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| Where+Who |
| Norma Jeans. The Joys rock
n roll on Friday, December 23. Cover: $2.00. Call
455-7711 for info. |
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Small changes bring
big rewards for The Joys
story by Joseph Scott
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Its amazing what
something as simple as a name change can do for a
career. Take Stephen King for example; when he changed
from his original penname of Richard Bachman to the more
recognized moniker of today, his career
skyrocketed.
To a lesser extent, the same is true
for London-based pop/rock outfit, The Joys. After
labouring for more than two years with the name Popjoy
and meeting only middling success, since the change to
their nom de jour, the bands career has turned the
corner. They scooped up honours at the last two London
Music Awards, and their single, Do I, will be featured
on the soundtrack of the movie Cake, starring Heather
Graham.
When asked, even lead vocalist and
co-founder Sarah Smith was somewhat hard pressed to
explain why the name change brought such laurels, but
figures it also had to do with a slight change of
attitude and approach.
As Popjoy, I think the
public saw us as a cover band, she related. And with
the name change, although its pretty much the exact
same name, people saw us differently, and they started
to really see what we were doing. So that motivated us
to write more and work on our own music.
The
Joys are known for their explosive live shows, theorized
by some to effectively power a small city if harnessed.
The infectious, hook-laden pop/rock they play helps spur
that energy among the crowds at their gigs, and there
arent many people just standing around at those events.
So playing music becomes a test of endurance and
stamina, as they routinely play around 200 shows a year.
Smith admitted that keeping their trademark energy
throughout a long schedule is hard, but says that
determination and proper maintenance are the keys to
overcoming that hurdle.
Its really hard and
when Im not working I try to relax a lot, she said.
We all try to keep our bodies in shape so that we can
go through this kind of stuff and keep doing it. Its
really just dedication to this business. We dont think
about it; we just do it and try to stay
healthy.
In order to keep up their meteoric rise
over the past two years, The Joys are looking ahead as
much as back. Since their two indie albums (Demolition
Sessions and Anyone Who Cares) have sold almost 10,000
copies, they plan to release a third album, which they
are presently writing and recording between shows,
sometime next year. Although Smith said that album will
be more rock than pop, loyal fans should have no fears
about a drastic change. The duo of Smith and longtime
compatriot and Popjoy co-founder Mike McKyes, along with
their new but adept rhythm section of Shawn Smith (bass)
and Glen Archie Gamble (drums), are looking to
continue their winning ways and cement themselves on the
list of best all-time London bands.
Were really
just concentrating on writing the best songs we can,
she said. Our shows are still going to be our shows,
thats where the fun is, but were writing more
seriously now. So whats next is to keep the band
together and write better songs thats
it.
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