School for the Dead Press and Reviews

The Daily Hampshire Gazette - Hampshire Life
by Steve Pfarrar

December 17, 2004

If you want the longer version of Henning Ohlenbusch's bio, you could check
out the Web site for his Northampton-based power-pop band, School for the
Dead (www.schoolforthedead.com), where he introduces himself thusly: ''How
does a half German, half Danish, lanky freak end up in School for the Dead?
Well, it is a long and tiresome tale, riddled with incongruencies and
lies.''

We're pressed for space here, so we'll give you the shorter, more
pedestrian version. Ohlenbusch, 35, the lead singer and songwriter of his
band, is a veteran of the local music scene, having previously played with
The Aloha Steamtrain and Humbert. A guitarist and bassist, he also performs
with two other local bands and does some solo gigging. Last year he won
WRSI's singer/songwriter contest, and earlier this week he opened at the
Iron Horse for Evan Dando of the Lemonheads.

Ohlenbusch, who attended the University of Massachusetts at Amherst before
getting a music degree from UMass/Lowell, wears a number of other hats as
well: recording engineer, Web site designer, blogger. He and his bandmates
maintain ''The Living Rockumentary'' on their Web site, a blog that
provides running commentary on the thoughts and doings ''of these five
verbose guys,'' as he puts it.

Date and place of birth: In Massachusetts (Framingham to be exact) in the
days of the first moon landing and Woodstock

Who lives under the same roof as you? Lesa Bezo, and I think maybe a couple
of squirrels. On bad days, a bat

Education: University of Massachusetts at Lowell, B.A. in music, 1995, with
a concentration in doodling in the margins

Favorite movies: ''Rushmore,'' ''Amelie,'' ''Harry and Tonto,'' ''The
Straight Story,'' ''Joe Versus the Volcano'' and ''Secrets and Lies'' are
the first five to come to mind

Favorite singers or groups: Paul Simon, Jane Siberry, Freedy Johnston,
Harry Nilsson, Robyn Hitchcock and The Beatles are the first six to come to
mind

Life-changing experience: Moving to Northampton and singing, singing, singing

Funniest memory: The time I accidentally spat a lettuce leaf on my friend
Lee Rosenberg's shoulder

Strangest job you've ever held: Top three are 3) snowman wrestler; 2)
putting carrots back in the ground; 1) ghost massage

Bumper-sticker statements: Wow, man, you just assume I have a car? Sounds
like you've sold out to the man, brother. Actually, I do have a car (lucky
guess on your part) and the sticker says, ''The Maggies''

A little-known fact about you: I don't dance, but when I am home alone and
the music is loud, I still don't dance. Also, I'm made of paper

Dumbest thing you ever did: Man, where to start ... wait, what was the
question?

One product, trend or fashion you'd like to see return: Product, the
drinking bird; trend, valuing intelligence and thoughtfulness; fashion,
Viking horns

What really sets you off? People who say their numbers too fast on the
answering machine

Celebrity encounters: I once saw Wallace Shawn on the sidewalk with a woman
twice his height. I made no overtures. Also, Barry Manilow has a small tan
head

Favorite Web site: www.whatdoilooklikeabignerdwhywouldyouaskmethatquestionwhichassumesthatihaveafavoritewebsite.com

One thing you would change about yourself: I'd like to learn to embrace
small talk and to enjoy the foods that everyone else seems to

Whom do you most admire? People who spend their time doing things they
love. Because they are not, as Loverboy would say, working for the weekend

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