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torquillI didn't sing at all this weekend; I barely even listened to much filk. The con was a third its normal size, which must have taken it down into the double digits... There were a lot of people I expected to see, and didn't. So for many, myself included, it became a kind of relax-a-con. I spent a lot of time with Jim Dennis, whom I don't get to see often; he was feeling antisocial, I was feeling antisocial, and so we went off and were antisocial together. It worked.
The one concert I absolutely went out of my way to catch (programming was very, very light this year) was, of course, Rand and Adam: Ookla the Mok.
I love these guys. I heard them two years ago at Consonance, picked up an album that year -- the out-of-print "Less Than Art". I loved it -- not all the songs, but a lot of them, plus the sound and the whimsy. I caught them again last year at Consonance, and wasn't able to afford another album. This year, the concert was as good as ever... it was Sunday, they were relaxed and lazy and silly, and the sound was fantastic. Most concerts there, I have my crochet in hand, and work on it while the singing is going on; I think Ookla is the only one where I end up putting the yarn down and losing myself in the sound.
They had Doug with them, the West-coast element of what is otherwise an East-coast band (Buffalo); that gave them a solid bassline, if no drums (Luis is, I think, no longer with the band, or at least never seems to travel with them). They dropped the welcome news that there is going to be another album coming out in two weeks, and played a couple of songs from it... it sounds like a lot of fun.
For those who have never heard of Ookla, they're a mix of They Might Be Giants and something akin to Barenaked Ladies. If you like either band, you might like Ookla. The fact that they throw in a lot of comic book references is a plus to me, but they also give a lot of Star Trek references too, for the fans out there. Otherwise the lyrics are pretty non-geeky, they range from quirky to exceedingly well-written and smooth, and the music is well-blended. I own "Less Than Art" and "Super Secret" (picked the latter up today) and it's mostly guitars, bass, and drums, sometimes keyboards, with the occasional trumpets and trombone thrown in. Very nice. The other albums I know of are "Smell No Evil" (aka the monkey album), "Oh Okay LA", and now the new one whose name I didn't catch.
The best thing: I was laughing along to songs about Mr. Potato Head (master of disguise!) and "Stop Talking About Comic Books Or I'll Kill You", and abruptly came across a song which nailed feelings I've had my whole life ("My Secret Origin", for the curious). It's a serious song, unlike most of the other ones on the album, but done with a lighthearted edge... and I was struck. I've had that happen before with them, where they're spot-on with something and say it just right. Beautifully done, guys. Just beautiful.
I also found out from talking to Rand tonight that they did indeed re-record "Stranger In the Mirror" for the new album -- he said it was a crappy live version, but that's just fine, Rand. I've had the damn song running through my head for the last three months, any rendition will do by now. He had given me very little hope of getting it in any quality better than the Poor Man's Copyright version from the website, so even a live version is very welcome.
If you get the chance, hit their site, have a listen (I think they still have samples of their music up, or you can ask me to rip you a couple of songs) and see if you like what you hear. They're great guys, all of them.
The one concert I absolutely went out of my way to catch (programming was very, very light this year) was, of course, Rand and Adam: Ookla the Mok.
I love these guys. I heard them two years ago at Consonance, picked up an album that year -- the out-of-print "Less Than Art". I loved it -- not all the songs, but a lot of them, plus the sound and the whimsy. I caught them again last year at Consonance, and wasn't able to afford another album. This year, the concert was as good as ever... it was Sunday, they were relaxed and lazy and silly, and the sound was fantastic. Most concerts there, I have my crochet in hand, and work on it while the singing is going on; I think Ookla is the only one where I end up putting the yarn down and losing myself in the sound.
They had Doug with them, the West-coast element of what is otherwise an East-coast band (Buffalo); that gave them a solid bassline, if no drums (Luis is, I think, no longer with the band, or at least never seems to travel with them). They dropped the welcome news that there is going to be another album coming out in two weeks, and played a couple of songs from it... it sounds like a lot of fun.
For those who have never heard of Ookla, they're a mix of They Might Be Giants and something akin to Barenaked Ladies. If you like either band, you might like Ookla. The fact that they throw in a lot of comic book references is a plus to me, but they also give a lot of Star Trek references too, for the fans out there. Otherwise the lyrics are pretty non-geeky, they range from quirky to exceedingly well-written and smooth, and the music is well-blended. I own "Less Than Art" and "Super Secret" (picked the latter up today) and it's mostly guitars, bass, and drums, sometimes keyboards, with the occasional trumpets and trombone thrown in. Very nice. The other albums I know of are "Smell No Evil" (aka the monkey album), "Oh Okay LA", and now the new one whose name I didn't catch.
The best thing: I was laughing along to songs about Mr. Potato Head (master of disguise!) and "Stop Talking About Comic Books Or I'll Kill You", and abruptly came across a song which nailed feelings I've had my whole life ("My Secret Origin", for the curious). It's a serious song, unlike most of the other ones on the album, but done with a lighthearted edge... and I was struck. I've had that happen before with them, where they're spot-on with something and say it just right. Beautifully done, guys. Just beautiful.
I also found out from talking to Rand tonight that they did indeed re-record "Stranger In the Mirror" for the new album -- he said it was a crappy live version, but that's just fine, Rand. I've had the damn song running through my head for the last three months, any rendition will do by now. He had given me very little hope of getting it in any quality better than the Poor Man's Copyright version from the website, so even a live version is very welcome.
If you get the chance, hit their site, have a listen (I think they still have samples of their music up, or you can ask me to rip you a couple of songs) and see if you like what you hear. They're great guys, all of them.
