Canada – the band – came together in 2004, when seven friends met in the basement of a house to rock out. Later, the scene would change, but the music stayed the same.
Now this Michigan group has left the “”garage band”” title behind. Canada released its How Dare You EP in 2005 and followed up with its first full-length CD, This Cursed House, in 2006.
The sound Canada has created is classified as indie rock, but the category doesn’t really fit. The band could be folk, pop, rock or country.
“”Our style is kind of basic,”” said guitarist Steven Rajewski. “”We write simple songs but make them as beautiful as we can.””
By combining various instruments and styles, the septet produces an appealing sound with tasteful complexity.
Using guitars, cellos, tambourines and even typewriters, it creates amazing instrumentation. Adding lyrics that tell a story of heartbreak and optimism, Canada becomes a band that people may wish they had known about all along.
It captured its style on This Cursed House by recording in a Michigan farmhouse on a 1980s soundboard, a device also used to mix portions of the early installments of the “”Star Wars”” trilogy.
“”Creating the CD was pretty surreal, because it was our first time recording like that,”” Rajewski said. “”We didn’t even know what was going on half of the time.””
The result of that experience, ironically enough, was a collection of songs in which each tied into the next with ease. Rajewski said there was no set theme for the CD, but that the band members had similar ideas and played off those.
The Michigan music scene has provided a great opportunity for Canada to develop, Rajewski said, pointing out a family-like atmosphere among bands in the Ann Arbor area.
“”The music scene that we come from isn’t found everywhere,”” Rajewski said. “”It is great to have it, because the local bands really support each other.””
In their spare time, band members have branched off to pursue their individual creations. Five of them contribute to other bands with styles unlike Canada’s.
“”It is a bonus when we come together, because it creates something totally different,”” Rajewski said.
The band will try to keep this up when it begins to record its next album, he said. Members have been writing non-stop and already have a handful of songs.
“”We are really excited to begin recording because we have more people writing and singing on the upcoming album,”” Rajewski said.
Canada will open for The Solace Bros. and Year Long Disaster this Friday at Plush, 340 E. Sixth St. The show will begin at 9:30 p.m. The cover is $5 for the 21-and-over.
