Edmonton Journal

With three singer-songwriters offering up a constant barrage of new material, you'd think that the Deep Dark Woods would already be at each other's throats for space to get it out.

"No, it actually hasn't been an issue," laughs bassist Chris Mason. "We're pretty good about how we divide things up, and yeah -- there's a lot to choose from."

Signed last year to Vancouver musician/producer Steve Dawson's Black Hen Music label, the Saskatoon-based four piece have made quite a splash with their second release, Hang Me, Oh Hang Me, an impressive collection of psychedelia, Appalachian, '70s country, folk, rock and bluegrass.

They've been diligently touring the country since its release, picking up a growing audience through sheer hard work. Deep Dark Woods -- who also include guitarists/vocalists Ryan T. Boldt and Burke Barlow and drummer/vocalist Lucas Goetz -- have also been making plans for incursions into the States, as well as possible shows in Europe.

"Yeah, London sounds pretty good right now," Mason accedes. "But we are really enjoying the support we're getting in Canada right now. There's still much to do, but eventually we'll get out into other countries as well."

Together, they create original acoustic and electric music steeped in a rich, literate country-roots heritage. All four contribute to the vocal blend for a layered sound that's drawn frequent comparisons to The Band, The Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers.

Last spring, they'd already completed recording about three-quarters of their second full-length disc with producer and former Northern Pike, Ross Nykiforuk, when a pilgrimage to Vancouver offered them a chance to impress studio magnate and Black Hen Records label owner Steve Dawson. "That trip to Vancouver was huge for us," says Mason, adding that Shuyler Jansen, a fellow Saskatoonian and former member of Old Reliable, had told Dawson about the band. “[Dawson] came out to see us at a place called The Chapel in Vancouver — an old funeral chapel turned music venue. I guess he really liked it. We played at The Railway Club two weeks later and Alice Dawson came out. She introduced herself, and we found out that they were interested in the album and the band." Steve Dawson, better known as one half of Zubot and Dawson, ended up playing on a track and mixing the entire record. Two years after the band’s inception, Hang Me Oh Hang Me was released on Black Hen. The new album's warm reception was further bolstered by a bout of fall touring with labelmate Jansen.

The Deep Dark Woods are kick-starting 2008 with more of the same — they’ve planned another tour with Jansen (they back him up for his set and he plays in the band for theirs), and Black Hen will soon be re-releasing their eponymous debut album in both Canada and Europe. With typical unpretentiousness and honesty, Mason finds himself focused on the upcoming shows and live sound.

"We play electric, but pretty soon we're going to be doing a lot more acoustic stuff,” he says. “There's advantages to both. You can play a song so many different ways. If you're touring and playing tons of shows, which we really want to do, then I think it's important to switch it up all the time, on the spot, to kind of have that surprise factor."

-Tom Murray