For Vancouver singer-songwriter-multi-instrumentalist- Colin Orchyk: the song does not remain the same. Colin takes a fluid approach to songwriting. He tries to take his songs in as many different directions as he can. He will change the lyrics, timing, structure, even the key of a song to do so. He does this in the name of creativity! A song is like a story, change one or two things, and all of a sudden the picture could look very different. Why stop at just one conclusion? One meaning? One purpose? To do so is to limit creativity and after speaking with Colin, that is clearly not an option. As people, we are always changing and going through different phases. As such, as Colin pointed out, it is unrealistic to assume that you will relate to a song the same way all the time. His own songs no less!
Colin began his musical career playing in a band called “Margot” in his hometown of Winnipeg. He moved to Toronto and eventually Vancouver to facilitate the growth of his career. Today, he writes, produces, engineers, and releases his own music and plays the guitar, keyboards, and bass. In what he calls a “nod to the past”, Collin initially began to release his own music under the pseudonym “Margot’s Notebooks”. He was trying to develop his sound and identify as a musician without having to commit his name should he be unhappy with his work in this feeling-out process. Eventually, he decided to drop the alias and began releasing material under his own name Colin Orchyk. This was Colin deciding to dial in and get really serious about his music without having to hide. Oh.. he does this while studying full-time at UBC. When we first spoke, it was after I heard his single “National Forest” but since then he has released his first EP titled “Drive Down South”. At the heart of Colin’s sound is the atmosphere. He does so through expert handling of synthesizers, pads, and the right amount of special effects to set the backdrop just right. His understanding of space, and how to fill it up, is impressive. However, his more stripped-down efforts such as “Kisses from Kensington” and “Okay I Love You” show that Colin is equally at home with just an acoustic guitar and his message. In my opinion: Colin and his fluid-song writing approach are best defined by his two versions of “Drive Down South”. Not only are the lyrics slightly different: the first is the 80s like synth pad groove while the second is an acoustic-folky masterpiece. Check him out!
Griffin