So an organist, a choir boy, a grade 4 teacher and a scientist walk into a church . . . but instead of delving into a dirty and probably blasphemous punchline, they're actually members of the band Oberlin, and they're waking into the church in order to dive into another recording session for their new EP, released in December 2005. Marty Smyth, the band's bassist, also works as a professionally trained organist at the church, which has become their recording studio.
"We can really get quite a nice sound out of this space if we turn everything up," says Smyth. "And really, who's going to make a noise complaint about a church?"

Oberlin's members, consisting of guitarist/vocalist Philip Carmichael (a classically trained singer), guitarist/vocalist Andrew Moore (a grade 4 teacher at a Toronto private school), drummer Drew Heinmiller (a Master's candidate studying drug addiction), and bassist Smyth mentioned above, seem to be an odd combination for a rock band, but they consider this diversity a strength.
"Our differing backgrounds allow us to be strong in all areas that make up a good band, from songwriting and performing, to recording and website design, right down to promotion," says Carmichael. "The only thing we don't do is write terrible songs", adds Moore.
Their diversity comes across in Oberlin's music with influences ranging from Guns n Roses and Smashing Pumpkins, to Coldplay and Failure. If you also hear a heavy influence from Weezer while listening to their first disc entitled 'Bridge', you're not mistaken: as well as nods to their melodic style and vocal harmonies, Oberlin's guitar crunch blasts from an amplifier that used to belong to Weezer themselves. "I bought the Ampeg through Weezer's website," says Carmichael of its commanding and full sound, "I guess Weezer didn't need it anymore." Classical and turntablist influences provide contrast in Oberlin's music, making it as varied yet compatible as its members.

The lyrics accompanying this eclectic style are meaningful yet accessible and often quirky and light-hearted, as exemplified by The Degrassi Song, a fan favourite about the characters from the early 90's hit televison series Degrassi, of which Moore is unnaturally fond. "It was so damn Canadian. Right from the bad acting to the fact that instead of having a wardrobe for the show, the actors were just told to wear their own clothes. Caitlin was hot, though."

The Degrassi Song is one of the songs on Oberlin's EP, which differs most dramatically from their previous release in both its sonic quality and its improved performance. Heinmiller sums this difference up in saying, "The drums for Bridge were recorded in a week in a tiny room in our crappy Dupont St. apartment. That's actually how I learned most of the songs. This time, we've rehearsed all of the new songs for this EP and played a few of them live many times. On top of that, our church setup gives us a lot of freedom to get the best sound we possibly can." Heinmiller also notes that the bass guitar parts are another significant difference from the last disc, thanks to Smyth's expertise on the instrument. "This is a band that is more confident and polished with a sound that's more driving and rhythmic than ever."

View Oberlin's EPK