Okapi, Channel Marker & Chelsea Smarr

Okapi: Okapi was serendipitously born in Chicago in March of 2012 when Woodstock, IL native Scott Gorski met Columbia, MO native Lindsey Miller through a strange entanglement of Craigslist inquires. Lindsey, a classically trained cellist, had departed from the stifling conservatory direction while Scott, a self-taught upright bassist and singer, was seeking new and inventive avenues outside of traditional music. They crossed paths somewhere in the middle and worked together to form their own unique voice, which over many embodiments, eventually became a cohesive compilation of all the things they appreciated about various styles of music and sound. In short, they created the art that they wanted to experience first hand. The development of their music rode in tandem with Scott’s lyrical content to drive their foundational messages, influenced by existential philosophies, the growth of the individual, and environmental consciousness. Their musical style and subject matter continue to evolve as they whittle away at the absurdity of reality, inviting others to analyze and appreciate the power of their own individual uniqueness. Channel Marker: Channel Marker are Shaina Kapeluck, Roger Martinez and Benjamin Schurr, members of Song People, Luna Honey and Interminables. Vocals, harmonium and contrabass. Songs about death, the sea, death at sea and talking animals. Chelsea Smarr: Chelsea Smarr is a harpist from deep within the dusty coal mining region of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, who whirls together an improvised cacophony of experimental compositions during her performances. Smarr has gained recognition as a solo international touring artist, using a variety of effects pedals alongside percussive, vibrational, as well as bowed elements in collaboration with her harp to create textural soundscapes. Smarr has released an album with the noise mastering heavy-hitter and big dawg Guillermo Pizarro of Vitoria Regia Studios, through their collective project, Asucre. Smarr has also recently joined forces with the central PA 16-piece orchestral drone ensemble, Obliterati. Smarr’s sounds have made appearances in a variety of places, including performances with Ithaca Underground’s Naked Noise ensemble, on the Syfy Channel’s ‘Z Nation,’ Kutztown University’s Planetarium, the Mauch Chunk Opera House, Allentown’s Miller Symphony Hall, and as a regular staple of various annual arts and music festivals in northeastern Pennsylvania. accessibility: one step from street to venue.