By Sasha Moedt (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: November 16, 2011
A new band, with members of You Say Party! We Say Die!, Oh No! Yoko, and GSTS, are getting real. Everett Morris takes on vocals and guitar, as does Drew Riekman, while Stephen O’Shea plays bass and Liam Hamilton is on drums. They bring together their styles into Real Boys, currently playing UBC’s Campus Station CiTR‘s annual Battle of the Bands. Having won the first round, Real Boys are moving to the second, which takes place on the November 15 in Vancouver. Lead singer Everett Morris, and bass player Stephen O’Shea talk about their band:
You’ve got members of various bands; how did you get together to make Real Boys?
Everett: I initially wrote a couple of the songs with no real intention of starting a band. I recorded demos for the songs and posted “Vacation” on a personal bandcamp. When I found out that people were enjoying it I thought I would assemble a live band and play the songs live, which I eventually realized that that was exactly what I wrote them for. I asked Drew to join, then Drew asked Stephen to join and we all collectively chose Liam to play drums.
How do you mesh as a band?
Everett: We mesh well as a band. We are all friends and are all active and immersed in the music scene. Playing live is great and we come together well musically and personally. We stay relatively on task as well, which we can all say is a change from our various other projects.
You recently won the first round of CiTR’s Battle of the Bands, how were you feeling that night?
Everett: We were feeling great that night. We were half-expecting our friends 41st and Home to win, so it was a pleasant surprise when host Ben Lai called out our name.
How are you feeling about the second round?
Everett: We are all excited for the semi-finals on Tuesday, November 15. We feel prepared and are feeling good about our set. The deciding factor will be getting people to come out!
What artists or groups are your primary influences on your music?
Stephen: The influences are actually from the three different bands that [we] play in outside of Real Boys. This band has a similar energy that Oh No! Yoko, GSTS! and You Say Party all possess. From the playfulness of Oh No! Yoko’s lyrics to the complex guitar lead lines and diverging song structures of GSTS! and the spry and dancey rhythms of You Say Party. Each band member brings his own style from his other band to the combined equation of Real Boys.
What have you been listening to lately?
Everett: I pretty much only listen to top 40 music.
Stephen: New Zealand post punks Die! Die! Die! and Welsh post hardcore band Future Of The Left.
What’s the creative process like for recording and writing music?
Everett: We write the music all together now, when we practice. Drew or myself will come up with something that we can all play around, and we jam until it becomes something more concrete. I’m left with the task of coming up with lyrics. Lololol kkkk
What’s your favourite record store and hangout place in town?
Everett: My favorite record store is HMV lololol. My favorite hangout spot is New Saigon.
Stephen: Champion Jack’s Emporium in Downtown Abbotsford.
