When one hears the term soul mate, what immediately seems to spring to mind is its association with a romantic love. Many of us grew up believing that we would spend a good portion of our early adulthood searching manically for "the one." Interestingly enough though, many of us probably haven't learned that the concept of soul mates doesn't have to, and probably shouldn't, just apply to romantic partnerships. Sometimes, chemistry so exceptionally unique exists between two people who, instead of creating passion, create art.
Throughout musical history, we have seen varying numerical configurations of musicians that fit together so naturally that seeing them apart feels almost dirty. The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Smiths … these are bands that just wouldn't be the same without the unique perspectives and personalities of the band members. When John Frusciante made his abrupt exit from the Red Hot Chili Peppers in the early nineties, an obvious void remained that could never be filled by the likes of Dave Navarro. What RHCP had with Frusciante was a rare and magnetic partnership. He fit so snuggly into the band's design that it was virtually impossible to find someone else to mimic that kind of organic connection. When Frusciante found his way back to RHCP in the late nineties, it was almost as if he'd never left.
Eight or nine years ago, two run-of-the-mill guys were living in Florida attending graduate school. Both musicians in their own respect, Ryan Costello and Matthew Antolick met by chance at an apartment complex where both resided. Though there was nothing particularly spectacular about the way they met, their cosmic, musical connection was apparent the moment they said hello. Says Antolick, “We met eight or nine years ago and we’ve been playing music together since the first day we met. My wife was a leasing agent at the apartment complex where we lived and I was working on my masters in philosophy. Ryan was working on his masters in biology and my wife came home one day and was like ‘I just rented an apartment to this guy who plays guitar. He seems really cool. You should meet him.’ And I was like ‘all right’ and went over there with a jamba and said ‘Hi, I’m Matt’ and he said ‘Hey, I’m Ryan’ and we just sat down on his porch and started playing. That was the first time we talked.” “Yeah,” adds Costello, “it was pretty cool. The first time we talked was with instruments.”
That meeting of instruments set in motion years of innovative and illustrious melodies. Costello and Antolick have the kind of musical chemistry that most musicians, even those who have played successfully for years, never get to experience. From their first notable project “Figure vs. Ground” to their now six-piece ensemble The OaKs, Costello and Antolick have remained constantly in sync with each other’s vision, soul, and talent. They push each other to be the kind of musicians they know the other can be. Their new album Songs For Waiting is a stunning example of musicians merging and sharing their individual talents and ideas to create songs that are genuine and powerful.
Their years of playing together helped prepare them for playing with other musicians in a more equal and collaborative way. The OaKs has become more than just a band that Costello and Antolick created; it has evolved into a meeting of the minds where six gifted individuals come together and allow the music to unravel and meander into completion. “Matt and I are totally in each other’s heads,” says Costello, “which is good and bad. The bad is that we’re also in our own little world because we both have been doing it for so long. But the perspective that everyone has brought to the new album is excellent. Because when I listen back to the album, it feels less like something I sat down and created and more like a band. The nice thing is everyone has a strong vision and we worked together so well. It’s really amazing. It always ends up being greater than the sum of its parts. All of us are collectively surprised by what the end results of the songs are.
The OaKs’ collaborative harmonies really speak to its commitment to empowering individuals through personal authenticity. Whether it is through humanitarian efforts or making songs that speak about personal struggles, the members of The OaKs have produced an album that is rich in sound, lyrical philosophy and heart.
A social service opportunity in Afghanistan led Costello away from home for a couple of years. Being in a new environment and away from his partner in musical crime helped him better appreciate the connection he and Antolick had. “I picked up the guitar in college, so when I met Matt I hadn’t been playing the guitar but for a couple of years” he says. “It’s funny, because my second year in Afghanistan, I picked up an acoustic guitar and started coming up with ideas. I found myself looking back on my musical partnership with Matt and missing it. He’s an incredible drummer and I made a promise to myself that, if I ever got back to the States and ended up in the same city as Matt, I would write songs that would challenge him as a drummer and I wouldn’t take it for granted. It ended up happening and I’m just very happy for that.”
Costello’s absence had a similar affect on Antolick. “When Ryan was in Afghanistan, I had moved to Orlando and was doing session work. What that basically means is I was playing as a drummer in other people’s bands, playing other people’s songs....and sometimes they were cover bands. When you’re in a band playing someone else’s prewritten songs....it’s just not the same as sitting down and creating something out of thin air; the chemistry is just not there. There’s a part of yourself you have to hold back in order to fit into the other person’s context. It’s really not your decision to make. I have never played with another musician whom I could just sit down with and make a song along the way. That’s one of the things that’s special about our musical partnership; authentically, from the ground up, we’ll work together and come out with these songs that surprise us both in the end.”
These guys have the ability to make music that speaks to where they are at; and where they are at, musically, has evolved only in the sense that now they make their same construct of music with other individuals who share the same goals and commitment. Songs For Waiting is a gift from a band that isn’t afraid to tell it like it is.
--Brigitte B. Zabak
The OaKs’ album Songs For Waiting is released independently on March 4, 2008.
The OaKs Myspace
