Okieson
Nijmegen, Gelderland, Netherlands | INDIE
Music
Press
Listen to Tomorrow's Gone of Okieson and you imagine yourself on a number of desolate spots in the United States. An expired veranda on a sultry evening in Tennessee or a sun perdition in the American mid-Westen leaving a bar in the south of Texas. Okieson reaches this impact by means of ground-dark alt-country. Music with restricted resources and a maximum impact. On Tomorrow's Gone we hear especially the particular voice of Sebastiaan van Bijlevelt. A sober voice which is beautiful coloured. Okieson prove dark alt-country (the band calls it itself country-noir) The new alt-country sensation from the US? No, Okieson is a band from the Netherlands. Homage! - Bolachas
Die Band Okieson aus Nimwegen, die Schüller von einem niederländischen Konzertgast empfohlen worden war, überzeugte bei ihrem ersten internationalen Auftritt vollends. Ihr so genannter „Country Noire“-Stil traf den Nerv des Publikums. In Stücken wie „Loneliness“ oder „Secret love lane“ schwang eine gewisse düstere Grundstimmung mit. Der Song „Tomorrow’s gone“ vom gleichnamigen Album kam melancholisch daher und verzichtete auf poppige Melodien. - TPI
Okieson uit Nijmegen is de nieuwste loot aan de Nederlandse alt.country-tak. Het debuut Tomorrow’s Gone (Silvox) bevat enkele veelbelovende bloesempjes. De kiem voor de band werd gelegd in het appartement van Paul van Gogh, waar hij samen met Sebastiaan van Bijlevelt liedjes schreef en opnam. Later voegden drummer Floris de Jonge en bassist Ruben Trimbach zich bij het tweetal, waarmee Okieson was geboren. Tomorrow’s Gone telt tien sfeervolle en vooral ingetogen liedjes. Van Bijleveld zingt ze met een lichthese stem, die af en toe aan Melle de Boer van Smutfish/John Dear Mowing Club doet denken. Elektrische en akoestische gitaren van de beide oprichters bepalen het geluid. Hier en daar omlijst door toetsen, een mondharmonica (Contribute) of lap steel (BJ Baartmans op Red Duck Dude). Zelf spreekt Okieson van ‘country noir’. Maar what’s in a name? Met evenveel recht kun je hun muziek americana, alt.country of singer-songwritermuziek (het titelnummer klinkt toch echt als Josh Ritter) noemen. Hoe je het ook noemt, de kwaliteit van de liedjes blijft bijna veertig minuten lang hoog. - Alt.country.nl (Peer Bataille)
Discography
Tomorrow's Gone 2008.
Popronde 2008 Complation CD.
Sampler Mixed Magazine 2008.
Cupboard Full Of Things 2009.
Photos
Bio
Alternative Country Noir
Okieson has been playing their intense atmospheric and above all soulfull music for
over 2 jears now. They like to call it ‘Alternative Country Noir’, with every right
because the Okiesoneans find their roots in the traditional American folk, blues and
country music. But, there is an undeniable European Noir influence aswell, think of
Paris and Berlin in the twenties, rocking London in the seventies, blend all of that
with what we hear nowadays coming from Canada and Scandinavia and there you
have it, Okieson.
After a year of great succes with their debut album ‘Tomorrow’s Gone’* they started
recording a followup and went over to Nashville TN to have the new album mixed by
producer Mark Nevers (Charlie Louvin, Bonnie Prince Billy, Andrew Bird a.o.).
Before going to Nashville their journey in the U.S. started out in New York where they
did some recording with trumpetplayer Dennis Cronin (Willard Grant Conspiracy).
A car drive from New York to Nashville took the boys to see some of the places they
heard so much about in so many songs. Arriving in music city soaked from musical
history they find them selves playing and recording with some of the best players
arround like Paul Niehaus (Calexico) and Tony Craw (Lambchop) to name a few....
They return to the Low Lands with a disc on which they captured their latest cries of
the soul together with a ‘64 Gibson J-45 purchased in a pawnshop on which I believe
many more authentic songs will be written in the future.
But for now here we have a ’Cupboard Full Of Things’.
*Pretty outrageous, this second album of Okieson. Weak songs are not there. Beautiful CD. "(Altcountry.nl, October 7th '09)
* "Cupboard Full of Things is a milestone in the Dutch roots music, it deserves to be heard beyond our borders. (8Weekly)
*Some reviews on debut album 'Tomorrow's Gone':
* Good Velvet Music: "Music with restricted resources and a maximum impact."
* Alt.Country.nl: "What ever you call it, the quality stays high for almost 40 minutes"
* Heaven: “The best does'nt really exist in music, but this might aswell be the best album in its genre this year."
* 3voor12: “With beautiful songs like ‘Loneliness’ and ‘Red Duck Dude’ they even get the toughest crowd to be silent.”
* Backline: “Fact is these gentlemen have made a wonderfull album that can really be listened to all day long, morning, afternoon, nighttime.... all day .”
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