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Ookla The Mok Releases New Mini Album: Nerdvana
March 16, 2012
Ookla The Mok's "Nerdvana"
Longtime About Heroes fans probably remember me talking about Ookla The Mok. Certainly you’ve heard their music before, when their song “Super Powers” was used as the intro music to many episodes.
If you don’t remember them, then here’s a chance to get into their music. Rand Bellavia and Adam English are a Buffalo New York-based duo of songwriters who for years have been writing and performing as Ookla The Mok: Rock Music For Nerds!
Here’s their Facebook biography:
If you haven’t heard of Ookla the Mok, well then I guess you’re just not nearly as nerdy as you thought you were. Based in Buffalo, New York, Ookla the Mok has been entertaining nerds of all stripes since the early 90s. If you’ve spent any amount of time at Science Fiction, Comic Book, Star Trek, or Filk conventions, then you’ve more than likely breathed the same air as us.
Claims to fame include:
* Getting into bed with Disney — We were hired to write and perform the theme to the Disney cartoon Fillmore! (And while we are indeed excited to share that fact with you, the exclamation point is part of the title of the show.)
* Gym Class Heroes’ “Cupid’s Chokehold (Breakfast in America)” — Adam plays the keyboards on that track and Rand’s voice is the very first thing you hear. Trust me, you’ve heard this song.
* Three Pegasus Awards — Those are the Grammys of Filk.
* Dr. Demento’s Funny Five — We’ve topped that bad boy six times, and had tracks appear on two of his CDs. Oh yeah? Well, how many times has *your* nerd rock band been played on Dr. Demento?
* A whole buncha records — Including a the best-selling Super Secret and a space monkey rock opera.
So now they’ve been busy in the studio, and released their newest mini-album, Nerdvana. It includes longtime concert favorites Medieval Evil Knievel and Math, as well as new songs sure to be a hit Welcome To The Con and the hilarious Tantric Yoda. For Melanie and Omar, I’d recommend Go To Bed, sure to become a mantra in years to come with two kids in the household.
Adam "Spock Technique" English
I met Adam and was introduced to the band when I agreed to chaperone my friend’s daughter to Darien Lake so they could go to a Spice Girls concert. They were going to the concert with her mom, and I wandered the park in search of fun. I came across Adam at his booth doing caricatures (“Because that’s was a degree in English Lit will get you during the summers” he once told me), and we soon became fast friends. He gave me a copy of their first album, Less Than Art, and I couldn’t stop laughing on the drive home.
Rand "Never Step On A Blue Beetle" Bellavia
They’ve since released several albums, from the heavily superhero-themed Super Secret to the monkey-themed rock opera album Smell No Evil. Their concerts are a sight to see, with everything from Aquaman to Mister Worf to Super Skrull making appearances during songs, the cameos being presented by “The Nerd Herd”, a group of friends (like myself sometimes dressed as Green Lantern) who do what they can to enhance the live concert geekiness. Past concert venues include Dragon-Con, Wizard World Chicago, and even the U.K. for a filk show!
The five-track mini-album is available at CDBaby, Amazon, and iTunes for about $5.00. Not a bad deal at all! When you listen to these songs, I dare you not to laugh! And like their Facebook page and visit their website for their earlier works to purchase and download! Omar in particular enjoyed their albums when I gave them to him as a present some years ago, so much so that he used them for the show! That should tell you something of their appeal!
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Dennis
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