Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Polished West Coast rock

Victoria’s Jets Overhead nominated for Juno Award
1408jets
This west coast meditation whirls listeners into the calms and torrents of B.C.’s rugged coast, photo submitted

By Nicole Fitzgerald

Who: Jets Overhead

When: Sunday, Feb. 25

Where: Merlin’s

Tucked away in a cabin on Hornby Island, perched above a roaring cliff of spray and salt, Jets Overhead band members laid the tracks for the heart and soul of their most recent album, Bridges .

If you listen closely to the eight-minute-plus song No More Nothing, you can hear that same stormy night rumbling underneath rolling guitar lines and layered vocal harmonies that finally wash away into live ocean sounds hitting the shore.

This west coast meditation whirls listeners into the calms and torrents of B.C.’s rugged coast. This sound, the band’s way of life, recently landed the Vancouver Islanders a nod from the 2007 Juno Awards for Best New Band — and it looks like more and more ocean rockers are catching on.

“We are really pleased to have some recognition,” said Jocelyn Greenwood , Jets Overhead bassist. “It’s a good feeling to have the motivation and boost of excitement to know people are out there listening and paying attention. It’s a good right of passage. A stepping stone into the Canadian music scene.”

Jets Overhead’s music is a bit of a stone itself. Listening to the track Killing Time is like a piece of multi-flecked granite whose once rough corners are softened and rounded after being rolled around in the sea.

I know, again with the west coast imagery, but listen to Bridges at myspace.com/jetsoverhead and you’ll better understand this edgy hard rock mix that drifts around in B.C.’s laidback vibe. It’s unbeatable and guaranteed to become one of your favourite hanging out on the couch with your best buddies soundtracks — and critics agree.

Bridges is an impressive, easygoing and mood-altering experience with a nostalgic feel that is a calculated combination of accomplished musicianship and intelligent production,” raved an Hour music critique.

“Jets Overhead is reason No. 58 why Canada’s got the best rock scene in the world right now,” wrote a Calgary Herald reporter.

This year’s rock scene is fierce, with the Jets Overhead Juno nomination sharing company with the likes of Stabilo, Mobile, Evans and Idle Sons — the first two bands played at the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival mainstage last spring.

But it’s not just award juries and media catching on, Jets Overhead has garnered a devout fan base after touring all over Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom. The Victoria band kept stage company with the likes of Our Lady Peace, Sam Roberts and Broken Social Scene. Bridges will also be released in Japan on Columbia Records and in Europe on Sweet Nothing/Cargo. After a short B.C. and Alberta tour, Jets Overhead make their way down to Austin, Texas for the South By Southwest Fest.

“We did a lot of high-profile touring this year, but we are still quite underground as far as media eyes are concerned,” Greenwood said. “In a way, it creates a certain amount of longevity.”

Get amongst Jets Overhead’s puzzle of vocal harmonies overlaying a bass grove that slips listeners into a trance rock state of mind this Sunday, Feb. 25 at Merlin’s in the Upper Village. The Golden Dogs will warm crowds up.