Ox is a Canadian alternative country band active in the 2000s and 2010s, based initially in Vancouver, British Columbia,Mike Landry, "Ox American Lo Fi". The Coast, December 6, 2007. and later Sudbury, Ontario.Wendy Bird, "Musician now strumming from Sudbury base". Northern Life, October 4, 2007.
The core of the band consisted of Mark Browning on lead vocals and guitar, Ryan Bishops on guitar and piano, Shawn Dicey on bass, and Max Myth on drums. Jesse Zubot, Nathan Lawr, Kevin Kane and the members of Be Good Tanyas were among the band's frequent guest collaborators.
History Ox was formed in Vancouver in 2003 after Browning and Bishops moved there from Sudbury.Steve Newton, "Ox's Browning Discards His 'Folk-Porno' Rulebook". The Georgia Straight, July 22, 2004. The band released its debut album, Dust Bowl Revival, in 2003.Alexander Côté, "Ox: Dust Bowl Revival". Pop Matters, August 16, 2005. The album was popular on Canadian campus radio where it reached No. 1 across Canada (#56 in the USA CMJ Chart), and the band toured across Canada, the United States and Europe to support the album.Stuart Derdeyn, "Ox pulls CD onto charts". The Province, February 19, 2004.
In 2005, the band released a joint album with American band Kid Lightning.Travis Richey, "Ox/Kid Lightning Intercontinental Pop Exchange No.6". Exclaim!, April 1, 2005.
They released their second album, American Lo-Fi, in October 2006."Ox - American Lo Fi". No Depression, December 31, 2006. The album reached No. 6 across Canada in !earshot. The band subsequently moved its home base back to Browning's hometown of Sudbury.
Their third album, Burnout, was released in November 2009,Ashley Wiebe, "OX - Burnout". The Uniter, November 13, 2009. and reached No. 5 in !earshot. Videos were filmed for the tracks "Unknown Legend" and "Prom Queen" by Sudbury filmmaker John Alden Milne.Darren MacDonald, "Anything but burned out". Sudbury Star, October 29, 2009.
In the same year, Browning launched Cosmic Dave's Sound Emporium, which blended a recording studio, an independent record store, a guitar shop and a live performance venue, in the Donovan neighbourhood of Sudbury.Jason Schneider, "Browning opts to Burnout rather than fade away". Waterloo Region Record, November 5, 2009.
In 2010, they released Silent Night & Other Cowboy Songs, an album of country renditions of Christmas songs,Jessy Brunette, "Ox put its spin on some Christmas classics". Sudbury Star, December 20, 2010. and Browning and Bishops appeared as guest musicians on Examining the Fallout, the debut album by Sudbury singer-songwriter Brian Dunn.Brian Kelly, "Life on the road inspires Brian Dunn's solo CD". Sudbury Star, September 23, 2010.
In 2011, they released the album tUco.Greg Burliuk, "Ox bucks musical trend". Kingston Whig-Standard, October 29, 2011. This album was intended as the soundtrack for a film project by Milne which never materialized.Sarah Greene, "OX - tUCo". NOW, December 8, 2011. Milne again directed a music video for the album track "Nico".Alex Hudson, "Ox "Nico" (video)". Exclaim!, December 7, 2011. The album appeared on the !earshot Campus and Community National Top 50 Albums chart in January 2012, along with Silent Night & Other Cowboy Songs."The National Top 50 For the Week Ending: Tuesday, January 3, 2012". !earshot. The album was a nominee for Album of the Year, Duo or Group at the 2012 Northern Ontario Music and Film Awards, but lost to Kalle Mattson's Anchors.Rose Marcotte, "Excitement rising over northern music, film awards". Sudbury Star, April 27, 2012.
Browning subsequently also opened the Beards coffee shop and bakery and the Tuco's Tacos Lounge taco restaurant in Sudbury, with his wife Jessica Nadel.Heidi Ulrichsen, "The coolest corner in Sudbury: Kathleen overcoming its challenges". Sudbury.com, December 11, 2016.
In 2023, Browning released the first Ox album in twelve years, KTEL.Tyler Clarke, "Finishing latest Ox album was ‘like exorcising the demon’". Sudbury.com, November 12, 2023. Some of the material had been partially recorded before the birth of his first child in 2012 and sat unfinished. The record took two years to complete with Browning playing almost all the instruments himself, and was recorded at Cosmic Dave's Sound in Sudbury.
Discography Dust Bowl Revival (2003) IPX No. 6 (2004, split CD with Kid Lightning) American Lo Fi (2006) Burnout (2009) Silent Night & Other Cowboy Songs (2010) tUCo (2011) KTEL (2023)
References