BOY
Encyclopedia
BOY is a Canadian
indie pop
band, originally the solo project of Whitehorse, Yukon
native Stephen Noel Kozmeniuk
. Now based in Toronto
, the band consists of vocalist and general instrumentalist Kozmeniuk, drummer Maurie Kaufmann, bassist Steve Payne, and guitarists Rolla Olak and James Robertson. The band's debut album was released on Bumstead Records
and the second one, Every Page You Turn, on MapleMusic Recordings
.
(born 1982) grew up in Whitehorse, Yukon
, and has played guitar since age 14. "Boy" was initially his solo project, and he recorded his album using Pro Tools
in his bedroom in Whitehorse. In 2002, The Globe and Mail
described Boy's music as "art rock with a Brit twist, combined with an ultracool, laid-back attitude". Boy toured nationally in support of its self-titled release in 2003, opening for artists such as Sam Roberts
, 54-40
and Broken Social Scene
.
Boy then expanded to a five-man band with new members guitarist James Robertson of Toronto; drummer Maurie Kaufmann from Nanaimo, BC; bassist Steve Payne from Winnipeg
; and guitarist Rolla Olak from Victoria, BC. The 2004 album Every Page You Turn, produced by Brenndan McGuire of Sloan
fame, was recorded on Vancouver Island
, in a cabin. The lead single, "Same Old Song", received airplay on rock radio stations across Canada. The band toured Canada along with Pilate, and played the South by Southwest
festival in Texas, and the 2005 Summer Sonic Festival
in Japan.
The band's style has been likened to that of Sam Roberts
, with influences of late-1960s and 70s British pop-rock music.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
indie pop
Indie pop
Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
band, originally the solo project of Whitehorse, Yukon
Whitehorse, Yukon
Whitehorse is Yukon's capital and largest city . It was incorporated in 1950 and is located at kilometre 1476 on the Alaska Highway in southern Yukon. Whitehorse's downtown and Riverdale areas occupy both shores of the Yukon River, which originates in British Columbia and meets the Bering Sea in...
native Stephen Noel Kozmeniuk
Stephen Kozmeniuk
Stephen Kozmeniuk is a Canadian songwriter, producer, engineer and multi-instrumentalist from Whitehorse, Yukon. He began his musical career in the Canadian band Boy . They released several singles in Canada and Japan...
. Now based in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, the band consists of vocalist and general instrumentalist Kozmeniuk, drummer Maurie Kaufmann, bassist Steve Payne, and guitarists Rolla Olak and James Robertson. The band's debut album was released on Bumstead Records
Bumstead Records
Bumstead Records was originally a small record label in Edmonton, Alberta, founded by Larry Wanagas in 1979 and run primarily out of Homestead Recorders. Wanagas launched k.d. lang's career and continued for 15 years with many tours, multi-platinum sales, accolades and awards. The management arm...
and the second one, Every Page You Turn, on MapleMusic Recordings
MapleMusic Recordings
MapleMusic Recordings is a Toronto based record label.The MapleMusic Recordings label is a project of Canadian roots rock band Skydiggers and entrepreneur Grant Dexter...
.
History
Stephen KozmeniukStephen Kozmeniuk
Stephen Kozmeniuk is a Canadian songwriter, producer, engineer and multi-instrumentalist from Whitehorse, Yukon. He began his musical career in the Canadian band Boy . They released several singles in Canada and Japan...
(born 1982) grew up in Whitehorse, Yukon
Whitehorse, Yukon
Whitehorse is Yukon's capital and largest city . It was incorporated in 1950 and is located at kilometre 1476 on the Alaska Highway in southern Yukon. Whitehorse's downtown and Riverdale areas occupy both shores of the Yukon River, which originates in British Columbia and meets the Bering Sea in...
, and has played guitar since age 14. "Boy" was initially his solo project, and he recorded his album using Pro Tools
Pro Tools
Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation platform for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X operating systems, developed and manufactured by Avid Technology. It is widely used by professionals throughout the audio industries for recording and editing in music production, film scoring, film, and television...
in his bedroom in Whitehorse. In 2002, The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
described Boy's music as "art rock with a Brit twist, combined with an ultracool, laid-back attitude". Boy toured nationally in support of its self-titled release in 2003, opening for artists such as Sam Roberts
Sam Roberts
Sam Roberts is a Juno Award-winning Canadian rock singer-songwriter, whose 2001 debut release, The Inhuman Condition, became one of the bestselling independent releases in Quebec and Canadian music history.-Life and career:...
, 54-40
54-40
54•40 is a Canadian alternative rock group from Tsawwassen, British Columbia.The band takes their name from the slogan "Fifty-Four Forty or Fight!", coined to express the expansionist agenda of James K...
and Broken Social Scene
Broken Social Scene
Broken Social Scene is a Canadian indie rock band, a musical collective including as few as six and as many as nineteen members, formed in 1999 by Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning. Most of its members currently play in various other groups and solo projects, mainly based around the city of Toronto...
.
Boy then expanded to a five-man band with new members guitarist James Robertson of Toronto; drummer Maurie Kaufmann from Nanaimo, BC; bassist Steve Payne from Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
; and guitarist Rolla Olak from Victoria, BC. The 2004 album Every Page You Turn, produced by Brenndan McGuire of Sloan
Sloan (band)
Sloan is a Toronto-based alternative rock quartet from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Throughout their 20-year tenure Sloan has released 10 LPs , two EPs, a live album, a "best of" collection and no less than thirty singles...
fame, was recorded on Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...
, in a cabin. The lead single, "Same Old Song", received airplay on rock radio stations across Canada. The band toured Canada along with Pilate, and played the South by Southwest
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
festival in Texas, and the 2005 Summer Sonic Festival
Summer Sonic Festival
The Summer Sonic Festival is an annual two or three-days rock festival held at the same time in Osaka and Chiba. The majority of the bands playing in Osaka the first day go to Chiba the following day and vice versa....
in Japan.
The band's style has been likened to that of Sam Roberts
Sam Roberts
Sam Roberts is a Juno Award-winning Canadian rock singer-songwriter, whose 2001 debut release, The Inhuman Condition, became one of the bestselling independent releases in Quebec and Canadian music history.-Life and career:...
, with influences of late-1960s and 70s British pop-rock music.
Albums
- 2002: BOY
- 2003: French Diplomacy (singleSingle (music)In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
; Bumstead RecordsBumstead RecordsBumstead Records was originally a small record label in Edmonton, Alberta, founded by Larry Wanagas in 1979 and run primarily out of Homestead Recorders. Wanagas launched k.d. lang's career and continued for 15 years with many tours, multi-platinum sales, accolades and awards. The management arm...
) - 2003: BOY (Bumstead Records re-release)
- 2004: Every Page You Turn (MapleMusic RecordingsMapleMusic RecordingsMapleMusic Recordings is a Toronto based record label.The MapleMusic Recordings label is a project of Canadian roots rock band Skydiggers and entrepreneur Grant Dexter...
)
Music videos
| Year | Song | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | "Up In This Town" | Matt Eastman |
| "Every Page You Turn" | Matt Eastman | |
| 2006 | "People Come On" | |
| 2007 | "French Diplomacy" | Matt Eastman |
| "Joey" | Mark Lomond | |