hey ok fantastic

Hey OK Fantastic
Hey OK Fantastic

The local quartet Hey OK Fantastic defies its goofy name with a debut album of shuffling, folky power-pop that shows a band sure of its own sound but still ready to explore wherever that leads them. The self-titled disc starts with “Bill Wimblybee (In the Town of Dinglydell),” a dirge that recalls the Decemberists and R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion.” (It’s probably the mandolin.) That’s followed by the goth-country of “Flight of Fancy,” a reverb-heavy tour through Nick Cave territory. From there, though, Hey OK Fantastic capably runs through Elephant 6 territory—strummy, peppy pop anthems with hints of the British Invasion, surf rock, and late-’60s California folk rock. Alex Minard’s eccentric vocals and Sam Harding’s striking guitar solos define the band’s sound, which only occasionally suffers from quaint, self-conscious quirkiness and is, at its best, first-rate guitar rock. - Metro Pulse

Alex Minard’s off-the-wall pop/rock band, Hey OK Fantastic, incorporates elements from across the music map into their flamboyantly energetic and impulsive live performances. In fact, the group found a bulk of the inspiration for their new self-titled album in the kids songs that Minard was writing at the time.

Dog Fashion Disco
Adultery (Rotten Records, 2006)

On nicer days, I really like to listen to something that rocks pretty well. With these guys, you get great heavy music, as well as some of the quirkier sounds that I also enjoy. They remind me a lot of Faith No More, which is one of my favorite bands

Hudson K
Shine (Self-released, 2010)

This album happened to come to me as a gift one evening, and when I put it on I didn’t want to stop listening to it. The music is very haunting, in the territory of PJ Harvey and Nick Cave’s stuff, which I also love.

Henry Mancini
The Days of Wine and Roses (RCA, 1995)

This album, especially the second disc, makes me feel classy. Great gypsy jazz and movie scores from films from the ’50s and ’60s It’s good cocktail-drinking music

Pearl Jam
Vs. (Epic, 1993)

These guys are my favorite band and anytime that I’m feeling blue, I put them on and they always cheer me up. This album is pretty aggressive as far as Pearl Jam goes, and it rocks just they way I need it to sometimes.

Zero 7
The Garden (Atlantic, 2006)

I listen to this almost every night as I go to bed. This album is great for all bedroom activities, as a matter of fact, but it’s really relaxing. - Metro Pulse

Since it formed in 2008, Hey OK Fantastic has played more than 100 shows, released one album and is currently working on another.

The band started in 2008 with Alex Minard on guitar and vocals and Ian Daniels on bass. Charlie Murphy and Sam Harding joined in 2009 on drums and guitar, respectively.

Minard said the band tries hard to make fun and enjoyable music for their fans, which is why it took 11 months in the recording studio for it to finish its first album, now available at Disc Exchange and on Amazon.com.

"I would take it home after we left the studio and listen to it nonstop, then take it back in and say I want to change this, I want to change that," Minard said.

The members have a wide variety of musical interests. Their influences range from Ween to Sam Cooke and they even include the psychedelic rock sounds of the '60s in their music.

Part of the reason the group chose the name Hey OK Fantastic was to have the freedom to play different types of music, Minard said. The members did not want to be tied down by their band name. They wanted to be able to do whatever they wanted musically.

"I mean if we were called Bloodfist, everybody would expect us to do the type of stuff that a band called Bloodfist would do, like metal or something," Minard said.

Longtime friend and fan Robbie Andrews said he enjoys the different sides of Hey OK Fantastic.

"There's a lot of excitement and a lot of power," Andrews said. "Some songs move fast and are high energy, and others move slower and they have a different kind of passion to them."

Andrews, sophomore at Pellissippi State, has attended most of the band's shows and said he enjoys Minard's rock songs.

"Some of his sillier songs are my favorites," Andrews said. "'Lookin' For a Lizard' is like the epitome of his music, and he wrote it when he was sort of breaking out of his shell."

"Lookin' for a Lizard" is one of the songs on Hey OK Fantastic's self-titled album that came out in late January. It is made up of tracks that songwriter Minard called "silly rock songs."

Since the band has so many different sounds, it had to choose between putting out albums that included a mix of their music or choosing a theme. It decided to release individual albums that showcase each style of music.

"We wanted it to be consistent," Minard said.

The band is currently working on its second album, which will have a soul theme. It does all of its recording at Songwriters Recording Studio in Knoxville. The new album should be out later this year.

The band takes the opposite direction with its concerts and combines all its different music styles together. Minard said the members try to put on a good show for the audience, and they usually play about 20 to 30 songs.

"We want it to be a quality show." he said. "If people are going to pay to get in, then we want them to get their money's worth."

Minard and Andrews agreed that the audience should always expect to have a good time when the band plays.

Its next show is at Hey OK Fantastic's favorite venue, the Longbranch Saloon, at 10 p.m. on Thursday. - The Daily Beacon