Paul Oakley
The earliest recorded mention of Paul Oakley in Hamilton music history is a thank you note to "the Oakley brothers, Paul and Chris" on the inner sleeve to the Book of Martyrs album Purified Seven Times in 1991. Between 1991 and 1993 Oakley quickly became a very active figure in a number of Hamilton's prominent "alternative" bands of the day.
Although better known as a bassist, in about 1991 or 1992 Paul Oakley replaced Stan Jagger as Book of Martyrs' live guitarist shortly before the band broke up in '92. Roughly around the same time he also replaced The Haunting's bassist Maria 'Ree' Stead, before they too broke up.
The Haunting's Wheels (guitar), Paul Tregilgas (drums) and Paul Oakley on bass transformed into Hapukalypse Now with the addition of the Martyrs' Jonathan Armstrong on vocals, and later, Stan Jagger replacing Wheels. As a founding member of Hapukalypse Now, Oakley also remained with the band until they broke up in about 1993, or thereabouts.
In 1992 or 1993 the Pauls Oakley and Tregilgas became the rhythm section for Stan Jagger's other band King Biscuit alongside frontman Mark Knighton and violinist Steven Judd, rounding out the blues/folk outfit's sound. Oakley remained with King Biscuit until about 1996, playing on all but their earliest recordings.
In November of 1995 Paul Oakley - also a keen sportsman - was the instigator of the inaugral AGM for the Hamilton Musicians United Cricket Team. No actual cricket was played, as most who showed up were recovering from a Guy Fawkes party the night before, while others had not realised that he was serious and had just turned up to drink and swap rock'n'roll stories. The team, however, does in fact play cricket, and has continued to do so for the past 11 years with members of Hamilton bands too numerous to mention here.
In 1996 he did another stand-in job as the live bassist for The Andes shortly before they too broke up.
More importantly in '96, however, Oakley (as he was now known, in order to differentiate between the increasingly inseparable Pauls), Paul Tregilgas and Stan Jagger formed the original line-up of Trucker with The Nerve's frontman Jamie Stone. Their first gig was at the Battle of the Bands 1996. Although they did not place in their heat, they won the Wild Card and ended up coming second overall in the competition, Trucking on to bigger and better things between '96 and 2001. Oakley pulled in for a pit-stop in about '98 or '99 where he was overtaken by a little Datsun called Dolf de Borst.
Anyway, back in '96 Johnny Fist was also born, and although neither Oakley nor Tregilgas were in the earliest line-up, Johnny Fist soon became another Oakley/Tregilgas/Jagger band, with a different frontman. And it still is.
It is possible that he may have also played in various incarnations of Rumpus Room and/or Mobile Stud Unit during the latter part of the '90s. He was probably also involved with the Webclaw Four/For/Flaw (which is just something you're supposed to say about these chaps who've been in all these bands) and he has definitely played with Mike Miller and the Tsunami Band on many occasions between the '90s and the present time.
More recently he has also become a key member of POP Squad with Greg Page since____? to the present, and between 2005 and 2006 has played alongside Stan Jagger and Paul Tregilgas again in the most recent incarnation of Disjecta Membra.
Bands & Projects
Book of Martyrs The Haunting Hapukalypse Now King Biscuit Hamilton Musicians United Cricket Team The Andes Trucker Johnny Fist Tsunami Band Rumpus Room? Mobile Stud Unit? Webclaw Four/For/Flaw? POP Squad Disjecta Membra
