Okieson doesn’t sound like anything. At least not like a lot of colleagues on the quite busy field of Alternative country. You could call it altcountry. Or now-country. A field so saturated it’s spongy. Precisely out of that swamp the sound of Okieson burbles up, in just a different tone. Giving just another twist to the Old American Heritage. Alternative Country, or Countrynoir. Who cares. How you characterize the sound of Okieson is less important than how it actually sounds.
Débutalbum ‘Tomorrow’s gone’ appeared in january of 2008. Okieson climbed the stage 52 times that year. For instance as a supporting act for Lambchop and Bon Iver. Their first-born ‘Tomorrow’s gone’ recieved very good reviews and the band got a lot of airplay.
Their second album is named ‘Cupboard Full of Things’. The band are Floris de Jonge on drums, David Geraerds on guitar, Ruben Trimbach on bass and Nico Huijbregts on piano, and of course the voice and guitar of Sebastiaan van Bijlevelt, founder of the band. You can hear that he wakes up every morning surrounded by the greenery of the Nijmegen nature reserve ‘de Ooijpolder’. On ‘Cupboard Full of Things’ he guides Okieson and the listener through sunny royalblue landscapes with beautifully submerging songs, sometimes swarming with shadows. ‘Cupboard full of things’ was recorded featuring BJ Baartmans on guitar, bass and banjo, Sjoerd van Bommel (known from Frederique Spigts band) on drums, Tony Crow (Lambchop) on spherical keyboard, Paul Niehaus (Calexico) on atmospheric pedalsteel and Mike Roelofs on Hammond- and Wurlitzer keyboard. The album was mixed in Nashville by Sebastiaan van Bijlevelt and Mark Nevers. This producer and ambient sound engineer worked for resounding names as Bonnie Prince Billy, Calexico and Andrew Bird.
Okieson is a walk in the late afternoon through a marshy musical landscape in which you wil submerge slowly and won’t notice. Sounds that embrace the listeners and will take them in. Let them even swoon a little. It’s allowed.
*These are songs you will keep playing on and on. International bearing. ‘Cupboard full of things’ is one of the best Dutch albums of 2009. (Rene Megens. Oor magazine)
*After a few songs it’s clear; Okieson is one of the most original bands in the Low Country’s. (Revolver magazine, November ’09)
*Unheard of beautifull, Okiesons second album. There simply are no ineffective songs. Magnificent album. (Altcountry.nl, 7 oktober ’09)
*This could very well be, wen we are totting up totals for the annual accounts, be the best Dutch album made this year. No less than marvellous what Sebastiaan van Bijlevelt , and his crew achieve on their second album … inconceivably beautiful. (Ctrl.altcountry.be)
*The spheric and unusual seasoned music is second to none of the American melancholy-brothers. ‘Cupboard full of things’ is an amazing calling card. Luckily it has a frayed edge. (Mania, 261)
*It was an absolute pleasure to program Okieson in Mart Smeets’ show. Mart also gives them high praise. I think this is an amazing record and I give it airtime in my own KX show. (Leo Blokhuis, Dutch music authority)
*Country Noir is an international affair, surely the way Okieson makes it. Love this band! (File Under, 7 oktober ’09)
*‘Cupboard full of things’ is a milepost in Dutch rootsmusic, which deserves to be heard outside our borders. (8Weekly)
Hee Sebas! Ik vind het echt @$#%^$ voor je wat er is gebeurd... Beetje late reactie, maar wil je toch ff een hart onder de riem steken. Ken je me nog? We hebben gepraat na 't vuurwerk (letterlijk en figuurlijk vuurwerk= jullie optreden bij zomerfeesten) en je kende me nog van eerder myspace-contact. Hopelijk zie ik jullie weer in Roepaen. Vraagje: Kan ik voor die tijd cd's van jullie bestellen? Hoe gaat dat in zijn werk? Vlg mij woonde een van jullie ook in Nijm. oost. Klopt dat?
Publish and read artist interviews in English at http://groups.myspace.com/CountryHomeMagazineInterviewsEnglish , interviews in French at http://groups.myspace.com/InterviewsAvecCountryMusicStars and interviews in German at http://groups.myspace.com/CountryMusikInterviews . All these groups on MySpace are part of CountryHome, http://www.CountryHome.de , Germany's Premier Country Music Online Magazine. Everything you publish to the groups will be published in my weekly Newsletter which has over 100,000 readers.
Hello OKIESON, great tunes !!! We are delighted to be in your circle of friends. If you have time, would you mind checking out our music and let us know, what you think of it. We always appreciate your time & comments. We're looking forward to hear from you. Have a fantastic week, full of fun & good music !!! Love and peace, - Guido & Tatch ________________NN ________________NN _______________NNN ______________NNNN _____________NNNNN ____________NNNNNN _____________NNNN _____________NNN _____________NNN _____________NNN _____________NNN _____________NNN _____________NNN _____________NNN _____________NNN _____________NNN _____________NNN _____________NNN _____________NNN _____________NNN _____________NNN _____________NNN___N _____________NNN___N_N _____________NNN___N__N _____________NNN___N___N _____________NNN___N___N _____NN_____NNNN__N___N ____N__N___NNNNN_____N _____N___NN__________N ______N_____NNNNN____NN ________N______________NN _________N______________NN _________NN______________NN ________NN________________NN _______NN___________________NN ______NN________KEEP_________NN _____NN_______________________NN _____NN_______________________NN _____NN________ROCKIN________NN ______NN_____________________NN _______NN___________________NN _________NN _______________NN ____________NN__________NN
Publish and read: artist press releases, news, and tour dates to the CountryHome Forum on MySpace, http://groups.myspace.com/CountryHomeMagazine , CountryHome Forum is part of CountryHome, http://www.CountryHome.de , Germany's Premier Country Music Online Magazine. Everything you publish to the CountryHome Forum will be published in my weekly Newsletter which has over 100,000 readers.
Hi... Hope you like our music... Thanks for your friendship... Hope we meet you soon... Maybe on the road... We are in Tour across Europe... All the best for you... Cheers from Portugal... a Jigsaw...
De 1ste MUZIEKIDS STUDIO in een ziekenhuis is afgelopen donderdag geopend door Frans Bauer en de Burgemeester van Blaricum! Met jullie hulp kunnen we er samen voor zorgen dat we nog veel meer kids tijdens ziekte kunnen verblijden met muziek!
Editor & Journalist for Country Music Christian Lamitschka An der Pfingstweide 28 61118 Bad Vilbel Germany Phone: ++49 6101 544613 Mobil: ++49 171 6903352 E-Mail: Ch.Lamitschka@t-onine.de E-Mail: Info@CountryMusic-Magazin.de www.MySpace.com/ChristianLamitschka
Check de video SHAKING GODSPEED live @ Noorderslag op www.myspace.com/shakinggodspeed
en vergeet niet, voor een goed potje blues/roots/rock&roll....aanstaande donderdag 21 januari Releaseparty @ Merleyn/Nijmegen // Kaarten (incl. LP+MP3's!) te bestellen via www.doornroosje.nl //
My new record just came out this week on I-Tunes and CD Baby. An exclusive video and link to the new album is featured on my myspace blog titled "Gunned Down in Mexico is NOW ON iTUNES and CD BABY!" Please leave us some feedback to let us know what you think! Thanks for your support.
WILBURG plays 13 november 't Wapen van Croimvoirt 21.30h 20 november CD-presentation Tiliander Oisterwijk 20.00h 01 december Tiliander Oisterwijk aftershow Leon vd Zanden (comedian) 22.15h 04 december Kraaijenbalder Eindhoven 21.00h 13 december CD-presentation Upstairs Udenhout 15.00h 05 march 2010 Tiliander Oisterwijk aftershow Karin Bruers (comedian) 22.15h 16 april 2010 Tiliander Oisterwijk aftershow Comedy Explosion 22.15h The Netherlands
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