Indie Highlights: Olaroks
By Mikhail Saavedra
To listen to two of their tracks tune into Alternavox Radio
After a fantastic and energetic set at the legendary Horseshoe Tavern, I sat down to talk to Ola Roks about her fantastic and very tight band:
Great set Ola care to tell us who the members of the band are?
Ola Roks - vocals and guitar
Steve O’Gorman - vocals and guitar
Dave Browne - bass guitar
Timon Wientzek - percussion
Now how would you define your sound and who are your influences?
ROK-POP-SKA with a hint of GRUNGE for good measure. Politics and injustice affect our moods and our sound is bare bones textured guitar rhythms, fat bass, and rock solid giddy drum beats behind heartfelt lyrics.
We can definitely cite The Police, Muse, Metric, Sublime, and Nirvana as influences.
What motivates you to get up in front of crowds night after night to play live?
The love of music and passion for fun and enjoying ourselves, and carrying on that tradition of fun and love is what we are here for. Getting people together, meeting newbies, hanging out with musicians, being embedded in the music scene, and making affecting social commentary is our goal.
Our record “Monkeys With Guns” is our collective perspective of How stupid it is for people to be running around shooting each other recklessly. Obviously, we want to make a difference in the world we live in. This record is a snapshot of how we feel about reality at this given moment.
What do you see in the future for OlaRoks?
Ideally, we would like to make music our breadwinner, tour across Canada and the US. Maybe skip over to Europe even Asia and tour if the powers let it be. The music we make is designed to move people, so it would be nice to move people in many places and put everybody in a good mood for just a little bit.
Official OLAROKS Website
OLAROKS Myspace working girl free download
OLAROKS Sonicbids
OLAROKS Supernova
OLAROKS Facebookbrain dead online
Author: 
Publisher-Creator Mikhail Saavedra began life down by the deepest tip of southern Latin America. He started life with a deep curiosity for all things, with music and books being at the forefront, a curious child by all accounts. As he grew and opened his eyes to the world, he developed a sense of justice and dignity in part as a reaction to growing up in a military dictatorship. Alas, this did not fill him with fear or cynicism but a more rebellious spirit, which led him to being incredibly popular at the principal’s office and the local riot police department….
Then came Canada and it was here that he was able to formulate his deep desire to learn about the world, with Toronto being the kind of multicultural soup that could engage his need to know and embrace. It started with writing, then moved on to what became Toronto’s first Latin Alternative radio show, followed by an all-English show in the same vein. It was this desire to find the true “crossover” among people, which led him to the concept of “Alternavox”
He is a lover of wine, good food, Neruda, Eduardo Galeano, rebel music, revolutionaries, dancing, family and beautiful people. Believes that kindness in this much too cynical world is revolutionary, that you are a better person when able to give a little without asking for the change and that on the same token you should laugh at yourself and the madness surrounding you as often as possible as you set out to change the world bit by bit. 