Oh Snap!

We’re not sure why local indie rockers Oh Snap! released their debut album, Flap Harder, only recently. After all, they finished recording it a year ago. But, perfectionists that they are, they took their time with post-production duties and artwork, making sure it was all tickety-boo before hitting the shelves and computer folders. And, mainly, they had to get rid of their lame old band name—Sanijav.

“We were tired of the old name,” says guitarist-vocalist Mitch Vinet. “No one could remember it and it had a crude meaning. It was ‘vaginas’ backwards with a ‘j’ in it instead of a ‘g.’ It was borne out of our juvenile nature and it was time to change. I’m not saying Oh Snap! is the most mature name, but it was something at least we could all agree on.”

When I did some interweb searching for Oh Snap!, a number of humorous things popped up. A site competing with YouTube featuring lots of useless videos (and one rather useful one called “The Sexiest Video of Alyssa Milano”); a message board/online community, the unifying theme of which I couldn’t quite figure out, but I think it was either SUVs or the general concept of complaining; a DJ with questionable oral hygiene.

“That is a problem,” chuckles Vinet about the band’s lack of Googlability. “Especially that DJ. He’s from Florida or something and he’s pretty popular. The distinction is that he puts two exclamation points behind his name and we put one. We’re going to hope that avoids any legal troubles down the line.”

Or, really, to avoid legal troubles altogether, Oh Snap! befriending Oh Snap!! and working together is probably the best idea. The collaboration could be called Oh Snap!!!

“We actually thought a good music video would be all of us doing martial arts and training and we’d fight this guy in a duel. We’re throwing that idea around,” laughs Vinet. “Or maybe we could do a collaboration; he could remix one of our songs.”

Why not? These guys have already proved with their stripped-down and simplified melodic rock that they stand out in Victoria’s music scene; at one point, Vinet mentions to me that the band is considering venturing into “short comedy skits.”

“We’re always thinking about new videos and not necessarily just music videos,” he explains. “Just another way to get attention. YouTube—we might as well capitalize on that.”

Go for it, guys: it might make those Google searches a bit more fruitful.

http://mondaymag.com/articles/entry/oh-sanijav/ - Monday Magazine

The members of Oh Snap! seem like guys you’d like to drink with.

It figures then, that the rock-funk-pop band first met while drunk together at a pajama/lingerie party back at the start of 2005. Guitarist/vocalist Gordon McGladdery was wearing a one-piece red pajama outfit, and fellow guitarist/vocalist Mitch Vinet was also suitably dressed.

“I wore a bathrobe and slippers I later vomited on,” said Vinet. “But yeah that night I met Gordon and we jammed for a little while, and then Sean was also at the same party.”

Sean would be drummer Sean Rousseau, and shortly after that bassist Darren Minifie would round out the group, geography playing a big part as all four were living in the same cluster housing unit at the University of Victoria. There first show was November 2005 at Steamer’s. It was a Wednesday night, but their debut performance was a resounding success at the now-defunct club.

“I remember we made some actual good coin there too,” said Vinet. “And I remember thinking this was going to be the standard, we were going to make $200 dollars each and every gig and things were going to be gravy from there on out.”

However the band, formerly known as Sanijav up until about a year and a half ago, were brought back to earth at their sophomore outing.

“Our second show was in Nanaimo,” said Minifie, “and I think we spent more money on gas than we made at the show. But we had some good burgers in Nanaimo.”

In terms of the name change to the catchier Oh Snap!, Vinet said the reasoning wasn’t anything deep.

“It’s usages are plentiful and I think that’s something we liked because our last name, no one could remember it. So we just went to the opposite side of the spectrum, from obscure almost into everyday speech for some people. But it doesn’t have any deep meaning or special significance to the band we just wanted something easy and cool.”

Their sound, however, is a bit more cryptic. Shades of soul, funk, country and punk all seem to make their way into the down-tempo rock they’ve perfected.

McGladdery and Vinet exchange vocal duties along with most of the songwriting efforts, workshopping most songs with the rest of the band before completion.

Oh Snap! all seem to agree on a few common influences: Wintersleep, The Tragically Hip, TV on the Radio and Queens of the Stone Age. All seem to seep into their sound on their debut CD Flap Harder, which came out in February.

Since their founding, the band has notched up about three dozen live shows, including a handful in Vancouver and a short-lived stint at the Red Jacket on Saturday nights mostly playing covers.

The four also bounced around in terms of jamming spots. From UVic to Oak Bay where they received noise complaints as early as 5:30 p.m. and currently Fernwood – “Basically wherever we can fit a drum kit and don’t piss off the neighbours too much” added Vinet.

The band is currently in the final stages of planning a Western Canadian tour in support of Flap Harder features a cartoon cover of a lobster with bird wings, further displaying the band’s ability to meld opposites into one. Vinet said they like this, the ability to defy categorization.

“There’s no direct influences we’re not trying to copy or rip off anybody’s sound which is probably why it’s tough to pin down what genre you’d put us in,” he said. “We bounce all over, it’s nice not to be pigeonholed as well.”

http://www.bclocalnews.com/vancouver_island_south/victorianews/entertainment/Oh_Snap.html - Victoria News