Interview – Odd Ones

Mississauga based progressive rockers, Odd Ones are known for high energy shows, infectious melodies, and exciting music. The group will be releasing their highly anticipated debut EP on November 12th. Recorded at The Verge Music Lab in Toronto, the EP is “like a collection of youthful adventures – deep, dynamic stories that we are happy to tell again and again” says the band. Canadian Beats got the chance to chat with them as they get ready for their release show this Saturday at the Hard Luck Bar in Toronto!

To begin, could you please introduce yourselves to our readers who might not be too familiar with your music?
We are a four-piece progressive rock band with a pop flare. Our music is melodic and we can guarantee it would sound new to the ears despite it having traces of metal, pop, and fusion.

You’ll be releasing your debut EP November 12th, this must be a very exciting time for the band. What can listeners expect from your new music?

They can expect power-pop and raspy vocals, lots of guitar shredding and soloing, groovy bass, and hard-hitting drums. Listeners can hear us individually. We are a band of individually unique people meshed into songs. Thankfully, it is a very cohesive sound!

The new songs from the EP have been described as dealing with themes of desire, the ability to move on, the courage to face your fears, and the scrambling of youth in today’s society. Why did you decide to address these themes in your new music?

Jeanette wrote the lyrics, so the story explores her life experiences. Lyrically, she is fond of highlighting a combination of drama, intense feelings, humour, and optimism in struggling situations. Fans have responded positively to her writing because it is relatable and has helped others to move on, for example.
It reflects our growth not only as musicians, but also as individuals and as a band.
Overall, we enjoy the creative process that goes into emphasizing each other’s expressions.

What was the highlight of the creative process when recording your new music?

The highlight was listening to our playing style for the first time, and determining what else can make our sound shine more in the mix. Josh Hanff, Chris Bruder, and Phil Spencer were amazing to work with. With more heads in the room, we were really able to focus and develop Odd Ones’ honest and unique sound.

Each member of your band brings something different to the table, and has a different background in music. How do these elements work together to create your unique sound?

You can definitely hear the different influences that everyone brings into our music. There are elements of pop, metal, progressive, alternative rock, and even disco. Everyone will bring different ideas to the table when we’re writing, which is why our music ends up being such a mashup of different genres.

 Do these differences ever pose any challenges? If so, how do you overcome them as a band?

Yes, of course, but as friends who’ve known each other for over 7 years, we’ve learned to work together and live with each other’s differences. Each individual is pretty open minded when it comes to suggestions in songwriting. Most importantly, we respect each other’s decision and always think what’s best for the band.

You’ll be celebrating your EP release with a show at the Hard Luck Bar in Toronto on November 12th. What can fans expect from a live Odd Ones show?

They can expect an amazing lot of openers in addition to our live performance and new set of merchandise. We have Drop Top Alibi (formerly Acidtone, Brampton), Black Collar Union (Hamilton), Pinup (Montreal), and Uforia (Toronto) waiting to melt fans’ faces. These bands are doing well in the music industry, and even we are excited to see them play. It’s an amazing mix of sounds that work well with ours. Of course, fans can also expect to see both old and new faces in the crowd… and there will be an afterparty at another bar to be announced on our Facebook page.

Canadian Beats is all about Canadian music. What are some of your favourite Canadian artists?

A couple of Canadian bands that we all love are Billy Talent and Intervals. It’s great to see a band like Billy Talent, who are from our hometown, Mississauga, have such a global reach and be so successful. Germany loves them! Intervals is a Toronto based band who have been killing it in the prog scene. Their founder, Aaron Marshall, is ridiculously talented and is generally loved by the prog community.

Last but not least, is there anything else you’d like to share with your fans?

We appreciate all the love and support our friends, family and fans have shown us. All this wouldn’t be possible without you guys! We are excited and cannot wait to see you rock out at our EP release!!

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