{"id":489,"date":"2022-10-06T10:55:50","date_gmt":"2022-10-06T08:55:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/intermezzo.filk.de\/wordpress\/?page_id=489"},"modified":"2025-01-18T12:39:29","modified_gmt":"2025-01-18T11:39:29","slug":"ehrengaeste","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/intermezzo.filk.de\/en\/ehrengaeste\/","title":{"rendered":"Guests of Honour 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"

Meet Via Bella<\/strong>.\u00a0 If feminist nerd rock sounds like something you might like, you may have found your new favorite band.<\/p>\n

\"Via
Photo: Tim Crist<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Erin Bellavia<\/strong>‘s fledgling music career ended when she was cut from her middle school show choir. For a long time, her only musical performances were in her bedroom at home, where she pretended to make music videos.
\nMany years later, she met this guy named Rand, who brought her to her first filk convention in 2005. At first she was content to listen, but was gradually convinced by some of her new friends to sing — just a little — in a filk circle. She and Rand first performed together at the 2010 OVFF Pegasus Concert, and they began doing some writing together in preparation for their first concert at FilKONtario in 2013.
\nIn January 2023, Erin was the Toastmistress at GAFilk.\u00a0 She has been nominated for seven Pegasus Awards, including a 2021 nomination with Merav Hoffman and Seanan McGuire for the Via Bella song \u201cDear Seanan.\u201d\u00a0In 2022, she took on the role of co-conchair for FilKONtario.
\nIn her spare time, Erin enjoys reading, costuming, calligraphy, taking care of her plants, adoring her cat Reba, and watching too much TV.<\/p>\n

Rand Bellavia<\/strong> attended his first filk circle at Marcon in 1993. His band Ookla the Mok played their first filk concert at Filkontario in 1994, and he has been performing at filk, science fiction, and comic book conventions all over the world ever since.\u00a0 Ookla the Mok wrote and performed the theme song to Disney\u2019s Fillmore<\/em>, and Rand\u2019s voice is the first thing you hear on Gym Class Heroes\u2019 Billboard top five hit \u201cCupid\u2019s Chokehold.\u201d\u00a0 He released a solo album (The Tips of My Fingers)<\/em> in 2021 and a Bandcamp exclusive companion EP in 2022.
\nThrough Via Bella, Ookla the Mok, and his solo material, Rand has released 14 albums and been nominated for 23 Pegasus Awards, winning 4.\u00a0 Ookla the Mok\u2019s song \u201cMwahaha\u201d won the 2014 Logan Award for Best Original Comedy song.\u00a0 Ookla the Mok had the most requested song on Dr. Demento in both 2012 (“Tantric Yoda”)\u00a0 and 2013 (“Mwahaha”). Two of their songs (“Stop Talking About Comic Books or I’ll Kill You” and “F. People”) have appeared on Dr. Demento CD compilations.
\nWhen Rand isn\u2019t wearing a guitar, he is the Library Director at D\u2019Youville University.\u00a0 He also writes the \u201cRandom Access Memory\u201d column at majorspoilers.com<\/a> and is a frequent guest on the Major Spoilers Podcast.\u00a0 (Like Erin, Rand also adores Reba and watches too much TV.)<\/p>\n

Together, Erin and Rand are Via Bella<\/strong>.\u00a0 Their songs address many fandoms, including\u00a0 Agent\/Peggy\/Captain Carter, Mr. Rogers, A Wrinkle in Time, Orphan Black, the October Daye books, Sesame Street, Westworld, and the Princess Bride.\u00a0 Their debut album The Way of Beauty <\/em>was released in 2018.\u00a0 Four of the songs from the album have been nominated for Pegasus Awards.
\nVia Bella have performed concerts at filk and science fiction conventions throughout North America and were the Toastmasters at OVFF in 2021.\u00a0 This will be their first Guest of Honor appearance!<\/p>\n

\"Via
Photo: Sunnie Larsen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You can find them online at:<\/p>\n