Ottawa is an indie-rock band based in Cleveland. The band consists of Dale DeLong (Lead Vox), Tim Czajka (Guitar), Jeremy Barnes (Bass), and Will Hooper (Guitars & Backup Vocals). Check out our interview with Tim Czajka about how the band was formed, performing in NYC, and their new single “No More Love Songs”.
Photo Credit: Bradley Atom
upfrontNY: Can you tell us a little bit about how the band was formed?
Tim Czajka: Will, Dale, and I have always been in bands together since about 2008 and we added Jeremy about two years ago. Dale and I went to high school together and he would always bug me about starting a band, but I just wasn’t into the same type of music he was interested in at that time. It wasn’t until I heard some demos that Dale and Will put together that I began to take interest in their first project. They ended up needing a new bass player, so I ended up auditioning for them on bass and now 10 years later here we are. Jeremy has been a great addition, and I was very happy to be back on guitar for this project.
upfrontNY: How would you describe your music?
Tim Czajka: I think our music could best be described as melodic/cinematic indie rock. I think we sort of have a The Killers meets Interpol kind of sound.
upfrontNY: You have a new single “No More Love Songs” – can you tell us about the song?
Tim Czajka: “No More Love Songs” started with some melodies that Dale brought to the table, and he ended up coming up with a title and hook pretty quickly. Once we had the chorus down, which I think we did in about one day, we all came up with individual parts for the song and it worked out very smoothly. I love driving rhythm throughout the song, it’s full of energy. We really got it all together, especially the dynamics, when we worked with producer Matt Goldman down in Atlanta. He really helped us turn it into the song it is today, and Mark Needham totally blew us out of the water with his mix.
upfrontNY: Now if you had to choose one… what is your favorite love song?
Tim Czajka: Van Morrison-Into The Mystic Van Morrison just has one of those voices that immediately ties you into whatever he is signing and totally captivates you. You feel everything that comes out of his performances, and they are always something magical.
upfrontNY: This song was the latest in a series of six singles being released this year. Can you tell us what has been the best part of the writing and recording process?
Tim Czajka: I absolutely love recording, and it was amazing to have the opportunity to work with Matt Goldman down in Atlanta. All of us were not sure what to expect when we got there, and we couldn’t have been happier. He really understood the direction we wanted to go in, and we all would love to work with him again.
upfrontNY: Do you guys have a favorite place you like to write or get inspiration from?
Tim Czajka: I think all of us are constantly inspired by one another and we all feed off of each other. We have great chemistry together which is super hard to come by, I think we all take that for granted sometimes.
upfrontNY: Does the group have a dream venue, city, stage, country that they hope to one day perform at?
Tim Czajka: I think all of us would love to play Rock In Rio, it’s so massive and the fans are so engaged into every aspect of the songs and performance. You know you’re doing something right when you have thousands of fans signing not only the lyrics, but guitar parts to the songs as well. I think all of us could agree on that one!
upfrontNY: You have performed in New York City in the past. What was the best part of performing in NYC?
Tim Czajka: NYC is absolutely amazing and I can’t wait to go back, I think we all can’t wait to come back, we will be soon by the way! Anyways, you can tell that NYC loves new music and people are so much more engaged there vs any other places we have ever played. It’s a great feeling to have when you see people singing your songs back to you, and moving along to your music.
upfrontNY: Does the band have a favorite memory together?
Tim Czajka: When we were on a short tour a few years back, we were in NYC. Our plans ended up changing unexpectedly, but we were able to step back from the grind, and enjoy the city together. It was so cool to experience together, especially Coney Island instead of just passing through. It was a rainy overcast day, and everything was closed except a Nathan’s Hot Dog stand, which sounds terrible, but there was just this really cool Lou Reed vibe about the whole thing, which made it all kind of perfect.
upfrontNY: Finally, what’s next?
Tim Czajka: We are constantly moving forward with writing and recording, so expect to hear more music from us soon and catch us on tour this fall!
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