It took nine years of practice but Doja’s ready and on the road! Supporting their 2012 EP Set and Setting funk-rock band Doja will be appearing at Sun Peaks’ The Club on February 16.
The three members of Doja, bassist Steve Kalkman, drummer Brad Desjardins and singer-guitarist Ricky Lawrie, all met in Grade One at elementary school, and all coming from musical families, they’ve been together as a band on and off ever since.
“I think we started off in Brad’s basement and then by the end of high school we were playing in my garage,” says Kalkman of the early days when the band would practice Blink-182 covers.
The trio, all 21-years-old from Abbotsford, B.C., jammed for years as girlfriends, jobs and school allowed, and then finally decided to make it official in 2012 when they were offered studio time by a friend, Joel Sojonky at Pacific Audio Visual Institute’s (Vancouver) audio engineering program. The typically spontaneous band got together, named the band on the spot and spent two days recording Set and Setting.
Oozing with funky rhythm and Lawrie’s melodic guitar riffs Set and Setting has definite Red Hot Chili Peppers influence.
“Brad and I really love that funky rhythm but Ricky adds a really nice melodic aspect to it,” says Kalkman.
“Pockets Full of Glory,” a song about “the ups and downs of life, a willingness through love to help someone else and a paradox on how it’s the way it’ll always be,” according to Lawrie. The track holds a special place in Doja’s heart as well.
“‘Pockets Full of Glory’ and ‘Tolja’ were the first two songs we wrote when we got back together,” says Desjardins. “We wanted one of them on the EP with our songs from high school because we really enjoyed playing it.”
“Tolja” is one of the bands newest releases and it can already be found on Youtube. It’ll likely be included on Doja’s anticipated follow-up LP.
Doja’s time together has paid off. Not only is Set and Setting a solid EP but the band also has solid chemistry together.
“Everything we do moves organically when we play together and it’s weird the connections that we have now,” Kalkman says. When they’re jamming Kalkman says “I’ll play a fill which then is exactly what Brad will play on drums—there’s a level of ESP with these guys.”
Listen to Set and Setting at: doja.bandcamp.com
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