New Odds Get BNL Nudge

07/04/08 3:46pm

by Cameron Gordon (CHARTattack)

What's in a name? Letters, meaning and, in the case of Vancouver's The New Odds, a whole lot of history.

The band's moniker has evolved over time. They started out as The Odds, which was soon abbreviated to simply Odds due to one too many truncated marquees that announced the boys to the world as "TheOdds." Fast forward to 2008 and the quartet are back under the literal-yet-accurate name, The New Odds. As vocalist/guitarist and founding member Craig Northey says, the name just kind of happened.

"We casually mentioned it to somebody. It was probably online within 20 minutes and it basically just stuck. In a lot of ways, our new album [Cheerleader] really is a continuation of our earlier work together, so we didn't want to pretend that it was a different band since the core is still in place."

Cheerleader is the band's first album of new material since 1996's Nest, and it truly bears all the earmarks of classic Odds: big, hooky choruses, snappy harmonies and a definite deference to classic pop sensibilities. Northey wrote the album in short order during some creative brainstorms with bassist Doug Elliott and drummer Pat Steward. Guitarist Murray Atkinson was brought in to complete the lineup and The New Odds were christened on the high seas.

"When our friends the Barenaked Ladies got wind of the fact that Pat, Doug and myself were writing and playing together again, they immediately invited us to try out some songs as part of their annual Caribbean cruise," says Northey. "And honestly, who's going to say no to that?

"We've always been all about the fun, so we went for it. It was amazing and collectively we've gone from there."

One notable omission from the roster is vocalist/guitarist Steven Drake, the ginger-haired gringo who sang and co-wrote some of the band's biggest hits, including "Truth Untold," "Eat My Brain" and the infamous "Heterosexual Man." Drake remains busy in B.C. with production gigs (The Tragically Hip, 54.40) while the remaining Odds soldier on, promoting Cheerleader and road-testing the new material.

Northey and crew are taking a somewhat systematic approach to touring thus far and, with a series of B.C. gigs upcoming and more Canadian dates promised for later this year, it won't be long before The New Odds are leading cheers with a new sample set of fans — both young and old.

"It's a bit like a science experiment when you release a new album, to see which of the new songs are really going to take off live," says Northey. "'Cloud Full Of Rocks' and 'Write It In Lightning' from Cheerleader are probably taking the lead in terms of the new tunes.

"'Someone Who's Cool' is probably the old chestnut that's getting the biggest response from our crowd, and in the process becoming both the noose around our necks and the pride of our existence. With pleasure comes pain and, as a touring band, you discover that pretty quickly — at least when you're scribbling down the set list."

Catch The New Odds here:

• July 11-12 Prince Rupert, BC @ Chances
• July 16 Nanaimo, BC @ The Queen's
• July 17 Campbell River, BC @ Voodoo Lounge
• July 18 Duncan, BC @ Duncan City Square