Put simply, Rand and Adam changed the sound of filk. At a time when almost all filk was based on folk music styles, their songwriting and performing, both under their own names and as their band, Ookla the Mok (named for a TV cartoon character), introduced and popularized more contemporary influences. Their music opens up multiple styles of music to songwriters and other music enjoyers diversity of our community enabling it to continue to change and grow and welcome in new generations of filkers and creators of filk adjacent music. They are wonderful representatives of the multiplicity and adaptability of filk music styles.
As a band, Ookla has been in filk since the early 1990’s. Since making their filk debut as a duo at Contradiction in Buffalo in 1993, they’ve appeared at conventions throughout the world (including at least once at most of the existing filk cons).
They’ve produced a lot of funny, insightful and just plain great music. They have many Pegasus nominations for songwriting; they have awards, for “Arthur Curry” and “Tiberius Rising” and one more for Best Writer/Composer in 1997. As a duo, with Ookla and with Via Bella (Rand’s duo with Erin) and as solo artists they have written and recorded sixteen (and counting) albums and EPs. Their songs have been aired worldwide on the radio and Internet including on the “Dr. Demento Show”. Their music has been used in a handful of independent films; they wrote the theme and score for Indie movie, “Bite Me, Fanboy!” Adam’s solo album “Sketched Out”, drawn from his experiences as a caricaturist, has been an inspiration to the popular art and caricature communities. One of their pieces was bought by The Walt Disney Company for the theme of the animated series “Fillmore!” from 2002 to 2004.
They introduced comics and media fans to filk by playing at the Pittsburgh Comicon for six years running and by playing at Wizard World and Dragon*Con. They were the “house band” for Eeriecon convention in Niagara Falls and performed the main concert annually for many years.
They have been guests at too many cons to mention. They were Interfilk Guests at GAFilk (2009), where they contributed items to the Interfilk Auction, and good-naturedly helped to wench them.
Rand and Adam often collaborate with other artists in the filk community and do their best to share their time and know-how with the community. They’ve contributed arrangements, backing tracks, and vocals to songs and albums by many filkers, who have returned the favour. Their songs have been covered by many others as well.
Rand and Adam are not only top-notch songwriters, performers, and innovators; they have also demonstrated, since their earliest involvement, an abiding interest in filk as a whole have continually done their best, not to just to entertain us, but to nurture filk as a genre, community, and movement. They’re also two of the nicest, kindest, coolest people we know
For these contributions to filk music and the filk community Rand Bellavia and Adam English are inducted into the Filk Hall of Fame this twentieth day of April, two thousand twenty four.