OK City OK @ NXNE 2008

BACKGROUND/COMPOSITION: It's NXNE. It's a Dan Burke showcase. At the Silver Dollar. Here is the inevitable blazing rock entry from Japan. Oh, wait. It's three Japanese kids and a 34-year-old American ex-pat (I'm guessing on the age thing).

Grade: 75

Comment: Singer Kay Grace was mostly tuneless, but OK City OK had just enough going for them musically to perk up the ears every three or four minutes.

Achievement of Rock 'n' Roll Expectations
80-100: Exceeds skill and knowledge expectations, i.e. rocked us so hard we peed our pants.
70-79: Achieves required skills and knowledge. Meets rock 'n' roll standard.
60-69: Demonstrates some skills. Approaches rock 'n' roll standard.
50-59: Demonstrates some required skills and knowledge in a limited way.
00-50: Has not demonstrated required skills or knowledge.

Learning Skills: E=Excellent, G=Good, S=Satisfactory, N=Sad Really

Oral And Visual Communication
Eye Contact: E
Pronunciation: E
Stage Presence: G
Stage Banter: G
Image: G
Appearance: G
Use Of Stage: E

Strengths/Weaknesses/NextStep:
Grace has all the tools to be a solid frontman except the voice. But even that, as tuneless as it is, has some uniqueness, so it's not a complete loss. The Japanese kids smiled and looked like they were having a great time (the band flew to North America to play this single show), and there was definitely a charm to OK City OK. 

Musical Analysis
Level Of Participation: S 
Problem Solving: G
Teamwork: E
Work Habits: E
Organization: E
Audience Participation: S
Sound: G
Composition: G
Songs: S

Strengths/Weaknesses/NextStep:
OK City OK play bluesy rock that alternated between eye-rolling and "Hey, that's not bad." I can't tell you the number of times I'd written them off and then suddenly found myself kind of into a song. It was baffling. 

Other Skills And Areas Of Interest
Charisma: E
Problem Solving: G
Teamwork: E
Sexiness: S
Haircut: G
Indie Rock Footwear: G
Nods To Disposible Fashion: E
Cool Equipment: E
Level Of Inebriation: G
Actual Ability: E

Strengths/Weaknesses/NextStep:
The group pulled out high beam light reading glasses for their last song of the set, which was... um... neat. Grace rocked a huge, very low-slung guitar, which made the effort he had to sink into playing it impressive. If you were drunk at 1 a.m. and this band were on stage, I'm confident you'd have a good time. At 9 p.m., not so much.