sue me, but my musical dream is to play a sold-out Rubber Gloves studio in Denton, TX. Shoutout Denton I love you. I also want to open a music school, once I’m fat and famous with more money than I can spend.
I wanna play drums for pop girls, rock bands, singer/songwriters, funk groups- all of em. Ouzo takes priority though, duh. 

Check them out HERE!!!

https://www.instagram.com/ouzo.bozo/