Over the Air is a post-rock group from Swift Current, Saskatchewan. Their second album, Cold Hands, is a moving quintet of songs that slide easily from the forlorn to the cosmic to the assailably-yet-unrelentingly optimistic. Recently, the boys agreed to sit down and answer a few questions in the present tense.
Over the Air is…
- Darnell Stewart: …a band from Saskatchewan. We play weddings and bar mitzvahs.
- Dana Rempel: …a bunch of sweet, sweet dudes.
- Eric Hayes: …theoretically, a visceral musical experience. Realistically, four guys with instruments.
- Bob Moore: …four friends playing music, staying creative, and busting chops.
Happiness is…
- Darnell: …a warm gun.
- Dana: …a Doberman.
- Eric: …unlimited, but not unearned, opportunity.
- Bob: …love, family, friends, music, breakfast, cold beer, and comma usage.
Music made in Saskatchewan is…
- Darnell: …worthy of your time.
- Dana: …diverse and thrilling, to say the least.
- Eric: …fantastic (present company excluded, of course)!
- Bob: …inspiring, made by a humbling collection of artists.
Las Vegas is…
- Darnell: …designed to inflame the senses.
- Dana: …a bad idea waiting to happen.
- Eric: …the poor man’s New York.
- Bob: …heaven on earth!
The best rock star in the history of the world is…
- Darnell: …Kim Mitchell. He’s a wild party.
- Dana: …Freddie Mercury. Come on, now.
- Eric: …Paul McCartney. He’s never lost his class.
- Bob: …Freddy Mercury. No one else comes remotely close.
The difference between Star Trek and Star Wars is…
- Darnell: …one is in the future, the other in the past.
- Dana: …only, like, three letters.
- Eric: …that Star Wars is worth watching.
- Bob: …that Star Wars is waaaay better than Star Trek.
My first concert was…
- Darnell: …Treble Charger at Buffalo Days in Regina.
- Dana: …Diamond Rio, Medicine Hat, Alberta.
- Eric: … Me, at four years old, playing ukulele at a retirement home.
- Bob: …P.O.D. in Caronport, Saskatchewan. So many dreadlocks.
The most played song on my iPod is…
- Darnell: …Clueless Wonder by the Joel Plaskett Emergency.
- Dana: …Teenage Dream by Katy Perry. No Jokes.
- Eric: … Drake’s Marvin’s Room/Buried Alive (Interlude).
- Bob: …Svo hljótt by Sigur Ros.
The best album of all time is…
- Darnell: …Since I Left You by The Avalanches.
- Dana: …a toss up. Bad by Michael Jackson or A Night at the Opera by Queen or De-Loused at the Comatorium by The Mars Volta.
- Eric: …a loaded question! I’ll go with The Weekend’s Trilogy.
- Bob: …Failure On by Beloved, or ( ) by Sigur Ros
Boats are…
- Darnell: …good for transportation on water, and for gravy.
- Dana: …candy-ass ships.
- Eric: …wet! They’re fun on a hot day though.
- Bob: …environmentally conscious because they run on water.
Love is…
- Darnell: …about compromises, Zorak.
- Dana: …heaven to the lonely.
- Eric: …all you need.
- Bob: …everything. The meaning of life.
Cold Hands -our new album- is…
- Darnell: …about adventure, loss, love and madness. Really light stuff.
- Dana: …dark and conceptual.
- Eric: …equal parts pensive, triumphant, and melancholy. Great for long, introspective drives.
- Bob: …from our hearts to yours.
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Cold Hands is available on iTunes. You can learn more about Over the Air by visiting overtheair.bandcamp.com.
Theodore Wiebe is a writer living in Calgary. You can follow more of his important nonsense on Twitter (@TheodoreWiebe) or Tumblr (writingafterdark.tumblr.com).
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