Straight Up Random

Interview: Era Brightwell of Okasite

Interview: Being all the way from New Zealand how did you guys get hooked up with Takeover Digital? It was a plain old evening of surfin’ ‘round the net lookin’ for something new and exiting, as ya do! I (Era) found the Takeover site through the Hey Mike myspace page and immediately sent Takeover a message of interest. We were blown away when we got a reply of returned interest. Since then we have joined up with them and look forward to the coming couple of years with them. It’s a great opportunity for us. What made you start the band and how did you meet? Okasite was actually started as my solo project. I had an album worth of songs and decided to take out a loan and work with a good producer/engineer to record the album. I played a few shows with a couple of friends standing in as session muso’s. I knew Stu (Drums) from his former band Ritalin and suggested to him we could make Okasite into a band and he agreed it was a good idea. I knew Ben (Bass) from his old band Sudden Shortcut who had also recently broken up. I met up with Ben for a jam and “hey presto” the three piece band has together since the start of ‘08. How did you come up with your name? It was actually just a very original and different sounding word that I made up. Funnily enough the word “Oka” in the Maori language (the indigenous language of New Zealand) means “bleed” or “wound”, so I guess you can give the name a meaning like “site of the wound” haha. What is the scene like in New Zealand, and how does it influence your sound? The population of New Zealand is only 4 million, so you can have a good time and get to know the punk scene easily but it makes it hard the get into the very crowded dub and pop music lime-light. There is a massive dub music scene here. It’s become a monster!! It must be all the marijuana over here hahaha. However, one band who have forever left their mark on the New Zealand music scene as a whole is Sommerset. They have influenced our sound greatly. Stu drummed for them for a year prior to the band ending. You say you might relocate to Australia in ‘09. Can you tell us more about this decision and what it would mean for the band? Yep, Oz is definitely on the cards for ‘09. It’s right next door to New Zealand and we would be able to put in some serious work over there that just might pay off. I don’t wanna diss N.Z but for example we can’t get air play on the radio here so far. It’s not like we’ve given up but I sent a few tracks to Australia’s Triple J station and they’ve been playing one on their punk show. We’re getting good feed-back from people who’ve heard the song (Banner) and we are left scratching our heads as to why we can’t get played here. Who are your musical influences? We like a lot of different stuff. My favourite bands are Jimmy Eat World, Idlewild, Alkaline Trio and Green Day. Stu loves Strung Out. Ben loves Rise Against and Radiohead. I’ve heard those two talk about Joni Mitchell’s “Blue” album too. How would you describe your songs on your debut album Bust Out The Bongos? I think I’d have to quote some other people to make it easy! Driving, Melodic yet powerful, Effortless hooks. The songs are very “to the point” I guess. They’re easy to remember without being too cliche chords wise. You’re currently writing new material right? So how is the new material similar or different to your previous songs? One thing I have in mind for the new material is to maximise the “punch factor” of the songs. I’m not gonna say the new material is twice as good or anything too blowhard like that but the songs are sounding even more “to the point” Some are dark as hell, some are really happy. What is something you want to accomplish as a band? Good question! We know we aren’t the greatest band in the world and may never achieve fame, but the biggest accomplishment we hope for is is to be known and one day remembered as a good enjoyable band, well worth a listen to. Aside from that, it is my personal goal to one day be signed to a label like Epitaph for an album or two…uhhhh dreams haha. What are the perks and downers to being a band from New Zealand? A notable perk is the fact that our government, at the moment at least, is supportive of its peoples art and music. They provide funding schemes to artists and encourage music and the arts. The downside to this is there is a dominating factor of “in-crowd” support. You have to know the right people to get a decent foot in the door and there is a large portion of lack-lustre bands getting constant funding. NZ’s location also makes it hard to find a doorway to the rest of the world without risking massive debt. Are there any bands you would recommend listening to? A couple of bands that Okasite plays with regularly. The Outsiders (Stu plays Bass for these guys) and Ghost Echoes. Check out some Sommerset too. They’re all from NZ. Can you give us one straight up random fact about each band member? Sure! I have been throwing a week-long tantrum because my girlfriend banned my “smelly” pillow from our bed (this was resolved with a thorough wash). Ben hates when anyone walks next to him on his left hand side and has to swap sides. Stu was so sick two weeks ago that when he accidentally knocked his cactus plant into his bed he just left it there and woke up covered with dirt. Where can our readers buy your music? I’ve had trouble with a certain on-line order store for the cd, so I’ll just say pick up the “Bust Out The Bongos” album in digital format from Takeoverdigital.com. It’ll be up for sale soon. Any last words for the readers of Straight Up Random? We’ll have our debut music video for “Dawn Parade” ready for viewing real soon. And thanks to anyone who reads this interview.