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The OK Factor Sees a Future Far Better Than Just OK

Mitch Teich
Olivia Hahn (cello) and Karla Dietmeyer (violin)

Cellist Olivia Hahn and violinist Karla Dietmeyer began playing with each other while attending Luther College in Iowa. It’s only been very recently that the two are living in the same city again - this time in Minneapolis. It’s made playing and writing together as The OK Factor much easier.

Both classically trained, Hahn and Dietmeyer describe their music as alternative folk  that draws from bluegrass, jazz and popular music, bending the roles of classical music and their formal training.

"A lot of what has driven us to do this is just passion for it," Dietmeyer says.

They’ve released a number of CDs, including one called Live at the Lake that was recorded last year at Milwaukee’s South Shore Farmers’ Market. This year they are traveling throughout the Midwest and Southeast on tour.

"As a duo I think we just want to play. But now that we're in the same place, we're starting to take that more seriously and say well what does 'just playing' mean? What are our goals? And we have a lot of them," Hahn says.