EL ORCA
We caught up with Richard Girard (guitar, bass), Doug Wilkinson (drums, guitar), and Kristina Kamichaitis (keys) of Ottawa band El Orca. We talked influences, top albums, favourite live shows, and their upcoming album.
VITALS
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elorcaband/
BandCamp: https://elorca.bandcamp.com/
Latest Release: Going, Going, Oregon (Single, Jan 2019)
Upcoming Shows: Stay tuned!
SA: How did El Orca come to be as a band? DW: The four of us have had an on and off musical relationship for over ten years. El Orca morphed into its current form when Matt, Richard and I started playing together more or less regularly in 2015. K joined this year. She helped out with a gig, after which we realized we wanted her to be as full-fledged as possible.
SA: What bands or musicians would you cite as the biggest influences on your sound? KK: I would say, if I had to pick one, it would be Operators/Handsome Furs. Searing guitars and fat, chewy synths - yum.
DW: I think we have a family resemblance with bands like Do Make Say Think, Godspeed You, Black Emperor! and maybe some Pink Floyd.
RG: Dynamics. I think that any music that brings drama and dynamic changes into their arrangements have had an influence on us. Without lyrics we need to tell a story and convey emotion with musical ‘feel’. All the bands mentioned above as well as the Rheostatics, Byrne/Eno (My Life in the Bush of Ghosts), and maybe even some Zappa.
SA: Thus far in your career, what has been your biggest success? DW: Probably our one show, opening for Atlas:Empire at Pressed in May. It was short, but super fun. Our friend, Paul, helped us out on guitar. Richard and I also got to speak a couple of times with tic, a DJ over at CKCU. He’s great.
SA: On the other hand, what is the biggest challenge you have faced, and how have you dealt with it? DW: Maybe scheduling. We’re all middle-aged parents with non-musical day jobs.
SA: How do you guys approach the song-writing process? DW: Basically we find a melody or beat that stands out and try to make a song out of it. Sometimes we’ll pick an unusual time signature and go from there, other times a band member will arrive with a completed tune. Both our albums were recorded over many months. A series of jams, with a lot of final takes happening between 9:45 pm and 10 pm. Then the whole thing is handed over to Matt and after a week or two it’s done. The third album is on the way, but with K on keys, which is opening lots of cool doors. You can hear a little piece of something new here.
SA: What are your thoughts on the Ottawa music scene? KK: I wish more bands came through - wish there was a decently large place downtown, for them to play. But it’s a chicken and the egg thing right? I think the scene is improving, though, and what I love about Ottawa is how everyone is so supportive, positive - there is no pretense.
SA: What is the favourite show the band has played, and why? DW: By default, our one and only show, at Pressed. It was great to test out the music on stage.
SA: What is the favourite show you have seen, and why? KK: Really hard to pick, but one that definitely stands out is PJ Harvey at Metropolis a couple years ago. Wow.
DW: I saw Apostle of Hustle at Zaphods, about 10 years ago. Unbelievable sounds.
RG: Too many to whittle down to just one. David Byrne at Cityfolk last year for the incredible choreography and performance, St. Vincent at Ritual for the raw unbridled guitar wizardry and Gil Scott-Heron at the Mercury Lounge circa 1997 for the legend.
SA: A question for fun: your three desert island albums. What would they be and why? KK: For me, it might have to be Glenn Gould playing Beethoven’s piano sonatas. It has got me through many, many tough times - his interpretation, touch, spacing is pure genius.
DW: Veedon Fleece, by Van Morrison. It’s reliably mesmerizing, which would distract me from the doom of being on the island. Cosmo’s Factory, CCR.
RG: A Love Supreme, Coltrane; Stubborn Persistent Illusions, Do Make Say Think; Who’s Next, The Who.
SA: Finally, what comes next for El Orca moving on in 2019 and beyond? Best of luck! DW: New album, hopefully before 2020. And maybe another show. Or maybe more stuff like this. Thanks, Pierce!
