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Bend Sinister go their own way at Shipbuilders' Square

Eclectic band explore unique vibe in their songwriting

Bend Sinister, Shipbuilders' Square, foot of Lonsdale as part of North Vancouver City's Concerts in the Square series, Saturday, Aug. 10. Nightbox, Kim Churchill, and Jet Tangerine also on the bill. Free admission. Gates at 5 p.m. Music starts at 6 p.m.

THEY take their name from Vladimir Nabokov's dark 1947 novel, but there's nothing the least bit spooky about Bend Sinister.

Tomorrow night the Vancouver band will be performing at Shipbuilders' Square in North Vancouver alongside local electro-pop artist Jet Tangerine, Toronto's Nightbox and Australian singer/songwriter Kim Churchill.

"I'm looking forward to it. I love doing summer time festivals and outdoor shows," keyboardist and vocalist Daniel Moxon says. "We haven't done a Vancouver show in a while. Hopefully it's a nice sunny hot day and I'll be jumping in the ocean afterwards."

Bend Sinister originally began their musical journey in 2001 in Kelowna. Since then the band has relocated to Vancouver and seen a couple of members come and go. Moxon along with drummer Jason Dana, guitarist and vocalist Joseph Blood, and bassist Matt Rhode currently make up the group.

Musically they have been described as playing everything from metal to top 40.

"It's been my goal as a musician to not fit into anything that is happening and to do my own thing and to find my own sound and vibe," Moxon says. "It's a catch 22 because if you have your own sound and don't necessarily fit into a certain scene or if people can't compare you to certain bands then it makes it harder."

Bend Sinister's influences include The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Queen, Elton John, Pink Floyd, Supertramp, Billy Joel, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, CCR and Thin Lizzy.

While they draw from a wide variety of influences, Bend Sinister say they never try to sound like any one particular band.

"It's not like you're ever trying hard to be something or someone else. You just choose the songs that you write and you listen to what you listen to and it evolves from there," Moxon says. "You're never trying. You just write the songs that you write and if they happen to have a flavour of your influences then that's great."

Moxon says incorporating influences into their music is an unconscious process.

"When I go into the studio I like to layer vocals like crazy," he says. "That would be your Beach Boys right there. Any time you try and really specific layer vocals and have nice harmonies."

Over the past five years they've been hard at work touring and releasing new material. Since 2008, the band has released two full-length albums and three EP's. They are currently working on a new project which they plan to release early next year.

"We hope to plan this coming release around South by Southwest so that when we're touring down there at South by Southwest we're promoting it as well."

In writing their own material the band often starts at the keyboard.

"I come from the perspective of songwriting from a piano player first and foremost. When we write the songs on piano first they tend to have a different vibe than the bands that are writing on guitar. It is easy to make that vibe sound a certain way or give us our own sort of specific style that we've created through our records," Moxon says. "I think having the piano is the essential element that really ties everything together. It really just creates that sound."

Earlier this year Bend Sinister performed at Canadian Music Week in Toronto and throughout the U.S. including stops in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, West Hollywood, San Diego, Scottsdale, Phoenix, Nashville, St. Louis and Austin, Tx.

"Being able to hangout in Austin was awesome. I'd never been down to Texas ever. It was just a nice little treat to check it out down there."

Bend Sinister performed for two nights at South by Southwest, sharing the stage with Wildlife, Teenage Kicks and fellow Canadian Ben Caplan.

"It was great," he says. "We got to play four shows down there and they were all rammed. It was busy. We were pleasantly surprised by that because we're relatively unknown down there."

While some other bands come and go with the fickle tide of popularity, Moxon promises Bend Sinister will still be striving to create a unique sound - and enjoying the ride their music takes them on.

"We'll still be around trucking at our usual pace making music that we're happy with and enjoying our lives," he says. For more information on Bend Sinister visitbendsinistertheband. com or follow them on Twitter: @Bend_Sinister.