This article was originally featured in the Fall 2023 issue of Jasper Magazine. That version incorrectly attributed Kirk Barnes’s quotes to another band member. This is remedied in the version below. Our apologies to Barnes and Opus and the Frequencies for this error.
Genre-bending and categorically defiant, Opus and the Frequencies has emerged as a force to be reckoned with in the local music scene. Behind the name are four people with an innate love for music, anchored by a desire for storytelling, vulnerability, and authenticity.
The core of the band is the eponymous Opus (vocals, keys, saxophone, clarinet, and more), who originally did not want to be a musician. It was a challenge from a band director to play the saxophone—band itself a simple mix-up in his middle school schedule—that eventually led to music being his driving force. As soon as he found music, Opus became dedicated to creating unique sounds, a journey that eventually led him to the Frequencies.
Columbia is rife with talented musicians, but Opus was not interested in just sound. What he was looking for was raw emotion, something unspeakable and intangible. All at different times, he got the opportunity to hear Jesse Tortorella (drums), Steven Tapia-Macias (bass), and Kirk Barnes (guitar) play. As Opus recalls it: “I wanted the boys that we have now. Luckily, the universe gave me exactly what I asked.”
Today, nearly seven years after forming, Opus and the Frequencies have found their identity as an eclectic group with an eclectic sound. Though Barnes says their genre is best described as “a mixture of rock and funk,” the band sees it as a point of pride that they do not sound like anybody else—sometimes even themselves.
“Everybody always asks, what's your genre? And it's like, I don’t think we have one. We're all over the place,” Opus says, “My music taste is all over the place, so why shouldn’t the music I play be? I feel like what we do should be all over the place because I don't like being limited, sticking to one sound or genre.”
This inherent variation is echoed in their live performances as well. A band has to be intuitive, to read an audience, and, as Barnes says, “play what feels right in the moment.” Opus indicates that there is a current that runs throughout the room during a show, a charge that keeps the energy moving, and everyone has to be connected for it to work. As the front man, Opus directs energy into the rest of the band, which comes back through him and into the crowd, circling back into him—and the cycle repeats.
“I want the audience to know when we play that, yes, obviously if you paid to see the show, it's for you, but the show is not for you,” Opus asserts, “The show is for the band to enjoy, and we love it and give that energy out, and that’s what then makes the audience enjoy it so much.”
Tapping into this is what has led to two of the band’s notable ‘we made it moments’: their first time playing at New Brooklyn Tavern and their recent July tribute to James Brown. These are the experiences that provide them the fuel to work on their own music, particularly their first EP, “You’re Trash, Kid,” which was released in January of 2023.
The EP consists of five songs, a vibrant mix of sound and emotion where, around each corner is an unexpected turn. Almost all the songs are created collaboratively; take, for instance, “Jesse’s Song.” When Barnes played his hand-written tune (one oft-requested by a college friend) for the band, they all immediately felt a connection After hearing it, Opus penned lyrics about missing old friends, and the four honed it sonically into its final version—and named it after the college friend that first heard it.
Reflecting on their journey, the group sees Columbia as having been vital to the ways they have blossomed. However, as they ruminate on their future—which includes new music coming in 2024—they recognize that significant growth must take place to shore up the city as a supportive space for all artists.
“I think we need more connection between the art scenes; there's not enough communication from the inner circle to the outer circle,” Opus argues. “Right now, there's a centralized group of musicians that more or less control the scene. Fortunately, we’re blessed to be a part of that group, but there are newcomers trying to get into the group who can’t and people who have already been here that don't get recognized—I know this because I used to be on the outside.”
Barnes echoes this, noting that while “it is not any one person’s fault, … there is a lot of socialized power here” that can only be remedied by larger, established venues dedicating themselves to local artists, versus just regional or national, as well as smaller, central venues taking chances on emerging artists.
These concerns are only reflections of the care the group has for the city. This is a place they are fully committed to continuing to grow in while also assisting in the growth of. It will take a village to fortify this community as the art-oriented space that so many creators desire it to be, but the embrace of the effervescent talent that is Opus and the Frequencies is proof we are already on the right track.
“This city, these venues are special. We've played a bunch of shows here, made friends here.” Opus says. “The people are what have made this place special. We've had a lot of good memories here, and we plan to keep that going.”