Odds (band)
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Odds are a Canadian alternative rock band, active 1987–1999, and reformed in 2007 as The New Odds. The band's power pop style has been frequently compared to that of contemporaries such as Squeeze, Elvis Costello, Weezer, Tom Petty, Sloan, The Clash, XTC, Franz Ferdinand, Kiss, and The Tubes.^{citation needed}

History

Odds

The band was formed in 1987 in Vancouver, British Columbia, consisting of vocalist-guitarists Craig Northey and Steven Drake, bassist Doug Elliott and drummer Paul Brennan. Band members claim the name came when Brennan asked Drake (in a town somewhere on the BC coast), "What are the odds of us ever escaping bullshit gigs like this?" The band played up to four nights a week as a 1960s and 1970s cover band called Dawn Patrol, while playing as the Odds on weekends, hoping for a break.

The band traveled to Los Angeles doing showcases and eventually signed to Zoo Entertainment. They released their debut album, Neopolitan, in 1991, which spawned three hits at radio. ("Love Is the Subject" and "King of the Heap".) The third single was the controversial "Wendy Under the Stars".

After the release of Neopolitan, the band were picked up by Warren Zevon, becoming his touring band for his album Mr. Bad Example.

In 1993, the band released Bedbugs, which attracted attention for its lead single "Heterosexual Man". The video for that song featured the band members performing in drag, with Dave Foley, Kevin McDonald and Mark McKinney from The Kids in the Hall (themselves often noted for drag performances) as the stereotypically macho jocks. Three singles from that album charted, "Heterosexual Man", "It Falls Apart", and "Yes (Means It Hard To Say No)."

Brennan left the band in 1995, and subsequently joined Big Sugar. He was replaced by Pat Steward, former drummer for Bryan Adams and Matthew Good, and studio drummer for Limblifter.

The band followed up with 1995's Good Weird Feeling, their most commercially successful album, The album featured the top 40 hit singles "Truth Untold", "Eat My Brain", "Satisfied" and "Mercy To Go". "Eat My Brain" also found a place on the Craig Northey-produced soundtrack to the Kids in the Hall movie Brain Candy.

The Odds' final album, Nest, was released in 1996. The track "Someone Who's Cool," was originally written for the Friends soundtrack¹. Follow-up single "Make You Mad" featured a video which was co-directed by and starred Bruce McCulloch, of Kids in the Hall fame.

Hiatus

The band pursued other projects after 1999, releasing a greatest hits/singles compilation in 2000, entitled Singles: Individually Wrapped. A second compilation, The Essentials, was released in 2005.

Later in 1999 Elliott, Steward and Northey teamed up with Hammond B3 organ master Simon Kendall (Doug & the Slugs) to release an instrumental soul CD under the moniker "Sharkskin".

Northey released a solo album, Giddy Up, in 2002. In 2004, Northey collaborated with former Gin Blossoms guitarist Jesse Valenzuela on the Northey Valenzuela album. The pair also recorded the theme song to the sitcom Corner Gas, "Not a Lot Going On". Northey, Steward and Elliott all recorded and toured with Rob Baker of the Tragically Hip as the band "Strippers Union".

In early 2006 The Odds' song "Someone Who's Cool" was used as the theme song to the short-lived CBS music industry comedy Love Monkey, starring Tom Cavanagh, Jason Priestley and Teddy Geiger.²

The New Odds

In 2007, Craig Northey, Doug Elliott, Pat Steward and Murray Atkinson performed old and new songs on the Barenaked Ladies' Ships & Dip cruise as The New Odds.

The New Odds album Cheerleader was released on May 20, 2008 as the very first release by Kim Cooke's new label Pheromone Recordings.³ The first single, "My Happy Place," was released in mid-March. ⁴

Discography

Singles

Albums

• Neopolitan (1991)
• Bedbugs (1993)
• Good Weird Feeling (1995)
• Nest (1996)
• Singles: Individually Wrapped (2000)
• The Essentials (2005)
• Cheerleader (2008)

References

External links

• The New Odds official web site