Opopo Need Support So Their Instruments Don't Get Rained On
Tuesday May 06, 2008 @ 08:00 PM
By: ChartAttack.com Staff

Opopo

This interview began with an innocent question about the name Opopo, which was followed by a sprawling, seemingly improvised explanation that had three young men talking over each other about imperfect palindromes and binary number code.

"This process," says vocalist/guitarist Bryan Sutherland, "usually writes a song for us."

Sutherland and bandmates Craig Macgregor (vocals, bass) and Corey Poole (vocals, synthesizer) wander off on conversational tangents at any opportunity. They approach these erratic discussions with the same glee they exhibit on stage while blasting their hard-edged electro-rock. Now they've bottled their wild energy into a self-titled EP.

Technically, it's the Toronto band's second album, but they consider it their first. When they started in 2006, Opopo were just Sutherland and Poole.

"We had a CD player and we'd just hop around with microphones," says Sutherland.

The duo recorded an album, but they consider things to have really started when Macgregor joined in time for their first show. His addition was actually a reunion for the trio, who played together in a ska band called Super TA when they were in high school.

For a band scarcely two years old, Opopo can already boast a strong and growing popularity. Their greatest claims to fame include opening for Klaxons and The Stooges, though the latter is actually more of an internet rumour.

"It was the CD release [for The Weirdness], but Iggy Pop didn't show up," Sutherland explains.

"It was just Curly and Moe," quips Macgregor.

Despite of their steadily growing success, Opopo still don't own cases for their instruments or amps. Toronto night-lifers may have seen them pushing their naked gear down the street in a shopping cart at 2 a.m. One might ask, "Is that bad for their equipment?" Yes, it is.

"We've drenched a MIDI synth," says Sutherland. "We've surfed on a guitar."

"I think whenever we get money to buy cases for our gear, we think, 'Or we could just buy new gear,'" Poole adds.

It's that raw enthusiasm that makes Opopo such an exciting band. They seem to attack everything, from music to conversation, with the same unabashed energy. They're the kind of people who make things happen by throwing themselves headlong into whatever piques their interest. By the time they release a new full-length album, you can bet their fame and critical praise will have grown exponentially. Fans of aggressive beats, head-scratching lyrics and unpretentious zeal would do well to get in on the ground floor with the just-released Opopo EP.

Opopo will open for Spiral Beach at Toronto's Opera House on May 17.

—Evan Dickson