"A crossbreed of the traditionalism of the Chieftains and the hard stomp of the Pogues, Seattle's own Ockham's Razor take the Gaelic-Celtic genre into the 21st century with a keen sense of the past coupled with a progressive attitude that is entirely fresh."
Ockham’s Razor jumped into the Celtic music scene in 2006 as a four piece acoustic band with one goal: to make Celtic music sexy. As young musicians, they found few bands taking traditional Celtic tunes and presenting them in a modern way that appealed to them. In line with the theory of “Ockham’s Razor” (named after Franciscan monk William of Ockham), the band would find a traditional song they liked, strip it down to the bare melody and rebuild it with a modern sound while preserving its traditional soul.
The band’s new take on Celtic music and lead singer Kris Clements’ ability to perform songs in Gaelic quickly helped them carve out a niche in the Pacific Northwest Celtic music scene. With a merciless schedule, the band performed as often as possible to get out in front of audiences and expose them to Ockham’s Razor’s hard stompin’ Celtic rock. Since 2006, the band has performed over 350 shows including numerous Celtic music festivals and the Pacific Northwest Folklife Festival.
The band released their self-titled first CD in 2006 then went into the studio with producer Don Gunn (Death Cab for Cutie, Peter Frampton, Aaron English, Ian McFeron Band) to record their 2007 CD Ten Thousand Miles to Bedlam. After its release, it was named Album of the Week by Scottish Celtic Radio and received airplay in Canada, United States, England, Germany, Ireland, Scotland and Australia.
"Ockham's Razor is a group of young and talented musicians with an Irish rock sound, interwoven with haunting notes and energetic rhythms. They interpret traditional folk tunes in a progressive and stimulating way that leaves the audience listening. Their generous nature is part of the experience; the audience feels like part of the band."
Over the next couple years, the band’s lineup changed several times with new members coming in and original members leaving. In 2008, the band ballooned from a 4 piece acoustic group to a 7 piece band that added a standup bass, bodhran, and drum kit. They were invited to open for Irish music luminaries The Chieftains in addition to internationally known bands Young Dubliners, Enter the Haggis, the Town Pants and the Paperboys.
No band would be complete without a little drama and after another membership shake up, the band was re-formed with a new focus and released their 3rd CD Live & Well. The live CD’s title is meant as a double entendre to their fans conveying the message that, despite the shake up, Ockham’s Razor is still around and kicking.
Now stabilized, the band began working again with producer Don Gunn on their 4th CD Wolves in the Walls. In 2010, the Razors kicked off their first U.S. tour by headlining Microsoft’s Tech Ready 11 event. While on the road traveling 9000 miles through 27 states, the band released Wolves in the Walls which introduced audiences to the latest evolution of their sound.
"Mixing traditional Celtic music with their own brand of energy, the band has been hailed for bringing "kind of a Gaelic-Celtic flavor with an interesting pop sensibility" to the Celtic music world. In fact, they are known for adding a youthful twist to traditional Celtic songs."
Over the years, the individual member’s musical backgrounds and inspirations have formed the collective sound of Ockham’s Razor. With rock, pop, gypsy, punk, classical, bluegrass, Tin Pan Alley, and techno influences, Ockham’s Razor’s sound continues to evolve, expand and recreate the definition of Celtic music.
In 2010, Ockham’s Razor also developed the Great West Coast Craic – Celtic rock experience, a Celtic rock event featuring West Coast Celtic rock bands from British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and Calif
ornia. The event was so successful it grew into two shows in 2011 featuring even more bands.
Wolves in the Walls was selected by the City of Seattle to be part of their Seattle OnHold program featured on 10,000 city phone lines and the band was chosen to be on the Seattle episode of Next Stop, a travel show that focuses on unique destinations and is broadcast on TV, their website and on all Alaskan Airlines in-flight entertainment.
INDIVIDUAL BAND BIOS
TOM (Guitar, Mandolin, Banjo, Vocals)
KRIS (Vocals, Whistles, Accordion, Keyboard)
MATT (Fiddle, Cello, Harp)
DANE (Bass, Guitar)
JUDD (Drums)
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