BIOGRAPHY
"Life is like music, it must be composed by ear, feeling, and instinct, not by rule." - Samuel Butler
This quote, though simple in its nature, describes the band Ophelia Syndrome’s approach to their music. Ophelia Syndrome is a unique blend of piano, acoustic guitar, cello, drums, bass, and vocals. They are described as melodic pop/rock with folk influences in the veins of the singer/songwriter.
"We try to create some sort of empathy for the listener; for them to feel before reasoning..." says Deanna Wells, the primary singer/songwriter of the band. The main concern of this band is that they can translate their music to an audience on an emotional level. Ophelia Syndrome combines the lyrics and melodies of pianist/vocalist (sometimes guitarist) Deanna Wells, with the expressive cello lines of Trina Nadeau, the intense drumming of Adrian McFarlane, the bass lines of Josh Kohler , and the sweetly melodic guitar riffs of Danielle Nunes. Together this unique group weaves their particular brand of music. Although this set-up is fairly unusual, the band has used this particular grouping to create their own sound. “These instruments are an integral part of the music, without them, the sound would change…” explains Danielle Nunes, “we’ve worked really hard to pull together a sound using the acoustic guitar, piano, cello, bass, and drums, and now the songs…” “Take on a life of their own!” jokes Adrian.
"We really try to succumb to the song; surrender to it; and from that our music is born. No egos, just musicians coming together..." From that motive Ophelia Syndrome creates their sound. Combining classical elements with, rock, pop, and jazz, this group is hard to pigeonhole into a genre. "We're sort of pop/rock but not really?" jokes Josh Kohler. "I don't know, we don't really worry about that [labels]" chimes in Danielle, the co-founder and alternate songwriter of the band. Ophelia Syndrome are fans of many genres of music including: classical (which Deanna and Trina have trained in quite extensively), to rock, pop, folk, and even jazz on occasion (in which Adrian has studied). Trina Nadeau says of the band "draw from us what you want, but try to hear what we're trying to do instead of who we're being compared to." “Many influences can be heard in this band", as Trina explains “everyone is influenced by what is around them; the trick to find you in that”.
Ophelia Syndrome formed in the fall of 1998 with founding members Danielle Nunes and Deanna Wells. Francis and Wells Performed and recorded as a duo. They felt that the music was lacking elements, and in the winter of 2002 Trina Nadeau joined the band. In 2007 Adrian McFarlane, and Josh Kohler joined finally completing the sound. “Trina, Josh, and Adrian came in and made the music grow so much in terms of style” explains Deanna. They are currently gearing up to record their debut full length album, and are working on their music constantly focusing on their live show. The band entered Catherine North in October of 2008 to record their EP "Shades of Grey" with the very talented Dan Achen and Michael Chambers. The EP was released May 2009.
"We just want to bring our music to people, maybe make them laugh, or think, or perhaps just make them tap their toes... we just want our music to reach an audience." says Deanna. Approaching life and music by feeling and instinct describes the group and their haunting music. Ophelia Syndrome are planning to take their music further this year, and will be performing in their hometown of Hamilton, and surrounding areas.
Danielle Nunes: Guitar
Trina Nadeau: Cello
Deanna Wells: Vocals, Piano, Guitar, and songwriter
Adrian McFarlane: Drums
Josh Kohler: Bass
PRESS
OS won the TalentCast song of the week again for the week ending on March 13th, 2009. Click here to view the charts.
OS won the TalentCast song of the week for the week ending on Dec. 26th, 2009. Click here to view the charts.
Ophelia Syndrome's Shades of Grey on C101 Top 30 from the week of August 17 to September 8th.
For the complete chart listings, pleasevisit: Earshot-online, and the C101 page.
Ophelia Syndrome’s Shades of Grey; Hamilton's independent Voice magazine
Page 13: Hamilton Music Notes
By Ric Taylor
Vol. 15 No. 33 • August 13-19, 2009; http://www.viewmag.com/viewstory.php?storyid=7065
Ophelia Syndrome’s Shades of Grey
Growing up in a musical family, Deanna Wells has been surrounded by music her whole life. She began piano and then vocal lessons early on and since then made music her life, earning a diploma in musical performance from Mohawk College, and a Bachelor’s Degree in music from McMaster University. She’s long played open mic nights, starting in 1998, and the classical education has offered her an obvious background in theory and performance, but it was also a great place for networking. She would meet local musician and fellow student Kori Pop and they would decide to form a new record label, DeeKo Records. Then when she met some likeminded players, Wells would expand on her own music and form a band. Dubbed Ophelia Syndrome, Wells and company offer a novel approach to local music and offer the inaugural DeeKo release and their debut CD this weekend, Shades of Grey.“It was not until Trina, Adrian, and Josh joined the band in 2007 that we were ready to really do something,” offers Wells. “I may be the singer–songwriter but the arrangements are definitely a collaboration. I may bring a song in on piano, and where we take it by the end of the day is somewhere I would have never thought it would go. Working with a band is so gratifying because you are working with four other individuals to make a certain song come to life. I honestly have a hard time imagining the music without them.”Featuring Wells (vocals, piano, guitar), Danielle Francis (guitar), Josh Kohler (bass), Trina Nadeau (cello), and Adrian McFarlane (drums), Ophelia Syndrome offer a moody brand of classically fused pop that they dub coffee house rock. While songs morphed into something new in the band format, Wells was excited to capture the sound for a CD release.Recorded at Catherine North with Dan Achen and Michael Chambers,the songs Wells inevitably choose to record for Shades of Grey would reflect a common theme.The thread that runs through all these songs, one of
relationships, is summed up in ‘Shades of Grey’,” explains Wells. That song is about how when you’re young you think that there is an answer to everything. There is right, and there is wrong. When I got a little older, I saw that sometimes two people can be wrong at the same time, or right at the same time. Maybe we’re just living in the in–betweens. All of the songs chosen for Shades of Grey relate to this idea.”With a top notch CDEP recorded and ready for the masses, Ophelia Syndrome are ready to get the songs out to the people. With a CD release party happening this weekend, Wells hopes everyone takes note.II just hope our music gets to ears – I don’t care what those ears are attached to, as long as they’re human,” smiles Wells. “Honestly, it doesn’t matter to us what kind of music fan comes out, just as long as they’re there and they’re enjoying themselves. Recording and performing are very different beasts as we have learned! We think Shades of Grey is a good introduction to OS, but live we take liberties with the songs to make things interesting for us. Honestly, we get bored easily. The CDEP release party is meant to be a celebration. We are very proud of what we’ve accomplished in the last two years, and we want to share that with whoever wants to be there. Getting our music out for people is the number one goal. We have a product that we can stand behind. Now it’s all up to us to present that to as many people as we can."
Ophelia Syndrome plays this Saturday August 15 at The Sky Dragon Centre with The Colour Tasters opening. Doors are at 8pm and cover is $10 with a CD. www.opheliasyndrome.com
DEEKO RECORDS
SHOWCASE
While Deanna Wells and Kori Pop have been making music for a
few years, it wasn’t until the pair met during a tenure at Mohawk
College’s music program that they’d find a collaboration beyond
music. Both were individually performing music, but they realized
they’d come together to form a record company to bolster each
other’s music.
“The label came about after a couple years of conversations
regarding the state of the music industry, and chasing false
dreams of the record deal,” recalls Wells. “We were looking
around at the prospect of an unsupportive industry, and decided
that we would become a united front in the managerial aspects of
our music, to work together, and support each, while taking it to
the next level. I thought of it almost as a joke at first. Then we
started researching, and became more passionate about the
prospect of asserting complete artistic control over our musical
futures.“We have no immediate plans to start signing other acts. In
these early stages we are more nterested in starting a networking
system masquerading as a record label,” adds Pop. “Our goal is to
get fans for ourselves and share them with those we are affiliated
with in the process. We encourage local musicians to bring out
business cards and discs to our DeeKO showcases.”
With releases for Wells’ Ophelia Syndrome and Pop’s Vicious
Roy projects tentatively scheduled in the next year, the pair hopes
to take a grassroots approach at marketing and bring their music
and eventually more music to a new awareness.“We are trying to create a musical community, and a support
system for local talent,” offers Wells. “Our intention is to hold
monthly DeeKO showcases in different venues in the Hamilton
area, and surrounding areas to highlight not only local original
music but the venues that choose to support it.”“Each band taking the stage has its own distinct sound and
songwriting characteristics,” says Pop on this week’s showcase.“One may even think it an odd group of bands to match up seeing
as all three could be classified in separate genres. However,
anyone who decides to come out will find something they can
dig.”
The DeeKO Records Showcase happens Wednesday
September 19 with Ophelia Syndrome, Vicious Roy, and Grizzly
Madams. The show starts at 10pm and $5 gets you in.
iTodd Lounge 20: Ophelia Syndrome
"Interview:"
"Shades of Grey":
