OK Go is a rock band originally from Chicago, now residing in Los Angeles. The band is composed of Damian Kulash (lead vocals and guitar), Tim Nordwind (bass guitar and backing vocals), Dan Konopka (drums and percussion) and Andy Ross (keyboards, guitar and backing vocals), who joined them in 2005 in replacement of Andy Duncan.
The original members formed as OK Go in 1998 and released two studio albums before Duncan's departure. The band is notable for their unusual fashion sense and their energetic music videos in particular, those for their two most successful singles, "A Million Ways" and "Here It Goes Again". The latter won a Grammy Award for "Best Short-Form Music Video" in 2007. The band's singer, Damian Kulash, met bassist Tim Nordwind at Interlochen Arts Camp when they were 11. Damian was in for graphic design, Tim for music. They met over a game of Ping Pong in which Damian won. The band name comes from their art teacher, saying "OK...Go!" while they were drawing. They kept in touch after camp, often exchanging mixtapes which influenced each other's musical taste and their future sound. They met the band's former guitarist and keyboardist Andy Duncan in high school, and drummer Dan Konopka in college. OK Go was formed in 1998. OK Go's most frequently cited musical influences are Pixies, The Cars, Cheap Trick, T.Rex, Queen, Prince, The Zombies, and bands from the Washington, D.C. punk rock scene, especially Fugazi and Shudder To Think. They share management with They Might Be Giants, with whom they toured before signing to Capitol Records in 2001.
The band's unique part-glam, part-geek rock fashion sense has also gotten a lot of attention. They are known for combining loud, clashing patterns and wearing waistcoats, sweater vests, ties, dress shirts, suspenders, dress pants, and an unusual amount of jewelry, particularly brooches. Some have noted similarities between their style and that of Weezer, They Might Be Giants, but the band have said in interviews that their influences were Oscar Wilde, David Bowie, "Republican assholes," and "other people too wealthy to know how crazy they look." The band also served as the house band for public radio program This American Life on the show's fifth anniversary tour. The band performed an early predecessor to their wildly successful music videos-- a choreographed dance to the song "C-C-C-Cinnamon Lips" created for the cable access show Chic-a-Go-Go. Ira Glass, the show's host, wrote their first official bio, calling them "living catnip" and describing their songs as "part indie rock, part stadium rock, part straight up pop with the occasional whiff of Weezer or The Cars or Elliott Smith."
Other Media Appearances
The band also appeared in the 2009 comedy "I Love You, Man". They appear briefly at the end during the credits as the wedding band playing alongside main characters Paul Rudd and Jason Segal. The song "Do What You Want" has also appeared on the game Guitar Hero: On Tour on the Nintendo DS and in a minigame on the video game Thrillville: Off The Rails.
Other live members
* Burleigh Seaver – keyboard, percussion (2002)
* Ara Anderson – keyboard, percussion, trumpet (2002, 2004)
Compilations
* 2004 "You're So Damn Hot" off the Queer Eye for the Straight Guy soundtrack
* 2004 "This Will Be Our Year" off the Future Soundtrack for America compilation
* 2004 "Get Over It" off The Alternative Album Vol. 2 compilation
* 2006 "Invincible" off the She's the Man soundtrack compilation
* 2006 "Letterbox" off the Hello Radio: The Songs Of They Might Be Giants compilation
* 2006 "This Will Be Our Year" off the John Tucker Must Die soundtrack
* 2006 "Here It Goes Again" off the Now That's What I Call Music! 23 compilation
* 2006 "Father Christmas" off Kevin & Bean's Super Christmas
* 2006 "Don't Ask Me" off Catch That Kid soundtrack
* 2007 "Gigantic" off Dig For Fire - A Tribute to the Pixies
Awards
* Grammys:
o Best Short Form Music Video (2007) for "Here It Goes Again"
* YouTube Video Awards:
o Most Creative Video (2006) for "Here It Goes Again"
Nominations
* MTV Europe Music Awards:
o Nominated: Best Video (2006) for "A Million Ways"
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