Recording near a volcano in Iceland might seem a little excessive for a band, but it’s adventures like these that have kept Patrick Watson touring for the past decade.
“We always do things in a way that would put us on incredible adventures that we can grow on, and I think that’s probably our savior … We’re a type of band that doesn’t do things in a business-oriented way,” said Patrick Watson, the band’s vocalist and pianist. “We just came back from a volcano. We went to record in Iceland. Was this a smart thing to do in terms of making money? No, but it makes the adventure that makes our bond great.”
Patrick Watson is scheduled to perform 8 p.m. Tuesday in the Wexner Center for the Arts’ Performance Space.
Percussionist Robbie Kuster, bassist Mishka Stein and guitarist Simon Angell join Watson in the band.
Born in the U.S., Watson moved to Canada when he was 2 years old.
He’s since been touring in and out of the U.S., and every time he goes through immigration, he said he laughs when the border guards tell him “welcome home.”
Watson said the band has a general idea of what it will perform upon taking the stage, but its lineup is also dependent on audience reaction.
“Each show has a different energy,” he said. “Some shows the louder moments are better, some shows the quieter moments are better. We do lots of little things that make a big difference in a show.”
And with more than 100 shows every year, Patrick Watson changes its performance frequently, but Watson said the group’s sound doesn’t falter.
“What we do is not about a style of music. We’re not that kind of band. We definitely sound like us. I don’t know what to call it. With anything we put on, you’ll know it’s us right away. It’s not a sound, it’s just a mixture of things,” Watson said. And yet, “It’s still songs, you know, like folk or pop music with a very severe twist.”
Jaman Dunn, a fifth-year in vocal performance, said Watson is mellow, and he likes mellow.
“I wouldn’t necessarily say they’re the same as Coldplay, but I would definitely put them in the same genre,” Dunn said. “It’s kind of a calming thing. (I can) just listen and not really care about what’s going on around me.”
Dunn said he’d like to attend Tuesday’s show, but due to finals he probably won’t be able to – a sentiment echoed by Meg Zimmerman, a first-year in exploration.
“I don’t know if I can go because of finals,” Zimmerman said. “I would definitely be open to listening to him on my computer.”
The never-changing recordings probably don’t reflect Patrick Watson’s sound, though.
Watson said the band can’t really plan anything until it gets to a venue.
“You get into a room, you check out the room. And the crowd also, it makes big changes on the spot,” Watson said. “A lot of our changes to our shows are surprises, (they) happen in moments and really depend on the room and the crowd and what kind of set we play.”
Tickets to Tuesday’s concert are $14 and are available at the Wexner Center ticket office.
