The OaKs

Music:

Member Since: 1/18/2007
Band Website: WWW.THEOAKSBAND.COM
Band Members: Matthew Antolick -- drums, marimba, vibraphone, percussion, electronics, some keys
Ryan Costello -- vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, mandolin, pianica, organs and keyboards, lyrics.
Jeremy Siegel-- bass, trombone and some keys, mandolin
Melissa Reyes -- vocals, accordian, bells, percussion, some keys
Greg Willson -- guitars, saxophone and vocals
Tim Cocking -- Wurlitzer electric piano, accordian, synths, organ, bells, trumpet, vocals

PROMOTIONAL INQUIRIES:
Press: Vai Godhania : [email protected]
Radio: Dan Yocom : [email protected]
Internet Media: Andy Silva : [email protected]

LEGAL:
Nick Nanton, Esq : [email protected]

Influences:

See more of Ryan's photos from Afghanistan at this link
Our experiences both in America and abroad, infused with the sounds of
Kansas, Sting, The Police, Iona, The Beatles, George Winston, AKUS, King's X, Marillion, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, The Who, AC/DC, Steely Dan, Foo Fighters, Dave Matthews Band, Parliament/Funkadelic, Bonnie Prince Billie, Isley Brothers, Curtis Mayfield, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Metallica, Guns'n'Roses, Miles Davis, James Brown, Rush, Yes, Deep Purple, The Police, Cannonball Adderley, J.J. Johnson, Modern Jazz Quartet, Frank Sinatra, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, Soundgarden, Rage Against The Machine, Bob Marley, Toots and the Maytals, Big Bill Broonzy, Wynton Marsalis, Buddy Guy, David Bowie, B.B. King, John Lee Hooker, Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky, Bartok, Mahler, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Billie Holiday, Paul Simon, Elvis Costello, Spacehog, Flaming Lips, Al Green, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Barry White, Charles Mingus, Kool and the Gang, Earth, Wind and Fire, Mendelssohn, Frank Zappa, Genesis, Guided By Voices, Gnarls Barkley, Heart, Herbie Hancock, Jamiroquai, Jethro Tull, Primus, Oysterhead, Black Crows, John Mayer Trio, John McLaughlin, Marvin Gaye, The Meters, Ralph Stanley, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Reel Big Fish, Skatalites, Queens of the Stone Age, Santana, Spinal Tap, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, Tool, Weather Report, Jaco Pastorious, Nirvana, Megadeth, Cream, Ellington, Tito Puentes, Arturo Sandoval, Machito, Tower of Power, Blood Sweat and Tears, Lee Morgan, Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Sade, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Count Basie, My Bloody Valentine, The Album Leaf, Ahmad Jahmal, Bubber Miley, Pee Wee Ellis, Art Blakey, Philly Joe Jones, Dizzy Gillespie, The Pixies, Ahmad Jamal, Sufjan Stevens, Archer Prewitt, Nina Simone, Sam Cooke, The Loving Spoonful, Bill Evans, Yo La Tengo, American Analog Set, Radiohead, Sigur Ros, Gilian Welch, Neil Young, Cat Power, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Stan Getz, Joao Gilberto
Ryan's lyrical influences include Flannery O'Connor, Carson McCullers, Andrew Young, e e cummings, Robert Bly, Frida Kahlo and Terrence Malick.
Sounds Like: Praise for Songs For Waiting:

"On the band's sophomore release, Costello, drummer Matthew Antolick, and a host of new multi-instrumentalists strive to tell such hidden stories, from a minister's calling to assassinate Hitler to an Afghan boy's home-life heroism. Antolick is as illustrative and creative a percussionist as one could ask for - Art Blakey filling in for Levon Helm. Their success lies in that balance between hyper-literacy and a catholic musical sensibility that finds as much gravitas in a clap-along as a plucked guitar." - Paste Magazine
"Songs For Waiting” is an essential listen that is as deep and thrilling as any album released in recent memory. The OaKs have used personal experience to create a work of universal importance, and now the vultures will have to find something else to scavenge. A bigger and better rival has arrived." - The Harvard Crimson
"Much of what's called wrong in indie rock seems to get righted in Ryan Costello's project: Instead of alienated and academic music, we get something intimate and visceral." - CNET/Download.com

"Though this album’s roots are heavily folk and indie, far more informs the artistic vision of the OaKs, a six-piece from Orlando, Florida; Afro-Cuban rhythms subtly infiltrate the album in the clave-clap breakdown on “Pike County” and in the percussive jam on “Old Bones.” Aside from being incredibly engaging melodically, the eclectic yet solid grooves of drummer Matthew Antolick and bassist Jeremy Siegel provide a fluid feel as engaging as the vocal harmonies they support." - Bass Player Magazine
"With electric guitars and keyboards flavored by accordion, glockenspiel and ethereal vocal harmonies, the Waiting songs maintain the intimacy of the band's first album. Yet the music also unfolds with a sonic energy that eclipses Our Fathers....the band has refined its approach impressively on songs such as the epic "The Heart Is the Hunter" and the rhythmically charged "Old Bones."" - The Orlando Sentinel
"The diverse styles of each of the band’s six members paint a landscape where experimental synth and folk melodies come together with sharp, jazzy beats and a classical understanding." - Two.One.Five Magazine
"Whether it is through humanitarian efforts or making songs that speak about personal struggles, the members of The OaKs have produced an album that is rich in sound, lyrical philosophy and heart....Songs For Waiting is a stunning example of musicians merging and sharing their individual talents and ideas to create songs that are genuine and powerful." - Amplifier Magazine
"Definitely a band to watch in 2008." - Muzzle Of Bees Blog-------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------

The OaKs were INTERVIEWED by THE PALESTRA in Austin TX for SXSW 2008. Watch it below. (Press play in the player window.)

The OaKs in NYC performing on Public Radio International's FAIR GAME with Faith Salie

Clip from The OaKs playing Masood live in Tampa:

The Making of Songs for Waiting Part 1 of 2

The Making of Songs For Waiting, Part 2 of 2

:
Tim tells a tale:

SXSW 2008 - A strange night from Tim C on Vimeo .
The OaKs perform "The Sins of My Fathers" in Tampa

The Sins Of My Fathers from Tim C on Vimeo .
Seriously AWESOME KINGLY-NESS at South By South West (SXSW) 2008, in Austin**

**explanation: Please note the following important points. 1. Everyone in this video is sober. 2. Greg and Matt are demonstrating how to walk like a king. 3. How to walk like a king a. Be serious b. Walk in a straight line, with arms and legs in the same direction at the same time c. If you learn to walk like this you will rule. Try it!

We've been in a couple of movies lately...dunno if you've seen 'em:
Record Label: Unsigned
Type of Label: None