The Deep Dark Woods Interview: SXSW 2010

Posted on Feb 17th 2010 11:00AM by Mark R. Collins
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After making their SXSW debut last year, this Saskatoon band is excited to be back in Austin, Texas for some barbecue, margaritas and, of course, some not-so-delicate plucking of the banjo. Fresh off back-to-back wins as the Roots Group of the Year at the Western Canadian Music Awards, lead singer and guitarist Ryan Boldt talked to Spinner as he soaked in his beloved hockey highlights and prepared for the band's upcoming Canadian tour.

How did your band form?

[Guitarist] Burke Barlow and I have been friends since grade seven. We played together as kids and went to summer camp together. We played 'Stairway to Heaven' in the camp talent show, only we didn't have any vocals, so it was just drums and a guitar. We probably blew some prepubescent teenager's mind. Heck, we blew our minds.

Describe your sound.

Shoot, I'm not very good at that. I guess I'd say folksy rock.

What are some of your musical influences?

Well my favorite band of all time is the Band, and of course Bob Dylan. Tom Waits, I'm a really big fan of his work. Neil Young, Mississippi John Hurt -- the list goes on. I like everything from Joe Turner to Skeeter Davis. I'm a big fan of ballads, '60s R&B ballads. Of course, our band can't play that kind of music, and we don't try. We stay within our abilities, but the all music we listen to is an inspiration.

How did you come up with the band name?

Burke came up with the name a long time ago and he called me and said, 'I just came up with the best band name: The Deep Dark Woods,' and he said he was going to use it someday if he had a band with the right sound. About two years later we started recording some music together, and the name seemed to fit perfectly. I didn't realize I would be in the band he was talking about that day on the phone.

What's the craziest thing you've experienced on tour?

Oh man, we're in so many different cities it's hard to remember and keep them all straight. One time we were at a party with this really well-known Canadian radio personality, and he was standing next to this huge platter of meats and cheeses. So me and the guys, we put a piece of ham on his shoulder. Oh man, he walked around with this big hunk of ham right next to his face for about 15 minutes!

What do you miss most about home when you're on tour?

Hockey highlights for sure. I've got 'NHL Center Ice' at home so I can watch all the games, but on the road it's hard to even see the highlights. One time we were playing a show and they wanted us to go on at 8PM, but the Stanley Cup Finals were on and the game wasn't over yet. I told them that nobody would care about the music if the game was still going, so I made everybody wait until the game was over and then we played our set.

What would you be doing if you weren't a musician?

Well, we're lucky enough to be able to support ourselves with music, so we don't have to work some s--- job just to get by. I don't like school, so I wouldn't have gone to college. I really can't imagine doing anything else. This is what I have to do. If I had to do something I'd like to be a commentator for the WWF or hockey. Being the General Manager of a hockey team would be sweet -- you could build your team with all your favorite players.

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