In a lot of ways, splitting up for nearly a decade was a great move for Canadian pop-rock band Odds.
The group—then composed of Craig Northey, Pat Steward, Steven Drake and Jasper local Doug Elliott—gained popularity in the ‘90s for its upbeat pop-rock singles. And while their music was solid and consistent, the single Heterosexual Man gained widespread play across the country.
According to the band’s singer, Craig Northey, that track was only one on an album that was meant to be listened to as a whole, but their label pushed it out as a novelty song.
Odds’ music is full of humour, but billed as a novelty, the song lost some of its satirical edge. Its reception also set a tone for the band that it couldn’t shake.
“A lot of people didn’t know who we were in 1993, so [Heterosexual Man] became our calling card. And when a song like that is your calling card, I think it took people a while to come around to the fact that we wrote other music that wasn’t like that,” Northey said.
But they kept going through the ‘90s regardless, until at the turn of the century they parted ways. Northey said the split was good for the band, because it made them all realize how much they enjoyed playing music together.
“As your life widens out and you understand how things are working ... you see that you’ve got to go out and get inspiration in other corners and bring that back to the band. And breaking up for eight years really helped that.
“We also realized ... the value of being together, and how important our musical connection is.”
Since the band’s return in 2008 (featuring guitarist Murray Atikson in place of Drake), Northey said they feel free of the constraints of the big-label era of music in the ‘90s.
The hiatus allowed them to shirk some of the reputation that had followed them in their earlier career, and inspired them to produce new music.
He said that people often come up to him after shows and comment that they had no idea that Odds played many of the songs they recognized.
“We’re happy that our music has stood the test of time, I don’t know if our brand has stood the test of time,” he joked.
He said that they even embrace Heterosexual Man, often playing it at their shows, giving a nod, however tongue-in-cheek, to their early career.
“In a lot of ways we’re trying the suit on when we’re playing the song. We’re enjoying the fact that we’re crawling into that for that three-minute period.”
As part of Jasper in January, Odds will be playing an outdoor concert at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge Golf Course Jan 17.
The show beings at 6 p.m., but JPL will be offering tubing, food stations and an outdoor beer garden starting at 4 p.m. Tickets to the show can also be bought in conjunction with a Marmot Basin ski pass.
As the band’s resident Jasperite, Elliot said he is thrilled to come back to the town where he spent the majority of his childhood. He said if there was any way he could have a career in music based out of Jasper he would, but until then he always looks forward to coming back to the place that “just feels right.”
Trevor Nichols
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