If you're not intimately familiar with Walk Off The Earth, you've probably at least seen their viral YouTube videos posted on your timeline or in forward emails from that guy at work that always sends you stuff. But if you're still in the dark, it's not entirely your fault. The Toronto-based five piece was relatively unknown until 2012 when they went viral across the globe with this video of five people on one guitar covering Gotye. Given such a short and steep trajectory, the band is just now coming into their own as an internationally-recognized brand name.
The premise is simple, four guys and a girl making anthemic, feel-good folk rock and covering contemporary pop tunes. But this is where the simplicity turns complex. "We're different than most touring bands in that we have two sets of fans, live and online." says singe/guitar player Marshall. The band may have gained exposure by playing clever interpretations of popular songs, but it has earned a following by both touring and releasing a steady stream of low-budget, highly creative videos on the web. "Playing live, working more on YouTube and social media to keep an online presence, it's a tricky boat to float." But it has served them well. In less than two years since the watershed "5 Peeps, One Guitar" video, the band has toured the world and released a debut album, REVO to critical acclaim.
The band started outside of Toronto in the mid-00s as a three piece rock group, but as the creativity expanded into genres of funk, folk and whatever else they could dream up, so did the line up. Marshall explains that as a touring band in Canada, your options are limited for playing live. "Travelling in Canada is like 12 days for 6 meaningful shows in a stinky band van." So there was a spark for the band after releasing a couple of videos on YouTube. "We never played for 10,00 people before, so getting 10,000 hits was something we never expected." And once the Gotye video hit in 2012, it opened up more opportunity, "All the other videos blew up too."
But the band isn't relegated to cover tunes, which is evident on REVO. All of members of WOTE including fetching frontwoman Sarah Blackwood, play multiple intstruments and aren't afraid to experiment with sounds and styles. There are no preconceived notions of what the band is supposed to be, which makes it hard to categorize the band in this world of Pandora and Spotify playlists. But as Marshall points out, being a pop chamillion is just a result of the creative process. "We're so enveloped in writing together, if I'm writing a song, it's not as a song for WOTE. It's that we are WOTE and this is what we're doing."
So what does the future look like for WOTE? According to Marshall, the follow-up to REVO is in the works for a late year release as well as more touring and of course YouTube videos.
Walk Off The Earth's Gang of Rhythm Tour stops in at the Intersection in Grand Rapids tonight at 7:30pm. Check out more right here and grab your tickets for the show.
