B i o g r a p h y
A native of Oakville, Ontario, Al Okada was amongst the founding members of King Cobb Steelie. Formed during university, the indie success of the band in Canada gave Al the chance to experience both the studio and live performance setting. After being with the band for seven years, Al became clear of the new direction he wanted for his music. His resume includes music placement in a HBO film, XChange, as well as a Dutch TV film and TV shows including PSI Factor and Mutant X. A Brian Eno fanatic, a lover of Stanley Kubrick and David Lynch's directorial styles, a respectful mimic of all three creeps into Al's music. Dead Stars Al Okada's latest project as Microbunny, is at once a showcase of his musical diversity (he plays almost all of the instruments!) and a forage for new polyrhythmic heights. This collection is meaningfully whimsical, deep in texture and demanding of the ear's attention. Al's belief is that the musical compositions be reflective of his playing and personality. Although modern in capture, the tracks are organically electronic. Dead Stars is devoid of robotics, devoid of airbrushing, Al opting instead to allow the freshness of human inaccuracy to epitomize the end result. A more enduring and time-consuming process, it ensures that the music has an identity all its own. With the provocative vocal stylings of Tamara Williamson, Al and Tamara have found a comfortable succinctness that incorporates Tamara's voice as a tool that at times provides melody and at other times simply accents the instruments. Instead of concentrating on lyrics and verbiage, the listener is free to inflect their own ideas regarding sentiment. For live performances, Microbunny adds a much greater humanizing element to the music with the addition of upright bass player King Kong Girio (aka Mitch Girio) and drummer Reverend Cino Evil (aka Sam Cino). By using a technique of live loop triggering, the band is free to improvise with little constraint, unlike many electronic "live" performances driven solely by computer sequencing or recorded music. This approach earned the band top prize in the CBC 2002 Big Break Contest for Ontario out of 700 entries and a live television appearance on the CBC show ZeD. Be sure to check out Microbunny's live trip-hop, slow jazz vibe at the Toronto Record Release, Feb 28th at the El Mocambo. More dates in Ontario (including Guelph-March 4th, London-March 26th and Hamilton-March 27th) to follow.
Part-Collie/Son of Kyle Scapegoat Brown Stars Green Stars Coronado Redjac (Instrumental) Mr. Circles 20cc's of D5W The Red Hour (Instrumental) Spore-Induced Happiness (Instrumental) Merciful and Quick Ether
Dead stars - 2004-02-14 -
Honeytone Gamma Hydra IV Grey Stars (Instrumental) Henoch (Instrumental) Wishing Binbi Furi (Instrumental) Season of Change Silver Stars (Instrumental) Blue Stars Eminiar VII (Instrumental) The Drifter (Instrumental) Rose-Coloured Glasses Dead Stars Season of Change (reprise)
Microbunny
( Lyrics by Tamara Williamson )
*** Huge thanx to Al Okada from Microbunny for these lyrics ! ***
Part-Collie / Son of Kyle If I could take ... And if I could ... Write ... If I could ... Write it down ... Watching you move ... Could take from you ... Time is going by ... Time is going by ... So wonderful ... And so wonderful ... And so wonderful ... And so ...
Scapegoat ( Lyrics by Tamara Williamson ) There's a lane beside a highway That takes you somewhere Where people still care In painted houses and corner shopping With running rivers that still have fishes And I'll kiss you in yellow fields And we can make a home And work fingers to the bone And lie exhausted beside a fire And talk about the time Before we found the lane You ... Dream ... You ... Dream with me He packs a bag ‘cause it's too quiet And up the dusty bank onto the highway And goes through places he's never heard of The angry crowd did think that he's a space cadet And I'll need you to make me sober And I'll kiss this all goodbye And make up some alibi You ... Dream ... You ... Dream with me You ... Dream ... You ... Dream with me
Brown Stars Listening to stories Of the way We once were
Green Stars You came walking through the door Just as if you'd left it open I was busy trying to ignore The tell-tale signs of missing Of missing you And I'll find time to look over everything And I'll find time to get over everything There's a photo I found warping Two sunburnt faces look out smiling I'm much taller in real life The camera angle only seeing one side And I'll find time to look over everything And I'll find time to get over everything And I'll find time to look over everything And I'll find time
Coronado It's pretty and sweet and it's often sour Moving along at every hour In a van through town and country Looking at the back of another big lorry Everyone is finding a way to make this never ending experience o.k. And I can't help but feel that this is made for living It just like some numbers and white collars... Cutting corners...
Mr.Circles Lisa will love him Till the day she doesn't Wrapped up in white With her blue hair and boots on Lisa sees each day As a present given Holding her hand As they queue up for morphine Lisa received An electric shock life blow He's just been here Now we all know that he'll soon go And every minute of every day... Nothing lasts forever Nothing is permanent Every minute of every day Of every passing hour Nothing lasts forever Nothing is permanent Mothers and sisters and brothers watch on Lisa searching for... She just carries on New days are dawning... Nothing lasts forever Nothing is permanent Every minute of every day Of every passing hour Nothing lasts forever Nothing is permanent Every minute of every day Of every passing hour
20cc's of D5W Just one dose Help them to smooth out and handle his growth His new joints itch Stretched by the proteins that harden the bone Breathe Once he tried Stood up on his toes with a language that died And Oh my world Scuffed at the corners and paved under lies Breathe Two thousand years on Two thousand reasons to think this is dumb He picks up the knife Puts it back on his plate with the fork and his life Breathe
Merciful and Quick I'm tired and I want to go So close my eyes Close To close my eyes I'm tired and I want to get away from here And now I want to go You're talking worlds away You're talking so much I can't hear a word you say Just so gentle sometimes But not today I'm tired and I'll have to go Just send someone in to take me away from here And now I need to go ... to go ... to go ... Send someone out Send someone in to be the one to tell me That this thing is happening It's over and I want to go So send someone down Send someone in It's cold in here I'm freezing and I'm sick of this And I just really want to go Send someone in Tired ...
Ether When I don't speak I say everything When I move on you will keep going strong And he's ..... Staring out to see Cars rolling by endlessly Like waves on a pebble beach (Break) In these black days in fashion halls In these black days in fashion halls In these black days... This black day's end Wind is in my face and I'm older And there's someone looking over my shoulder (Break) In these black days in fashion halls In these black days in fashion halls In these black days... This black day's end
Dead stars
Honeytone ( Lyrics by Tamara Williamson ) He came driving to her town last night Promising to heal her little wounds I would squeal for one big meal If you would teach me how to be ... Happy ... Happy ... Happy ... Is there one answer in that big book ? This may sound stupid but I've found religion to be Much too much for me And it touched her hair And she slowly fell down You're not dead you're just lying on the floor Your looking at the ankles of the radicals You know why the world's at world It's all very clear I don't want it anymore And I would squeal for one big meal If you will teach me how to be ... Happy ... Happy ... Happy ...
Gamma Hydra IV ( Lyrics by Tamara Williamson ) In your rented car You could drive so far away from me In your rented car You could drive for seven days In your rented car On twisting sideroads It's less scary Oh Charlie...go away Take on the food chain Take on the food chain Take on the food chain Take on the food chain Twisted sideroads Go away Tell them everything Tell them nothing Tell them everything Oh Charlie...go away Take on the food chain Charlie...take on the food chain Take on the food chain Take on the food chain Take on the food chain Take on the food chain
Wishing ( Lyrics by Tamara Williamson ) Mr. Laurence is a wishing well Wishes for the sun to rain Looks inside his little world And he wonders... And I'm wishing... Emily...she wipes her hands Turns and throws the money to the floor And she tried to give her best Wanted to pay more And I'm wishing... And under the smoke storm She tried to reach his hand It's dripping wet with gold dust She sinks away into the sand And I'm wishing...
Season of Change (Lyrics by Liz Forsberg) Let go and lose yourself Into this landscape and it's ghosts Let go and lose yourself Into this landscape and it's ghosts Far from the minds Of the dizzy day to day of the city Walking gently through the grasses growing slowly Walking gently through the grasses growing slowly Blue Stars ( Lyrics by Tamara Williamson ) Anyway you want to say it Every time you stretch your spine Every action's hidden You only have to serve One third ... one third You only have to serve One third for good behaviour However soft you creep However gently your feet fall Any love you showed failed to win You only have to serve One third ... one third You only have to serve One third for good behaviour Do you know what you did wrong ? Do you understand what you did wrong ? You only have to serve ... One third ...
Rose-Coloured Glasses ( Lyrics by Tamara Williamson ) Lay down beside me You beautiful dreamer Of sweet things The planet's going round And you're around me You surround me We hustle through the day Big long days We rustle through the paper Pushing maze You tossle in your sleep Sweet sweet sleep The sun's sitting on me And I'm basking For an hour or two The planet's going round And you're around me You surround me We hustle through the days Long hot days We rustle through the paper Pushing maze We stumble onto streets Cold long streets In sweet sweet sleep
Dead Stars ( Lyrics by Tamara Williamson ) Push back the soil and sold you back the top There's millions of neighbours lying in a pile And gravity had won when it came crashing down Only the red spiders are laughing at us now And all the lonely people Wish they were lonely now And all those lonely people Wish they were lonely now She's under you (Say it ... Say it ... All of the time) She's under cover (Say it ... Say it ... All of the time) Sitting all around talking about nothing This is what it takes to get nothing done And we were all in love when it came crashing down Only the red spiders are laughing at us now And all the lonely people (Say it ... Say it ... All of the time) Wish they were lonely now (Say it ... Say it ... All of the time) Only that time you said to me ... Remember that time you said to me ... Remember that time you didn't speak You didn't speak
Season of Change (Reprise) ( Lyrics by Al Okada ) What happened to the fun, girl ? What happened to the fun, girl ? What happened to the fun, girl ? What happened to the fun, girl