When three become one

Jicah may have stacked the deck, but they’re not a supergroup

Don’t get up, it’s only rock n’ roll: Jicah crams local talent together.

Music math problem: What is The Nods + Quinzy + The Waking Eyes + the ambience of a 1965, Frankie Avalon surf movie? If you didn’t guess Jicah, then you probably didn’t know that musicians from three of Winnipeg’s highly acclaimed bands have fused into one.

Jicah was initially a side-project of Nods’ lead guitarist Micah Braun and drummer Jeff Bruce. The Nods came to a screeching halt with a fully-recorded album indefinitely waiting in the wings, and it was then that the side project became serious.

After recording one album as Jicah, the duo have become a five-piece, adding Majche Bunjalowski (guitar), former Quinzy guitarist Brian James (keyboards) and Waking Eyes bass player Joey Penner.

Despite the compilation of local rock talent, Jeff Bruce shied away from the term “super group,” coined for bands made up of previously proven talent.

“All these are local bands so I don’t think you can throw the tag ‘super group’ on it,” Bruce said during happy hour at the Toad.

However, he was quick to add that the band doesn’t suck.

“When you stack a band full of members that were also in really good bands, you’re gonna get something good.”

Bruce added that he feels no pressure in terms of expectation.

“I think people have some sort of expectations, but we’re so new that not many people know who we are yet.”

Jicah is undoubtedly influenced by The Beatles and has a sound that makes you feel like you’re in an episode of Happy Days, something Bruce says is the result of nostalgi-influenced songwriting (along with lots of reverb and careful file compression).
“The best music came from the ‘60s and ‘70s, in my opinion. They got that from the ‘40s and ‘50s, and that was good music too,” said Bruce.

As far as a journalism-musical-cliché-description, Penner offered: “Really fun, high-energy rock.”

In terms of the songwriting, “it’s a total collective effort,” Bruce said.

Collaborating the efforts of The Nods, Quinzy and Waking Eyes is what makes Jicah such an interesting emerging local band.

“The evolution of this band has been four times faster than any other band,” said Bruce, speaking to the results of their music. “I honestly believe that if you put us in a studio every day for a year, at the end of the year we’d have 365 songs.”
Here’s hoping that’s the case.

With retro-ringing songs like Understanding and Left Her There, accompanied by top-notch modern indie rock such as Frown, 365 sounds like a good number of songs.

Published in Volume 64, Number 8 of The Uniter (October 22, 2009)

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