"It's funny when we talk about community, because for us, it's just our friends." As she fiddles with the drink sitting on the edge of the low wooden table in front of her, Casey Mecija tries to get to the crux of her band's constant association with the community to which they belong. The Ohbijou front-woman's whisper of a voice holds its own over the low din of acoustic music playing in Toronto's Dark Horse Espresso Bar. "I think the word 'community' has so many different associations. I think that Toronto is full of so many different communities and we just happen to live in it and create with a tight-knit group of friends that are playing music also," says Mecija.
Ohbijou are one of the few orchestral pinpoints on Canada's map of independent artists, one of many influenced by the DIY style and community-focused ideals of Broken Social Scene. Born out of Mecija's Brantford childhood home, the now seven-piece band wasn't even an idea in the singer's mind when she was listening to her little sister and now band-mate, Jenny, learn violin precision theory. Their debut, 2006's Swift Feet for Troubling Times, was a collection of songs with a soaring, whimsical feel, pairing strings, horns and keys with the rock staples of guitar, bass and drums. But taking another listen to their first baby, Ohbijou thought their newest addition, Beacons, had some filling out to do. "The first record felt sparse," says Mecija. ...Read the full Exclaim! August '09 Ohbijou cover story
I once thought about creating a solo project, it didn’t go too well, and we broke up because of creative differences. To be honest they’re hard to do, first of all, you have to be very good. This can lead to problems, like other people wanting to play with you, and collaborate with you, which kind of takes away from the solo premise of the original idea.
Very quickly you find yourself in band, then what happens, those bandmates start bringing friends on board, some people start dropping out, others take their place. ...Read the full Dischord Blog post
