This episode features Elise Okusami who performs under the name Oceanator. We discuss her full-length debut album Things I Never Said which is out August 28. We also discuss the three-song EP Tear The Fascists Down which she released through Bandcamp to raise funds for the New York affiliate of Survived and Punished, “a coalition of defense campaigns and grassroots groups committed to eradicating the criminalization of survivors of domestic and sexual violence and the culture of violence that contributes to it.” She also discusses her musical influences, the challenges of being a black woman in a traditionally white male-dominated genre and how sometimes even the act of performing can be a statement of protest.
During the podcast I play snippets of the first album single “A Crack In The World” at the beginning and during the podcast, and the tune is played in its entirety at the end of the episode. Also, play a snippet of album single “I Would Find You” and a portion of her non-album cover of Dead Kennedys “Police Truck‘. Also features the entirety of her cover of Charles Neblett’s protest standard “If You Miss Me at the Back of the Bus” off of the Tear The Fascists Down EP.
Tickets for the album release show on Friday, August 28 at 8 pm can be purchased through Eventbrite. Proceeds are split between the artists, event staff affected by COVID-19, and a couple of charitable organizations.