Portland band seeks to uplift, inspire
If you ever find yourself wishing that more out-of-state music acts would come to play in Logan, fret no more. On a relentlessly snowy Wednesday, The Utah Statesman got to learn a little bit about a band called Canoe, who will be playing not one, but two shows in Logan next week. This indie folk-rock quintet is based in Portland, Ore., so luckily they did not have to brave Logan’s blitzkrieg of snow in order to be interviewed. The Statesman had a cozy little conversation via telephone with the band’s bass player, backup vocalist and spokesman for the moment, Carl Hoiland. Here’s what he had to say for himself and his bandmates:
US: So what kind of music does Canoe play?CH: We’re considered to be indie folk-rock. People have described us as a mix between Paul Simon and Death Cab for Cutie.US: How many members are there in the band?CH: There are five of us. My brother, Matt, is the vocalist, songwriter and lead guitarist. His wife, Sophia, plays the violin, bells, keyboard and also sings. I’m the backup vocalist and bass player. And then there’s Cameron, who is the second guitarist, and Dave, who plays drums.US: Sounds like you guys use a wide variety of instruments. Are there any others that you use?CH: Yeah, sometimes we’ll use a banjo or an organ. It just kind of depends on the song and what kind of sound and feeling we want to create.US: And the band is from Portland, correct?CH: Yes, we’re all from Portland.US: When was Canoe formed?CH: Well, Matt, Dave and I have been playing together since I was 13, but over the past five years we have had to disband sporadically because all of us went on LDS missions. But we reformed the band over a year ago and added Sophie and Cameron.US: And you have an album out, right?CH: Yes, we have one studio album called “Places,” which was just released in January. We recorded it at the end of last summer and spent about four months mixing and producing it. And we commissioned our friend, an art major at BYU, to do the album artwork.US: Who would you say are the band’s primary influences musically?CH: I would have to say Paul Simon, James Taylor, Kings of Convenience and Death Cab for Cutie. And we’ve been listening to Sigur Ros lately. But it’s kind of hard to say because everyone has different influences and is affected by all music differently. For example, Dave would say that as a drummer he’s influenced by the band Rush.US: Ah, very interesting. So where does Canoe play?CH: We’ve played in Oregon and Washington. And next week will be our first time playing in Utah.US: You mean when you come to Logan?CH: Yeah. We’re playing in Logan next Thursday, the 21st. We’ll be playing two shows – an acoustic set at the Borders café and a full “rock” show at Why Sound with Libbie Linton.US: So you guys have a Web site and a MySpace page. Are those the best ways for people to find out more about you guys?CH: Yeah. We’ve found that a lot of people visit the MySpace site before going to the band’s actual Web site. But our main Web site, www.canoemusic.net, is actually the site for the recording company we started.US: Wow, really?CH: Yeah. Since we are all LDS and some members have children, we couldn’t really sign a deal with a major label that would work with our needs and beliefs – like needing Sundays off and time off for families and such. Family is important to us.US: So do you have any final words about your band?CH: Well, our main goal is to make music that is uplifting and inspiring. For a while we struggled with the question, “Why do music when there are people suffering and dying in the world?” But we realized that music provides sort of an emotional healing for people, and that’s what we hope to provide with our music.
To learn more about Canoe, go to www.canoemusic.net or visit them at www.myspace.com/canoecanoe, where all of their upcoming shows are listed and where anyone can listen to their songs and read the latest reviews on their album. They will be playing in Logan at 6 p.m. on Feb. 21 at Borders and at 8 p.m. the same day at Why Sound, 30 Federal Ave.
If you can play the sitar, then you must be really cool. Contact Kelly at kelly.green@aggiemail.usu.edu.