Phoenix local band Okilly Dokilly is the world’s first “Nedal” band and an Internet sensation just from their Ned Flanders aesthetic alone. The group, whose name comes from the prude Simpson character, is gearing up for its first show at Trunk Space on Sept. 5.
The singer, who goes by the name of Head Ned, kindly took time out of his crazy schedule to answer some questions about what it means to make music inspired by Ned Flanders.
Who's the biggest Simpsons fan out of all of you?
(Guitarist) Stead Ned barely beat me out in a recent Simpsons trivia we were at. I think he wins. Barely.
What are the Ned's favorite foods?
I'm not sure, but definitely no foot longs.
Did you guys take any cues from other satire bands on how to approach this project?
Not really. We just dressed like Ned and played our version of heavier music. We are pretty loose with the rules on songwriting. It just has to connect to Ned to be Nedal.
Being locals from Phoenix, do you have any bands you are into that are also locals?
There are a lot of really great bands in Phoenix. I'd list some bands, but it might give clues to our identities, and we're trying to keep those secret for now.
Any special plans or special guests for the album?
No plans yet for the album. We're taking it one step at a time, starting with our first show. We're hoping to get into the studio before the end of the year though.
What's the biggest change for you guys since all of the publicity and support have come in?
Our entire attitude changed. We were very relaxed about building this project, and it took about a year from when we started to get the demos and took about two months for us to all be in one place for press shots. Now, I spend a vast majority of my free time working on aspects of the band. We just released our first t-shirt and went full DIY on the design and distribution.
You guys are getting ready for your first show and probably have more fans supporting you than the average boy band. Does that make you guys nervous?
We're practicing and doing what we can. We're still working our day jobs, so time is tight. I'm not really nervous about the show. I'm really excited for it. The Trunk Space is a tiny venue and has a 175 person capacity, but we really love The Trunk Space and are excited to have a fairly exclusive first show at a venue that's done a lot for us.
How much of the crowd do you hope shows up in Flanders attire?
I wouldn't wish that upon anyone. A crammed venue on a hot Phoenix night is already pretty toasty. Put them all in sweaters and that's just torture. We're doing it to ourselves, but we'll be buying some very large fans before the show.
We have our first shirt now available @ http://t.co/G5FzYeHZ2a! Thanks to Jeremy Kohrs for the design and artwork! pic.twitter.com/BKmpuWxqAI
— Okilly Dokilly (@NedalBand) August 23, 2015
Have you heard from Matt Groening yet?
(The Simpsons producer) Al Jean tweeted about us, and a person who works for Matt Groening contacted us. Both times, I pretty much melted. I didn't think we'd even be well liked, nonetheless get that much attention in such a short time.
Where can I buy one of those sweaters?
I think they're Hanes sweaters. I worked for an apparel company and was able to order them. Online is probably your best option.
Could we possibly see any other Ned-influenced genres from you?
Probably not, we're Nedal to the core.
Related Links:
Local band Bear State creates toe-tapping lullabies
Local band The Senators put new spin on indie music
Reach the reporter at dloche@asu.edu or follow @DMLoche on Twitter.
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