Breakfast with Rai-An and Wolfram

Above: Rai-An and Wolfram. I had breakfast with them yesterday morning just before Wolfram went shopping for a bass; he's the bass player for Ookla The Mok, among other bands.



I've been friends with the members of Ookla for years now since meeting them at Astronomicon in 1994 (I think it was '94).

Urban Tapestry performed on their Less Than Art album. You can hear an excerpt from the track by listening to the "Still Can't Buy Me Love" on the CD Baby page for the remixed/remastered Less Than Art; Jodi and Allison do backing vocals, and I play the flute.

Listening to the song brings back some great memories since it was the first song that our two groups ever collaborated on, and it was way fun to perform in the open filk circle as well as in concert. We don't tend to run into each other as often these days, but every so often we'll find ourselves in the same room circle.

Last time this happened, Wolfram asked if we could all do that song. I'm so glad he did. The lyrics are fun and silly, and the song is pure joy.



Ookla has had several drummers and bass players. Wolfram Neff has been playing bass with the band for a couple of years now. I've run into Wolfram and his wife Rai-An a couple times at conventions but never really had a chance to chat until yesterday.

It's always interesting to get the reactions of people who are relatively new to filk. Not everyone takes to it, mainly because of the wide range of personalities and levels of musical talent. One of the aspects I love most about filking is the support of new performers and encouragement of those who are insecure in their musical abilities.

Wolfram, who has been performing since he was a teenager, clearly gets this: that the heart of filk is in the community, not in the performing.

Anyway, I very much enjoyed hanging out Rai-An (who refers to Wolfram as "Wolfie") and Wolfram; hopefully our paths will cross again soon.



The following song helps summarize my feelings about filk. For those of you wanting to know more about the filk community, please do check out my Filk FAQ.

HOME TO FILKONTARIO

by Debbie Ridpath Ohi
(c) March 1999

I used to feel the lyrics slide inside my head
The music filled me up, and I felt I would explode in a
burst of coloured static, and the people all around, their eyes
on the ground.

CHORUS:
Bring me home to FilKONtario
Stay, sing with me we'll
be all right, sing all night
with my friends at Filkontario.

One fateful weekend, my friend took me to a filk, "What's a
filk", I said, and she laughed and took my hand, led me
to a room of people with guitars and easy smiles, and I
stayed a while.

CHORUS

So now I'm hooked, I go to filk cons every year, never
get much sleep, why sleep? I could be filking...
The circle changes but the smiles are still the same, and the
song remains.

BRIDGE (a capella):
But each time I find it harder to say
good-bye at the end of day,
may our paths cross again,
my friend.

Our voices may not be all perfectly on key, but we
lift each other up, and share the melody as we
fill the room with music, and I know I'll be all right as we
sing into the night.

CHORUS