ok city ok

“I really like this band. There's all kinds of interesting sounds in the songs--sounds like they have been made by elaborate processes. The band is just as interesting live, and indeed, I'd like to hear some stripped-down versions of these tunes: less elaborate, if you will. There's a sound in "Ferocious" that sounds like one of the sounds on The Residents' Commercial Album--or like a dentist's drill.

I just really like these songs. The chords are rich and lush, the songs are weird and singable - just good music.

The guitar moan in She's Literally On Fire is like Bob-Mould-Meets-Tony-Iommi... and you should see that sucker live! Grace straps into his big ol' Billy Zoom/Rev Horton hollerbody and humps that hunkmetal ***** all the way to the Wisconsin Dells. Hot diggity! The band does a 'stop everything' kinda deal and Grace brings the meeting to order again with that huge note. I'm pretty sure he got it from Nugent's screamin' Byrdland. There's a lot of Terrible Ted in this music. Not actually so much IN it, but kind of near it. Sort of.”
—Iowa Hick, www.download.com
- www.download.com

". . . It was a pretty much packed room, all here for Tokyo's own ok city ok, a three piece fronted by expatriate American Kay Grace. Opening their show with a thrilling promise of “special effects”, ok city ok delivered both visually and aurally (but more aurally) with a spooky headset light trick at the start of their set and with distorted, funky guitar sounds throughout. Another painful set for my neck cramp (but not my sensibilities), it was hard to keep from rocking to the thick, chunky bass notes, wailing guitar and wandering drums, so I didn't.

The band's presence was really something to be seen, and I can only hope that all their shows have the same energy. Each member seems to exist in their own musical bubble, doing their own thing, which only by sheer coincidence happens to perfectly complement the things of the other band members, imbuing them with a harmonious equality. The band's humour, a key factor in whether or not I enjoy a band, is also highly on display. From song titles like “I Wanna be Your Lawyer” and “I Wanna be Your Enraged Husband” to introducing each song as a new type of love song, the band's quirkiness was on full display, nicely complementing the band's style of play.

In case it isn't obvious, I immensely enjoyed this band's performance, and would recommend catching them if that becomes remotely possible for anyone in the next while."
- Sam Linton
http://www.mondomagazine.net/music-cr-nxne-sam2.html - Mondo Magazine Online (Toronto)

"I like to support these 'international communication' bands. If there were more bands like this, I think I'd go out to see music more often."
- Masashi Sato, Noise McCartney Records / Qururi on www.bounce.com

http://www.bounce.com/article/article.php/2781 - by Masashi Sato from Quruli (a cool big-deal Japanese band)

“Alternative-indie band from Japan boasts radio-ready, aim-to-please vocals, while the lyrics konk you over the head with a square watermelon. With the vim of the Replacements, they're surprising, hilarious, open, and free. A treat in any country, anytime.”

- The editors, www.download.com

"Elaborate Process is a delightful album, full of energetic experimentation and catchy hooks...the lyrics possess the unique wit Duckhills fans have come to expect. My personal favorite: '...you'll think you need a friend. But what can friends do for you? I wanna be your lawyer' - and what may be the greatest song title of all time - 'there's nothing I wouldn't do for love I haven't already done for spite.'"

- www.duckhills.net

"Holy Joe?'s was hotter than hell. The small room at the top of what seemed like an endless series of stairwells was filled with an enthusiastic crowd, with much love being exchanged between OK?'s mercurial frontman, Kay Grace, and the NXNE [North By Northeast Music Conference] devotees.

Large doses of Pixies and Wilco with a tablespoon of Joe Jackson make up this radio-ready trio, who seemed entirely comfortable at the centre of attention, but maintained an appealing, if slightly nebbishy vibe. Using feedback tastefully, and throwing interesting and unexpected changes into the song structure, the band kept things interesting ?... The songs themselves were extremely well written and catchy. One could imagine the music of ok city ok playing from a car stereo of a convertible on an American highway in 1978 if not for the modern touches of post-punk and indie rock that peppered the music.

The band members were extremely likable, with good humour and witticisms making up the in-between-song banter, and the cute-as-a button, smiling, female bass-player radiated warm fuzzies to anyone within a city block of her ?...

Definitely worth seeing, and likely capable of great things - the next time you?'re in Tokyo, be sure to check them out.?"
--Chester Morganfield
http://www.soundproofmagazine.com/toronto/events/2007-06/10-NXNELive-OKCityOK.htm - Soundproof Magazine (Toronto)

"Texas ex-pat Kay Grace heads up ok city ok, a band made up of Tokyoites whose sharply weird pop songs harken back to the odd aesthetic of late-'80s Austin music. For instance, it's difficult to tell if their lyrics are just nonsensical - "I crushed the aluminum can / Do you have a tissue?" - or, written by Grace, are twisted up by being translated from English to Japanese back to English. The music is equally odd, with melodies just this side of catchy plus spazzy, sprawling violin and crunchy guitars. Catch them at the Barley House Friday, June 15."
-- Jonanna Widner
http://www.dallasobserver.com/2007-06-14/music/summmertime-blues/ - Dallas Observer

"Do you like your rock music with a side of Spontaneous Human Combustion? If yes then dig into the library of absurd musical combinations and pull out Japanese alt-rock band Ok City Ok. The trio combines a skilled sound with lyrics tackling the gritty subjects of SHC and varying personality disorders.

Ok City Ok uploaded the album [Made By Elaborate Process] to download.com . . . by mid 2007 they had racked up 10,000 hits gaining them some decent recognition. The hits were well deserved. The group’s debut is a seriously impressive piece of work.

. . . The group’s impressive first album landed them an invite to the North By Northeast musical festival in 2007. The trio arrived believing they would be fairly unknown only to be greeted by a venue full of fans. The group put on a worthy show and followed it up with a short tour of the States afterwards. They turned this offer into many other gigs and yet another NXNE invite gaining them a dedicated fan-base and allowed the world to see the group’s brilliant take on rock rhythms and spontaneous combustion.

Made By Elaborate Process is a slam-dunk of a first record . . . It’s a perfectly simple record that channels the great rock bands from the 70s and 60s, when artists had true talent and produced real music."
- Amber Clark - www.livefromtokyo.net

"ok city ok had no questionnaires, but their three minute blasts of Pete Townshend-esque guitar jiggery-pokery were a welcome tonic.... Fronted by an exiled American, Kay Grace, ok city ok are an unabashedly old-school indie-rock band that any fan of The Replacements/Paul Westerberg, The Hold Steady et al would do well to seek out."
(May 2007) - Tokyo Music (http://tokyo-music.blogspot.com

CD review
OK CITY OK: Made By Elaborate Process (independent)
One of last year's NXNE quiet successes, Japan's ok city ok return to the festival with a sophomore album in tow and plans to distribute it in North America.

If this collection of distortion-fuelled spiky pop is any indicator, it's a well-laid plan. Texan expat Kay Grace brings along some weird wit, while drummer Y Shiva thrashes the skins and Tom Suzuki supplies guitar that veers from jarring and distorted to woozy and subtle.

Soundchecking Soundgarden and as much as they paw Pavement, ok city ok's musical identity crisis is their strength.

ok city ok play the Silver Dollar Friday (June 13) at 9 pm.
- Lucie Davies

http://www.nowtoronto.com/music/discs.cfm?content=163480 - NOW Magazine (Toronto)