MATT CHEETHAM
Arts Writer

Look out, Saskatoon! A new band has emerged fresh out of the oven in the form of Molly Summers and the Callbacks.

The band, which is still getting it’s feet wet, started last February after coming together in a drama class. They bring an amalgamation of sound to their arsenal, but liken their musical style to “Australian Britpop.”

“We bring the crazy. We have the Beatles from Anthony, metal from Jeff, the Ramones from Nathan and Neil Young from me,” said Derek Desroches who is the band’s lead vocalist.

The band had an interesting beginning as both Nathan Howe and Desroches have been in bands previously but wanted something both serious and fun.

“The last one was more business oriented and this one is more fun; these guys are a lot of fun,” said Howe, who provides rhythm and vocals.

The band consists of four members: Howe on rhythm guitar and vocals, Desroches on lead vocals, Anthony MacMahon on bass, Jeff Petty on drums, and the occasional appearance of the elusive Molly Summers after whom the band is named. While the band’s name is now set in stone, it proved a struggle early on.

“We were racking our brains for a long time. We came up with Deep Purple, Barack Obama and later pitched the Callbacks. It was Anthony who had this great idea to put a hot girl’s name in front of that,” recalled Howe.

The band found their first taste of exposure when they warmed up for their first gig by playing for a friend’s birthday party.

“We wanted to do something special and we needed a breaker gig to warm ourselves up. It was pretty sweet. We played eight, nine songs and figured, ”˜I guess we can play shows now,’ ” said MacMahon.

While still being relatively new, the band has already established a small presence in a short time. They have both a Facebook and MySpace account set up. They have also played around Saskatoon in venues including Lydia’s, the Fringe Festival and most recently Amigos. They have both an EP and CD scheduled for spring or summer of this year.

“We just want to get our music out there and make it sound good,” said Desroches.

The band has high aspirations and would love to do a tour eventually, possibly next summer, going to the west coast and maybe Washington as well.

“I want to play in Japan,” said Petty.

“Or Australia,” said Howe chiming in.

While the band doesn’t always have gigs lined up, stay tuned for updates on their MySpace page, and if you are in the mood for a flurry of amalgamated rock sounds, check out Molly Summers and The Callbacks. You definitely won’t forget it.

“Our music is like a jumping high five, constantly,” said Desroches.

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photo courtesy of Molly Summers and the Callbacks