By Alicia Williams (CIVL DJ) – Email
Print Edition: August 21, 2012
Oh Village is a young alternative rock band based in the Fraser Valley featuring Scott Currie, Stephen Dahl, David Dueckman and Jake Janzen. They’ve been CIVL Radio !earshot chart favourites since the release of their first two song EP Headlights/Red Death.
Are you students at UFV?
The bassist and the drummer are attending UFV in the fall semester.
How long have you been together as Oh Village?
We have been together since the fall of 2011, so pretty much a year.
Were you in any bands prior to Oh Village?
Scott, Dave and Steve were in a band called Ivory Coast for two years, and Scott and Jake were in a band called the Birch Taxis for several years as well.
Why did you decide to change your name from Ivory Coast?
We changed the name because there was a change in members that really affected the band’s sound. We felt that it was the start of something new, so the name change was appropriate.
What is the meaning behind those names?
Ivory Coast had no specific meaning to us, whereas Oh Village represents the idea of community, which we feel has huge worth. Working together, living together, sharing and humbling one’s self are all aspects of the idea of community.
Do any of you have any other side projects currently?
Scott Currie has his own solo project, wherein Jake Janzen adds instrumentation (scottcurrie.bandcamp.com)
You competed in the Youthink Magazine’s Best Teen Band Competition, what were your experiences like with that?
It really showed us that being a band is actually a possibility for us. It was the catalyst in making us take things more seriously as a band. It helped us set goals and to move forward with direction.
You just released a new album? What is it called? What does it sound like?
Our new album is called Far Side of the Sea, and we often describe our sound as alternative indie rock. We like to experiment with time signatures and different instrumentation in our music, as well as folk-inspired harmonies. The album itself goes through many different emotions and travels through different styles, but it remains unified by our musicality.
How did you get the $7000 to record Far Side of the Sea?
Crowd-funding through the website RocketHub. People donated to pre-order the album, receive shirts and other cool gifts like poems, raps, and their picture in our band room. It ended up working really well for us, and was a lot of fun for everyone involved.
What would you say is the stand-out track on the album?
We always have trouble answering that question, but the track that stood out to us the most was “In This House” (the second track) because of the way it came together. We added instrumentation and really filled out the sound, and the lyrics have a powerful message for us; we even chose the title of our album from one of the lines of that song.
Which was your favourite to record?
“Restart” was our favourite to record because we experimented with lots of sounds and textures; we got to play around with the song and change it into something that we never expected it could be.
How is your tour going right now?
It’s going wonderfully. We’ve played one show so far, and have been camping this past week. We played soccer with a bunch of kids, visited Dog River, and played trivial pursuit for four hours. It’s a tour we will all remember for the rest of our lives.
What was the best show you’ve ever played?
We had the honour of playing Jam in Jubilee in Abbotsford this summer, and we all agree that it was the best show we’ve played. The sound system and the staff were great, the crowd was the biggest we’ve played, and we really got into our set.
What was the worst show you’ve ever played?
The first show we played as Oh Village was rough because we were inexperienced, unequipped, nervous, and one quarter of the band was diarrheic.
What would need to happen for you to feel like you’ve really “made it”?
That is something that will be more of a gradual than sudden realization. In the near future, being able to pay rent and afford groceries would be awesome.
Who is your dream band/artist to play with?
One artist that we would all really love to play with would be Patrick Watson.
What have your experiences been like with CIVL Radio?
CIVL [has] been super great to us by playing our music regularly! We love that they’re diggin’ what we’re shovelin’ (if you know what I mean). Also, Chris Hunter is a really nice guy, and we’ve had a lot of fun being on his show twice.
Are you excited for all of the Weeks of Welcome UFV events you are playing?
Absolutely. We are really excited to be playing at such awesome events. We’re playing with some awesome bands, as well as bands we haven’t played with in quite some time.
