Ohbijou

Ohbijou is a Toronto, Canada-based indie pop group that begins as the solo project of singer-songwriter Casey Mecija and later develops into a fuller band. The project starts with Casey Mecija, who is from Brantford and works as a production assistant at MuchMusic. Her sister Jennifer Mecija first joins to support early performances, and the two later move to Toronto to study at Ryerson University and the Ontario College of Art and Design, respectively. In Toronto, the group expands around Casey and Jennifer into a larger lineup.

Members and instrumentation

The group includes Casey Mecija on vocals, guitar, ukulele and piano; Jennifer Mecija on violin, harmochord, glockenspiel, organ, melodica and vocals; Heather Kirby on bass and banjo; James Bunton on drums and trumpet; Anissa Hart on cello; Ryan Carley on piano, synth, glockenspiel, electric piano and harpsichord; and Andrew Kinoshita on mandolin. The verified line-up also lists Anissa Hart, Heather Kirby and Jennifer Mecija as members.

Style and influences

Ohbijou’s music draws on pop, folk and bluegrass influences and is classified as indie pop. Casey Mecija cites Canadian songwriter Julie Doiron as an influence. The group has also been compared to Bic Runga and Mazzy Star, and their music is described as hushed, emotionally direct songwriting.

Releases and recognition

The band’s debut album, Swift Feet for Troubling Times, appears in 2006. Its song “St. Francis” reaches number 4 on CBC Radio 3’s weekly chart in December 2006 and finishes at number 34 on the network’s year-end singles chart. Ohbijou’s second album, Beacons, follows in 2009. The band is nationally distributed through Outside Music.

Ohbijou’s music is played on CBC Radio 3 and appears in CBC Radio’s The Vinyl Cafe. The group is nominated for the CBC’s 2007 Galaxie Rising Stars Award alongside artists including IllScarlett, Final Fantasy and Emily Haines of Metric. Casey Mecija is also named one of Chatelaine’s 80 Women to Watch for 2008.

Live activity and projects

Since their debut album, Ohbijou performs at festivals across Canada, including Osheaga in Montreal and the Hillside Festival in Guelph, and plays the opening set for the Virgin Festival in Toronto. In 2008, the band is selected as one of three acts for the Banff Centre’s first Indie Band Residency, where they spend two weeks working with producers and recording engineers.

Ohbijou also helps organise the 2007 compilation Friends in Bellwoods, a benefit release for Toronto’s Daily Bread Food Bank that grows out of Mecija’s Bellwoods Avenue home and practice space. Casey Mecija later contributes a cover of The Beatles’ “Dear Prudence” to American Laundromat Records’ charity compilation Sing Me To Sleep - Indie Lullabies.