The Deep Dark Woods Interview: SXSW 2010

Saskatoon alt-country band the Deep Dark Woods couldn't be happier with how 2009's 'Winter Hours' turned out. The critically acclaimed album earned them a Western Canadian Music Award for Outstanding Roots Recording and Canadian Folk Music Award nomination. But singer/guitarist Ryan Boldt says the band have a "bunch of great songs" ready for their third album. They're expecting to enter the studio this summer with the release sometime before year's end. Spinner spoke with Boldt prior to SXSW 2010 and a performance at Vancouver's Winter Olympics, where he predicted a gold medal for Canada's men's hockey team.

How did the band form?

Well we've all been friends for quite some time. The other fellas played together in a different band and their singer moved to Toronto and I was living in B.C. I came back for a little bit and started jamming with Burke [Barlow] the guitar player and we just came together with the other two guys [Chris Mason and Lucas Goetz] and that was basically it.

How would you describe your sound?

I don't know, folk-rock. We all like folk music mainly and rock 'n' roll. My songwriting is based in the folk music genre but then you get the band behind it and it turns into rock 'n' roll.


Who are some of your musical influences?

The Band, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, old stuff like Roy Orbison and Stompin' Tom, Waylon Jennings, Tom Waits, you name it. The blues like Percy Sledge and Muddy Waters. I don't know how to describe it, there's just something about those guys. It's different than anything you hear nowadays. Nowadays you don't hear a lot of emotion in people's vocals anymore and like Waylon and Bob Dylan, good grief! Those guys can really weep it out, you know what I mean? So I like people who can make you hurt just by their singing.

How did you decide on the band name?

Well, Burke came up with the name a year before the band even formed. I remember him calling me up and he saying came up with a wicked name that he wanted to start a band with. And a year later we called the band the Deep Dark Woods. It was just the perfect name. There are a lot of old folk songs that talk about the deep dark woods and deep dark wells, stuff like that. So it was just a suitable name for our folk music.

What's in your festival survival kit?

Oh dear, I don't know. Good gravy, I guess my capo and my guitar of course, that's about it.

Are you looking forward to SXSW?

Yeah, I'm really excited about that one, that's going to be great. We were there last year but this year is going to be better because there's quite the buzz going around. We were featured on their website and so I think there are going to be quite a few people out to the shows hopefully. It should be a lot of fun, plus there's going to be a lot of barbecues down there and I love barbecues. And we'll have plenty of time to check out some other bands. The only thing is if there's a really good show there's going to be a massive lineup there. Last year when we went we missed a bunch of good stuff because we couldn't get in, there were too many people. It's just insane down there.

What would you say is your biggest vice?

Biggest vice ... I don't know, good grief. I don't know if I should say because I don't want my parents to read it and find out. My parents sometimes read these things.

What's your musical guilty pleasure?

I don't really have any guilty pleasures, I'm pretty proud of the music that I listen to. I guess some people don't like Skeeter Davis or Tammy Wynette. Tammy Wynette is probably one of my guilty pleasures as I love pretty much every early record of hers. Patsy Cline, I don't know if that's a guilty pleasure but I really like that music. Oh and I guess all that old pop music from the '50s, Buddy Holly, The Ronettes, stuff like that. I guess that's a guilty pleasure but it's really cool sounding. Phil Spector produced a lot of that stuff, it's great.

The Beatles or the Rolling Stones?

That's a hard question. They're completely different bands. I love the Beatles but if I want to totally rock out I would put on the Rolling Stones. If it was between early Beatles and early Stones I would take the Stones. But I don't know, it's a hard decision. I even love the Stones '70s stuff up to 'Emotional Rescue,' everything up to then I thought was pretty wicked -- 'Sticky Fingers,' 'Beggars Banquet,' 'Let It Bleed,' 'Some Girls,' 'Black And Blue,' all those albums are awesome. But the Beatles have 'Abbey Road' and 'Revolver' and 'Rubber Soul,' I can't really say, I love them both.