Odds

Odds
Odds in 2008 (L-R): Pat Steward, Murray Atkinson, Craig Northey, Doug Elliott
Background information
Origin	Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Genres	Alternative rock, post-punk, power pop
Years active	1987–1999, 2007–present
Labels	Zoo, Elektra, Warner, Pheromone/Second Motion
Associated acts	The Kids in the Hall Warren Zevon Colin James Sharkskin Stripper's Union The Tragically Hip Rosanne Cash
Website	www.oddsmusic.com
Members
Craig Northey Doug Elliott Pat Steward Murray Atkinson
Former members
Steven Drake Paul Brennan

Odds are a Canadian alternative rock band. The band's power pop style has been frequently compared to that of contemporaries such as Squeeze, Elvis Costello, Weezer, Tom Petty, Sloan, The Clash, XTC, Franz Ferdinand, and The Tubes.^{[citation needed]}

History

Odds (1987-1999)

The band was formed in 1987 in Vancouver, British Columbia, consisting of vocalist-guitarists Craig Northey and Steven Drake (both of whom had led different bands appearing on a Vancouver music compilation album, Spotlight '86), bassist Doug Elliott and drummer Paul Brennan. The band members claim the name came when Brennan asked Drake, in a town somewhere on the BC coast, "What are the odds of us ever escaping bullshit gigs like this?"

In the late 1980s, the band played up to four nights a week as a 1960s and 1970s cover band called Dawn Patrol, while playing as the Odds on weekends and funding their own demo recordings at Crosstown Studios in North Vancouver, hoping for a break. They traveled to Los Angeles doing showcases and eventually signed to Zoo Entertainment.

They released their debut self-produced album, Neopolitan, in 1991, which spawned the radio hits "Love Is the Subject" and "King of the Heap" (both sung by Northey). A third single, the sexually explicit "Wendy Under the Stars" (sung by Drake), failed to chart, but attracted the attention of legendary music critic Greil Marcus in his book Dead Elvis. After the release of Neopolitan, the band were picked up by Warren Zevon, becoming his touring band for his album Mr. Bad Example.

In 1993, the band released Bedbugs, which attracted attention for its lead single, Drake's "Heterosexual Man". The video for that song featured the band members performing in drag, with Dave Foley, Kevin McDonald and Mark McKinney from The Kids in the Hall, themselves often noted for drag performances, as stereotypically macho jocks in the audience. Three singles from that album, "Heterosexual Man", and Northey's "It Falls Apart" and "Yes (Means It's Hard to Say No)", charted in the Top 100.

Brennan left the band in 1995 during recording of their third album, and subsequently joined Big Sugar. He was replaced by Pat Steward, a former drummer for Bryan Adams, Matthew Good and Limblifter. 1995's Good Weird Feeling, their most commercially successful album, included drum tracks from both Brennan and Steward. The album featured the top 40 hit singles "Truth Untold", "Eat My Brain", "Satisfied" and "Mercy to Go". "Eat My Brain" also found a place on the Craig Northey-produced soundtrack to the Kids in the Hall movie Brain Candy.

Their next album Nest, was released in 1996. The track "Someone Who's Cool" was originally written for the Friends soundtrack.^[1] The follow-up single "Make You Mad" featured a video which was co-directed by and starred Bruce McCulloch of The Kids in the Hall.

Odds toured extensively during the 1990s, including as an opening act for The Tragically Hip. The band performed until 1999, headlining that year's Arts County Fair year-end concert at the University of British Columbia, but released no further new studio albums.

Hiatus (1999-2007)

Northey announced that he was leaving the band in 1999, although he continued to work with Elliott and Steward frequently in subsequent years. The band members pursued other projects after 1999, releasing a greatest hits/singles compilation in 2000, entitled Singles: Individually Wrapped. A second compilation, The Essentials, was released in 2005.

Later in 1999 Elliott, Steward and Northey teamed up with organist Simon Kendall (of Doug & the Slugs) to release an instrumental soul CD under the moniker Sharkskin. Drake followed up his previous work mixing The Tragically Hip's 1996 album Trouble at the Henhouse by furthering his career as a recording engineer and producer based in Vancouver.

Northey released a solo album, Giddy Up, in 2002, and worked as a songwriter and producer for other acts (including Rosanne Cash) throughout the decade. In 2004, he collaborated with Gin Blossoms guitarist Jesse Valenzuela on the Northey Valenzuela album. The pair also recorded the theme song to the sitcom Corner Gas, "Not a Lot Going On". Northey, Steward and Elliott all recorded and toured with Rob Baker of the Tragically Hip as the band Stripper's Union, and continued to perform as the Craig Northey Power Trio, in addition to forming the core of the backup band for Canadian blues-rock guitarist Colin James.

In early 2006 Odds' song "Someone Who's Cool" was used as the theme song to the short-lived CBS music industry comedy Love Monkey, starring Tom Cavanagh, Jason Priestley and Teddy Geiger.^[2]

New Odds and Odds again (2008-present)

In 2007, Craig Northey, Doug Elliott, Pat Steward and new guitarist Murray Atkinson performed old and new songs on the Barenaked Ladies' "Ships and Dip" event aboard a cruise ship in the Caribbean Sea. They released a new album, Cheerleader, on May 20, 2008, with Northey now performing all lead vocals. It was the very first release by Kim Cooke's new label Pheromone Recordings.^[3] The first single, "My Happy Place," was released in mid-March.^[4] However, as the band's rights to the name Odds had lapsed, the album was released under the name The New Odds.

After re-securing rights to its original name, the band obtained U.S. distribution through independent record label Second Motion Records. A new EP, Noise Trade (named for the website used to sell it), comprising several songs from Cheerleader and covers of tunes from Pointed Sticks and Art Bergmann was prepared for early 2009 release. Early in the year, the band also appeared as themselves (in retro-'50s garb) during a dream sequence in the final season of the Corner Gas television series. The band continues to perform regularly, mostly at festivals and events across Canada including such performances as on the 2009 Canadian Pacific Holiday train.

Discography

Singles

Albums

• Neopolitan (1991)
• Bedbugs (1993)
• Good Weird Feeling (1995)
• Nest (1996)
• Singles: Individually Wrapped (2000)
• The Essentials (2005)
• Cheerleader (2008)
• Noise Trade EP (2009)

Members

• Craig Northey-Lead Vocals,Guitar.
• Doug Elliott-Electric Bass,Back Vocals.
• Pat Steward-Drums.
• Murray Atkinson-Guitar,Back Vocals.

References

5 Paul Myers Odds review http://crawdaddy.wolfgangsvault.com/Review/Odds-Cheerleader.html

6 Micheal Prince Odds review http://blogcritics.org/archives/2009/01/16/094147.php

External links

• Odds

Odds youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/oddsmusic