Butterflies - A Live Performance
During this performance, John's amp shorted and would distort the bass notes, which are crucial for the song. Notice how Jordan takes over the bass part while John tries to play technician on his amp. Nice Save!
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Radio (High Beams) -Live
From the same Tasty World show. Enjoy!
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The Past
The first memories of OK Watson date back to their tenure at Fayette County High School, probably around the eleventh grade, probably in Mrs. Overstreet's class. In that putrid classroom sat two boys, acquaintances since middle school but never buddy-buddy: Jordan Hamm and John Hill. Through the duration of the school year, Jordan kept pestering John to come jam with a group that had been practicing a bit and just having fun. But John didn't like fun. He liked sitting at home and writing songs, occasionally surfacing from the house for a dose of sunlight. But Jordan kept persisting, eventually winning the favor of John and they set a practice date.
John drove over to Adam Stafford's house with amp and guitar ready, not knowing what to expect. Inside already were Jordan, Mr. Stafford, and Andy Bowen, who sat behind a borrowed drum kit. The boys jammed into a groove that lit their minds ablaze, satiating that craving for a creative outlet the boys needed. Throughout the session, Mr. Stafford stopped jamming and went to go play Dreamcast, but the remaining trio played on - and OK Watson was born.
With John on rhythm, Jordan on lead, and Andy on drums, the gang felt as if music was finally true. All the sitting at home, learning chords, and writing songs finally had a home. So the trio practiced quiet frequently over the next year, developing their songs, and eventually earning a weekly gig at their High School's football tailgate. The team sucked, but the band brought on an energy needed to fuel the team to at least trying to win. From that exposure, OK Watson's home recording of "Graduation" for the Senior Graduation song, won the hearts of the 600 plus students of Fayette County's 2004 class - a true honor for our young lads. Finishing that year, the band found themselves playing local punk shows, weddings, and high school dances. Over the summer, they gathered up enough cash to record a seven song demo entitled Sunnyview EP, which was produced by the music master himself: Ben Holst . With a solid song library, a cute little demo, and live performance experience, OK Watson was ready for the upcoming college years, what this author considers "the present".
The Present
With Jordan and John both attending UGA but Andy attending West GA, practicing became more of a chore than a pastime. The band found themselves kinda f'd over by the system. But they knew of the potential Athens has as a springboard for musical artists and took full advantage of the city, playing shows at bars as frequently as they could get them, establishing fans, handing out copies of Sunnyview EP at shows, and autographing newborns. Andy got himself a sweet drumkit and brought lifetime friend Daniel Neundorfer to the band as a bassist and alternate drummer. The trio now became a quartet, filled with multi-instrumentialist musicians, who all dig on the same groove and like to switch up instruments at concerts.
With each passing gig, the band grows greater: learning off each other, figuring out what the audience likes, and working their way into the music scene, but always having a good time along the way. Unfortunately, as of now, OK Watson is on a hiatus of sorts, since the boys never get a chance to play together. But they look on the bright side and see it as an opportunity to develop independently, play with other musicians, and experiment with the full range of music's potential.
Andy is currently leading worship at ENTER CHURCH'S NAME HERE with ENTER BAND's NAME HERE, satisfying his spiritual and musical needs in one awesome swoop. Jordan and John have been at John's apartment recording the musical essence of their inner minds over the duration of the 2006 Summer, planting seeds for future OK Watson songs. And Daniel, well I don't think Daniel really knows he's in OK Watson, so his life goes on as usual. The quartet recognize their fissure as temporary, fully planning to reunite once time allows, and are still best of friends to this day.
This author is inclined to sing, "Make new friends and keep the old; one is silver and the other's gold." OK Watson is gold.
The Future
The only thing uncertain about OK Watson's future is their waist size. As for music, they know they were meant to be together - a true love in the musical world. Along their journey, they will acquire a record deal, record a plethora of albums, establish a national and international fanbase, develop a robot that can cure AIDS, and inspire new musicians to focus on their sound, not their image; for music is sound waves heard with the ears, not a photograph or music video seen with the eyes.
With minds set on being the best, the group will push it's way to the top, establishing themselves as a creative, unique, and fresh band, with sounds needed in a world of imitation and emulation. Best of luck, amigos, and God bless.
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OK Watson
Andy
Jordan
John
Daniel