Oh No Forest Fires

Toronto continues to be the birthing place of premier Canadian pop-rock acts, and Oh No Forest Fires is a prime example. The band began as a basement project a few years back between frontman  and Newfoundland transplant Rajiv Thavanathan (of Five Blank Pages) and Most Serene Republic drummer Adam Nimmo. The addition of Brock Swanek on guitar and backup vocals and Matt Del Buono on bass and piano helped round out the band.

With the release of their debut EP, The War on Geometry, last fall, Oh No Forest Fires has elevated their hobby basement band to full-on rock status with energetic punk-rock influences. Their sound might drum up references to Modest Mouse, R.E.M., and Ben Folds, which only highlights the diversity of their influences. The opener on their album, “It’s Not Fun And Games Until Someone Loses An Eye,” is a dissonant and energetic, guitar and drum heavy rock number. In contrast, singles “New Cove Road Back Home” and “You Know What That Is … Trouble” show off the band’s more sensitive side. Both songs deal with unrequited love and feature Thavanathan’s vulnerable vocals over milder rippling guitar riffs and piano.

Oh No Forest Fires will be spending their spring with tours around Ontario. Catch these up-and-comers for a night of good, homegrown indie-rock. For a complete list of tour dates, visit the band’s MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/ohnoforestfires.