Versa are such an intriguing band that no long-winded, rambling introduction could do them justice, so let’s jump straight into this interview:
Can you tell us about the band’s origins. Where did you meet etc.
Versa is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. The original core of the band – Matt, Hollas, Ben, Anthony, and Kevin – met at the University of Victoria, where Ben and Anthony were studying in the hybrid music-computer science program, Kevin and Hollas were music students, and Matt was taking a composition class as an elective. Janelle worked with Matt’s then-girlfriend and met the band through her, and joined shortly thereafter. Our first gig was a battle of the bands at UVic, and from there we decided to continue. I don’t think any of us expected Versa would still be going 20 years later!
What are the musical influences of each band member and how do you forge them into a cohesive whole?
We initially shared a lot of interest in early 2000s post rock – bands like Mogwai, Godspeed you! Black Emperor, and Sigur Ros – indie folk like the Decemberists and Sufjan Stevens, and 90s art rock like Radiohead and Björk. Matt and Kevin were big prog rock fans as well but the rest of the band were not, so the prog influence took a back seat to post-rock and indie folk on the first couple of albums. As the band evolved and membership changed, the progressive rock influences took more of a front seat in Versa’s sound, but one of the great things about progressive rock is that there are always avenues to incorporate other kinds of sounds into prog songs – veering off into a folk bit or an alternative rock bit or an electronic bit or a post-rock bit is part of what makes longer prog songs fun and exciting, and keeps both the musicians and the listeners engaged.
Can you tell us about your local music scene. Is it supportive? Are there many places to play?
These days there aren’t as many live venues as there were when we started, as people of our generation have jobs and families and aren’t going out as much as they used to and the younger generation are more interested in DJ sets than rock bands, but there’s still a good scene here. When we started there weren’t any other bands doing progressive rock music here, and now there are several. We’ve recently played with a couple of great bands – Tal Voda and Ghost Planet – who are progressive to their core, and done a couple shows with another fantastic young band, Dreamworld Panic, who are more of a post-rock group.
What’s the best and worst thing about your local scene?
We are on an island on the west coast of Canada so it’s a long way to get anywhere else, and it’s sometimes hard to bring other artists to us. It makes it essentially impossible to do the kind of short tour you can do on the east coast, or in the UK or Europe, where you might hit up half a dozen or more major urban centres over the course of two weeks. That’s just impossible here – it’s a two-day trip to play Vancouver, the nearest city, and from there it’s another full day’s travel to the next major Canadian city, or you have to get a visa to cross the border to play Seattle.
Can you tell us about the band’s discography (demos, singles, albums).
We have four studio LPs, an EP, a b-sides collection, and we have a covers album in the works. Our first album, the self-titled “Versa” from 2008, is entirely instrumental post-rock and was mostly written by Matt, except one song from Hollas, our violinist. Our second album, “The Decline & Fall Of…” was released in 2010 and contains a lot of post-rock elements, but brings in a lot more indie rock, folk, and progressive rock influences, along with a few vocal-driven tracks. Matt was still the principal composer on the album but other members contributed a significant amount, with Hollas and Ben each composing two songs and several songs arising from band jams. Our most recent albums, “A Voyage / A Destination” and “A Voyage / A Destination, Part 2”, recently re-released as a single double album with a collection of alternate takes and b-sides, really fuses the worlds of post-rock and prog rock, with longer epic symphonic prog songs like “Pool of the Naiads” and “Artemis” alongside shorter post-rock instrumentals like “Sea of Vapours” and “Ocean of Storms”. I think they’re the best things we’ve done yet!
How do you feel you’ve evolved musically throughout your career?
As I mentioned above, we’ve gradually moved our sound from pure post-rock instrumental music to incorporating elements of indie rock, folk, and prog, to being primarily a progressive rock band. We’ve added more vocal elements, become better performers and I think better and more mature composers.
Can you tell us about tours you’ve completed. Any war stories you’d like to share?
We’ve unfortunately never toured, for reasons mentioned above.
Will we see you on the road anytime soon?
Unlikely. We’re hoping to appear at a few festivals in Canada over the next couple of years and maybe we’ll make it to an international gig or two, but it’s very unlikely we will tour.
What’s next for the band? How do you plan to reach the next level?
We are releasing a covers album this spring, and performing several concerts in June including a 20th anniversary concert that will be filmed and hopefully released as a live album in the fall. We’ve started writing our fifth album of original material, which we hope to record later this year and release some time in 2027.
Finally, what’s the one question (and answer) interviewers never ask but you wish they would?
That’s a tough one! This has been a pretty comprehensive questionnaire, I can’t think of anything else we want to get out there!
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