Okapi is an American musical duo composed of Scott Mitchell Gorski ( upright bass, vocals) and Lindsey Paige Miller ( cello), based in

Asheville, North Carolina Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous cit ...

History

The two met and began performing in

Chicago, IL (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

in 2012, but have called

Appalachia Appalachia () is a cultural region in the Eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York State to northern Alabama and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Newfoundland and Labrador, Ca ...

home since moving there in 2017.

Sound

Okapi's music draws from a wide variety of sonic influences, including elements of

experimental music Experimental music is a general label for any music or music genre that pushes existing boundaries and genre definitions. Experimental compositional practice is defined broadly by exploratory sensibilities radically opposed to, and questioning of, ...

avant-garde music Avant-garde music is music that is considered to be at the forefront of innovation in its field, with the term "avant-garde" implying a critique of existing aesthetic conventions, rejection of the status quo in favor of unique or original elemen ...

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

art rock Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that generally reflects a challenging or avant-garde approach to rock, or which makes use of modernist, experimental, or unconventional elements. Art rock aspires to elevate rock from entertainment to an art ...

, folk music, progressive rock, jazz,

lied In Western classical music tradition, (, plural ; , plural , ) is a term for setting poetry to classical music to create a piece of polyphonic music. The term is used for any kind of song in contemporary German, but among English and French s ...

, and tango music, with Gorski's existential lyrics providing an explicit backdrop for their carefully woven pieces.

Approach

Hailing from differing musical backgrounds but sharing a passion for unique approaches to songwriting, craftsmanship, and structure, they began formulating candid, cathartic, and intentionally intricate orchestrations rooted in honesty and rawness. With evocative works abundant with lyrical paintings, they present ideas both intimately and aggressively, which challenge perceptions that stimulate universal confrontations with our absurd reality, while also promoting consciousness, healthy growth, and individual empowerment.

Big Ears Festival

Okapi was selected to perform at the 2022 Big Ears experimental festival alongside illustrious performers such as

John Zorn John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American composer, conductor, saxophonist, arranger and producer who "deliberately resists category". Zorn's avant-garde and experimental approaches to composition and improvisation are inclusive of jaz ...

, Patti Smith and

Animal Collective Animal Collective is an American experimental pop band formed in Baltimore, Maryland. Its members consist of Avey Tare (David Portner), Panda Bear (Noah Lennox), Geologist (Brian Weitz), and Deakin (Josh Dibb). The band's work is characterized ...

The Wire

Okapi was featured in The Wire (magazine)'s "The Wire Tapper" (No. 63), a series of CD anthologies of new underground music that The Wire staff compiles three times a year. A track of theirs was selected to be included with The Wire Magazine's Issue No. 477.

Collaborations

In October, 2019 Okapi collaborated with Luke H. Walker on his play

The Wake of Dick Johnson ''The Wake of Dick Johnson'' is a 2016 theatrical play and feature film produced by Alt Variety and distributed by Amazon. It was written, directed by, and stars Luke H. Walker. The story takes place at the wake of its protagonist Dick Johnson, w ...

, composing the score for the third run of the play at Performance Space 122 in New York City. A review of the play by Broadwayworld.com lauded their "chilling" performance, citing the band's unmistakable talent and eerie sounds.

Broadwayworld BroadwayWorld is a theatre news website based in New York City covering Broadway, Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres ...

wrote, "Throughout the play, the two perform with both a creepy rawness changing the tempo as quick as Dick's moods."

Members

* Scott Mitchell Gorski – upright bass, vocals * Lindsey Paige Miller – cello

Discography

*''Carousel (Part I)'' (Self-released, 2018) *''Carousel (Part II)'' (Self-released, 2021)

References

{{Reflist American experimental musical groups American musical duos 2012 establishments in Illinois Musical groups from Asheville, North Carolina