BC’s Best Teen Band Contest 2011 Top 3: Where Are They Now?

Checking in on the top three bands from the 2011 BC's Best Teen Band Contest.

It’s been a year since The Archers, Stoned Optic and Ivory Coast entered BC’s Best Teen Band Contest. These outstanding musicians went on to beat out nearly 50 other bands to form the Top 3 for BC’s Best Teen Band Contest 2011. As we launch the 2012 BC’s Best Teen Band Contest, we wanted to check in with the top trio of bands to see how their musical careers have progressed since the contest’s finale.


The Archers, who won first place, recently played at Victoria’s Rifflandia Festival and released their debut EP in August.


Second-placers, Abbotsford’s Ivory Coast, have gone through more changes than any of the Top 3 
bands. They have changed their name to Oh Village and have lost guitarists Kristof Schlagintweit and Rhys Burnell, but filled in the hole with Matthew Janzen, making the transition into a quartet.


Victoria punk-rockers Stoned Optic also changed their name (they’re now called Helloseptember), and the band says it has a brand-new sound to go along with the new name.


We got a chance to chat with Ethan Caleb of The Archers, Dave Dueckman of Oh Village and Jacob Bentley of Helloseptember to talk about all the changes and milestones, as well as about the bands’ favourite memories of the contest and what’s up next on their roads to success.

The Archers: 1st Place


Victoria alt-indie folk band The Archers won the 2011 BC's Best Teen Band Contest.

YT: You guys just recently played Rifflandia, how was that experience? 

EC: Rifflandia was amazing. The year before, McLaren, Sandy and I attended Rifflandia 3, and during all the performances we kept saying, “Man, wouldn’t it be sweet to play Rifflandia one day?” And on our band’s one-year anniversary, we played to a packed hall right before one of our favourite bands of all time, We Are The City, on the kick-off night of Rifflandia 4. You couldn’t have asked for a better band birthday present.


YT: You also just released your debut EP, Much More Than Merry Men. What was the recording process of that like?

EC: We recorded our EP in Liam Moes’s basement The process was somewhat stressful but we got through it... probably because Bob spent the weekend introducing us to new video games we’d never heard of before; it kept us relaxed.


YT: How was your EP release show with Scott Currie of Oh Village?

EC: The release show was incredible, and Scott’s set at the show was amazing! It made me teary eyed at some points – no joke and no shame. Meeting people like Scott and the guys from Stoned Optic and The Knots was probably the best part of the contest – seeing people as passionate as you are is just so cool. Watching those guys play or listening to their tunes inspires you just to keep going with it, as well as gives you the comfort of knowing you always have a group of people you can look to for help, inspiration and support.


YT: How did BC’s Best Teen Band Contest affect your band?

EC: In all honesty, without the contest, we would probably never have gone anywhere. The contest pushed us to not only get better, but unified us. We were all in lots of different projects in our school until the contest came along and we just hunkered down and focused on this, and it seems to be paying off.


YT: What are The Archers’ future plans?

EC: Tour and write and record some professional tunes. Ultimately, we want to release a feature-length album. That would be awesome, to release something that was in stores across Canada and have people listen to our music. That would be cool.

Oh Village: 2nd Place


Abbotsford's Oh Village was formerly known as Ivory Coast.

YT: You guys have gone through a lot of changes since BC’s Best Teen Band Contest. Have your lineup changes affected your music?

SC: We are now a quartet, so as a result of that we are tighter musically and more focused professionally. Physically, we’ve added cello, trumpet and three-part harmonies, but we’ve kept the progressive, alternative core of our music.


YT: Would you encourage other teen bands to enter BC’s Best Teen Band Contest?

SC: Yes, the experience is phenomenal, and for us it was an eye-opener. We learned so much from the other bands and from the industry professionals who were a part of it. We strongly recommend it!


Helloseptember: 3rd Place


Victoria's Helloseptember was formerly known as Stoned Optic.

YT: You guys recently changed your band’s name and you say your sound has changed too. Can you tell us a little bit about your new sound? 

JB: I would describe this new sound we’re working on as more mature, steady, emotional indie rock with a bit of a punk edge.


YT: What did you learn from BC’s Best Teen Band Contest?

JB: The most important aspect of the contest that we took away was how important it is to network your band. No one will be interested if you don’t keep them interested. We’re no pros, but we are doing what we can to write the best songs possible and create a fan base of like-minded people who want to hear what we have to play. Lastly, I’ll say that we have never been more excited about our music, so spread the word... help us do what we love to do!