OK Go, in concert from this years Firefly Music Festival in Dover Maryland, recorded on June 16th. I ran across this concert a few days ago, and it occurred to me that I hadn’t heard anything from them since their self-titled debut album in 2002. Okay, I admit, sometimes you get sidetracked and a flood of new bands show up and you have to listen to them all, and the ones you started getting into take the backseat for a while. Apologies.
OK Go are actually quite interesting – a sort Power-Pop/Alternative/Marketing Machine, receiving a lot of kudos and curiosity via their music videos but also getting a considerable reputation for sync-rights. Their material has been licensed for everything from Range Rover to Yahoo and it has netted handsome rewards.
Depending on how you feel about it, that’s either a good thing or a bad thing. But the bottom line is – it’s one of the few ways a band can successfully make a living from their music. Aside from maintaining an almost non-stop and thoroughly exhausting schedule of touring and performing everywhere and anywhere; selling everything from programs to T-shirts to CD‘s and lps; it has all become part of the way an artist scratches out a living. And one of the most lucrative in recent years has been licensing for films, TV and Commercials. It used to be annoying, hearing a song you grew up with and thought was sacred to be suddenly selling sneakers. But for a new band, just starting out and getting their musical message across, it works and it works well.
And lest you think it’s a sell-out to have your music push Car Insurance, just remember you signed up for the long-haul, you are a professional, music is your life – and however you can get your message across you’re going to do, because that’s who you are and you also really like the idea of having three squares a day and a roof over your head.
So, with all that in mind – and promptly forgetting it – here is OK Go’s performance at this year’s Firefly Festival in Dover Delaware from June 16.
Crank it up and enjoy.
