Optiganally Yours is a San Diego based
band composed principally of two people. Rob Crow (of
Thingy,
Heavy Vegetable and
Pinback fame) and Pea Hicks (who, aside from a sound-collage CD titled "Lucas and Friends Discover a World of Sound" has remained relatively obscure).
The band originally started as a gimmicky cover band, utilizing Rob's Vocals and guitar stylings and (as it is obviously named for) The Optigan.
At the release of their first album "Spotlight on: Optiganally Yours" there is a rather entertaining cover song of "Witchita Lineman" as well as some sound sampling... one particular amusing recycled recording of what sounds like a little girl singing into a home tape recorder her own spirited rendition of Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You." The CD is a spirited romp through kitschy rhythms and amusing lyrical content ("... and pretty soon I had somehow forgotten all of my worries... and then you come hit me in the kneecaps with a bat") all in scratchy sound produced by the optigan.
A second album, released early this year "Optiganally Yours' Exclusively Talentmaker" has a slightly more moody tone about it, including a song about Pinnochio's surrogate father, Geppetto being stuck in a whale... and how given the outside world... that's not such a bad thing.
All in all, the somewhat awkwardly melancholy lyrics, combined with the startlingly happy sounds of the music provides an interesting juxtaposition for anyone looking for a new music experience.
They have a small website inside www.optigan.com