So, I was given the chance to talk to Damian, the frontman for OKGO about their new record, as well as their kick ass video for the first single. Check it out!

Conducted by AJ, VP of Altsounds.com

First things first- your video for A Million Ways has been circulating the ‘net for a while. I have to ask, do you do your own choreography?

-I contributed. My sister and I did that. She’s a professional ballroom dancer and she helped us come up with it. That video was never really meant to be released the way it was. We came up with the routine which we were going to include into our live show. We practiced in the living room and then went in the back yard to video tape it to send around to a few people. After we watched it back, we thought ‘this should definitely be our video.’ A Million Ways was never even being considered as a single, but after being downloaded about half a million times the first week, the label figured it was probably a good idea.


How long did it take you to learn that routine?

-4 days to learn. We were about to leave for tour when we did that, so we would have our regular band rehearsals and then practice the routine for about half an hour.

The video is currently on Yahoo’s Dig it or Dis it, and apparently a lot of people are digging it! If Taking Back Sunday can somehow pull ahead and beat you, will you then be forced to serve them in a dance-off ala Britney and Justin?

-I would so do a ****ing dance-off! I think the entire world of rock would be invigorated with dance wars going on. My computer can’t play Taking Back Sunday videos for some reason, but I heard it’s not them dancing, it’s some other guy. So I am sure they would just be standing there if we tried to serve them.

You guys are touring a lot right now. How does it feel to be the big headliner after opening for every band under the sun?
-We try to tour a lot. We’re a rock band and that’s what rock bands do. We had to take some time off to do the record which was initially supposed to be 3 months, but turned into about a year. Being the headlining band is fun. It’s different. There is a comfort that comes with it because everyone that is here is here to see us. It’s like playing poker with your friends, ‘hey let’s get together and play some rock music.’ The plight of the opening band is a double edged sword. You, 18 year old ticket purchaser, came to see Band X. If Band Y sounds like Band X then they might get into it. If Band Y sounds nothing like Band X, then you think they are annoying and you can’t wait for them to get off the stage. It’s a sever underdog position, and I like that. I like it when people have never heard of you before and you’re exposed to a new audience. You have to work hard to win them over every night.


Do you have any ridiculous shit in your rider now that you’re big bad rockstars?

-I don’t even know what’s in our rider. Our bass player, Tim, started a tradition of audio blogging. He records a voice mail and sends it to everyone on our email list before a show, asking people to bring things. Like if you’re coming to the show bring such and such. We did one in Omaha where he asked people to bring a pair of sunglasses. So we had about 50 superfans show up and they all had sunglasses for us. It was nice, but we felt bad asking these kids to spend 10 bucks a piece on us, so Tim started being more inventive so it would cost people less money. Like we recently asked people to bring candy sculptures. One person made a candy ping pong table, someone else made the OKGO logo out of gum drops. In addition to being very cool, it was also delicious. We’ve asked people to draw pictures of our webmaster Jorge. There are no pictures of Jorge anywhere on the site, so people had to guess what he looked like. We’ve asked people to illustrate their family tree, things of that nature. So, in lieu of a rider, we try to have fun with our fans.

Do you have any 60 year old groupies left over from the This American Life tour? Do you offer senior discounts on your ticket price?

-We do, actually. Normally at shows, the people that stick around to talk are the 18 year old kids drenched in sweat from dancing and rocking out to the show. But, in Austin, TX there was an elderly couple, at least in their 70s who talked to us after the show. They said they love the new dance. They loved the old dance, but they thought the new dance was better. They bought the rare 7-inches we were selling last night. It seems more on the East Coast we have older fans who come out that remember us from NPR. It’s great!

Your new record, Oh No, is much dancier than your last one. Was this a conscious decision, natural evolution of the band or just a lot easier to choreograph to?

-We don’t really think of it as ‘dancey’ so much as ‘groovy.’ We wanted to be more about feeling. Our last album was more of a studio project with all the bells and whistles. We wanted to go simpler this time. Focus on the rhythm section and go for something groovier. I don’t really think it fits into the new dance rock craze. I think its closer to being more like the Stones or T Rex or Bowie.



The album comes out August 30th. It costs a little more than a dollar per song. I want you to tell me why I should buy it instead of stealing it off the internet.

1. I designed the cover
2. At the end there is a 35 minute recording of my girlfriend sleeping (I am not lying)
3. I don’t really listen to cds. I listen to my ipod, but I still purchase cds because its cool to have a library. I mean mp3s are great, but what if your ipod breaks? Besides, wouldn’t you want to have a better version of it on hand with the artwork and everything?

You said that you’d like people to have sex to your record. Have you done it yet?

-ha! No. Can you imagine? How megalomaniacal. If I even tried to do that my girlfriend would just laugh the whole time. I don’t know if I could do it either. I mean, that’s MY voice. I don’t think Tim could really have sex listening to me either. That’s weird.


You guys are great and I am thinking we should all probably hook up. So, the following questions I have for you were lifted from the numerous Boyfriend Applications found on lonely chick’s blogs all over the place:

1.Name a cartoon character you would have sex with.
-Hmmm…. There are not a lot of female cartoon characters, are there? I mean there’s Betty Boop, but she has that huge watermelon head. Actually, it’s bigger than a watermelon. More like a balloon. I don’t think I watch enough TV to answer this question.

2.If you were Harry Potter, would you try and bone Hermoine?
-I’m really into Harry Potter, actually. But, no. He’s trying to bone Ginny anyway. Even though I thought Hermoine in the movies was pretty cute, I picture her in the books as being more homely. She’d probably be really annoying to be with anyway. She doesn’t know how to let loose and have a good time. If I were Harry I would go for a girl in Slytherin.

3.Would you give me a strand of your hair if I were making a voodoo doll of you?
-uhhh…sure.

4. Have you named your weenis?
-no. It’s one of those things where…well…if you give it a name is has to live up to those expectations. And you can’t name something like that under normal naming conventions. It has a life of it’s own.

I’ll wrap this up because I am sure you need to start your pre-show rituals pretty soon, but the most important question I have for you is this: Why don’t you have an Altsounds.com profile yet?????

-We don’t? Man. I am bad at the profile things. I am really not that good with correspondence. We’ll make one though.

You better. You have to, actually. I demand it. So, that’s about it, congrats on the new record. I checked it out on your site and I think it sounds really good! I am sure it will do well. Take it easy.

check out more at www.okgo.net and keep your eyes peeled for an OKGO Altsounds.com profile...wooooooord