Ocha la Rocha
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Ocha la Rocha

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This band has not uploaded any videos

Music

The best kept secret in music

Press


"Ocha la Rocha - The Earl, Atlanta, GA, April 5th 2006"

With a penchant for weird '70s classics - the band played Marc Bolan and T. Rex at Lenny's last Halloween - Ocha la Rocha has more than a sound: an unmistakably vintage atmosphere that snarls through their tube amps and not-of-this-decade vocals. In their slower moments, the drunken ghost of Graham Parsons stumbles in for a nightcap. At a trot, the respectful, winking narratives of deadbeats and addicts evoke the Kinks; at full throttle, the Faces. But unlike the herds of coiffed and suited knobs currently reliving the Regan era ad nauseum, Ocha's reverence for those who rocked before never seems the least snarky or contrived.
The band hit its groove after some negligible asynchrony in the first couple of songs to really rip it. Guitarist Todd "no relation, unfortunately" McQueen's wholly unchristian guitar work crunched, bended, slid, and generally wrought such sweet havoc that one wonders whether there is a better rock 'n' roll lead in the city. His brief hacking forays punctuated lead singer/songwriter John "no relation, fortunately" Kerry's catchy jangle and swell linguistics. Though the sound guy shorted him, Ronnie "no man, it's my legal name" Danger's thick, round, fuzzy bass sound made love handles jiggle. Crazed and affable Satchel Mallon pounded it proper, and at moments was the star. -Alan Bajandas
- Southeast Performer


"20th-Century Ape Man"


Creative Loafing - Scene & Herd

-excerpt-

The Kinks and T. Rex are two of my all-time favorite bands. What pugs are to Pugfest-goers, those two bands' music is to me.

So imagine how pointy my nipples got when a friend of mine e-mailed to tell me that Lenny's was hosting a T. Rex vs. the Kinks battle of the cover bands. The show was last Friday. Playing the role of T. Rex was Ocha La Rocha. Ocha La Rocha's lead singer looked and sounded like a modern-day version of late T. Rex principal Marc Bolan. He even sported a wig to replicate Bolan's trademark corkscrew curl.

-end excerpt-
- Andisheh Nouraee


"Gates Of Berlin, Variac, Ocha La Rocha @ Vinyl"

Gates Of Berlin, Variac, Ocha La Rocha
Vinyl
February 25th 2006
by Iain

-excerpt-

I was on my way to Compound on Saturday night for the 99X Sinners Ball when I popped into Vinyl for a quick pint of Stella. The next thing I know, it's 2:30am and I'm at the bar upstairs at The Loft watching the Miss Hot Asian Atlanta contest. Weird.

Somewhere in the middle however I managed to catch 3 of Atlanta's better bands: Gates Of Berlin , Variac and Ocha La Rocha

I hadn't seen Ocha La Rocha before and I don't know why. Probably because I can't spell their name correctly. They were really good. They're one of those bands that doesn't have to do much on stage - they just look good. All those wanky A&R guys that tell you you've got to jump around, only do so if the band doesn't look like they're a band. Their set showed they had an arsenal of good songs. I got a copy of a CD " Ocha Lives " and while nursing my hangover this morning, remembered that the band I saw last night was on to something. See for yourself - check out the song " Occam's Razor " on their myspace page.

-end excerpt- - Atlanta Music Guide


"May's Featured Band-AMG"

Despite its prominent location in the heart of Georgia, there are surprisingly few "Southern" rock bands making the rounds of the Atlanta scene. At least, they're certainly not in the prominent rock venues that Atlanta Music Guide tends to frequent.

So it was a surprise to wander into The EARL and find Ocha La Rocha blistering through a countrified number with hollering vocals and foot-stompin' beats that that made us want to shout out "FREEBIRD!" and really mean it.

But that was just one song. Right when you think you've got them pegged, Ocha La Rocha show off their true versatility. There's certainly a tinge of Southern edge that is consistent in their tunes, but even more prominent is the flair of British blues.

It's not such an unlikely pairing, really. After all, even the Rolling Stones owe their finest riffs to the Delta Blues pickers. But it's through that Anglo-filter that Ocha La Rocha is able to create a delightful palette of energetic, exciting rock'n'roll. It's really just the right blend of modness to make them hip and Southern to make them interesting.

Maybe Kings of Leon were the first to set converse-clad toes a tappin', but Ocha La Rocha do it with so much more grace and elegance. Instead of snarling and spitting at their audience, Ocha La Rocha offer a friendly slap on the back and a warm invitation onto the dance floor.

Word on the street is Ocha La Rocha will be heading out West for the summer, so make sure to catch them on Sunday May 14th at Smith's Olde Bar as they compete for top prize at the 99X/Miller Lite Taste Rock Live Battle of the Bands!


- Atlanta Music Guide


Discography

"Ocha Lives EP" self-released 2005/06
produced by Kris Sampson (B-52s, Train, D-12)
radio airplay: WNNX 99.7 Sunday School, WRAS 88.5 rotation, 97.9 Grand Rapids Alternative

Photos

Feeling a bit camera shy

Bio

Ocha la Rocha hails from the post-industrial new streets of south Decatur in eastern Atlanta, where once upon a time vast herds of yellow bicycles roamed free through gorges of rusting antique cars. The bicycles have long been replaced by legions of small dogs, snapping at each other's tails and howling at the moon with voices much deeper than their size would suggest. Ocha la Rocha embodies the spirits of both wild bicycles and wailing dogs. Urbanely southern, uncouth, charming and friendly, Ocha la Rocha's flavor of southern rock is unapologetically gleeful, immodest, without being lewd, playful without being glib. When Ocha la Rocha plays in public, people are known to dance, and some of them even dance double time to show their enthusiasm for certain songs. Equally enthusiastic are the moms of Ocha la Rocha's four members, who want nothing more than for their boys to grow up and be rock stars. All four members of Ocha la Rocha are from Georgia. When asked how they felt about this, one grunted, one spit, one rolled his eyes, and one exposed himself to the heavens.