In anticipation of the Simon Fraser Student Society’s (SFSS) upcoming Spring Jam concert on Friday, March 20, The Peak sat down with two members of the opening band, Derrival. They will be playing alongside DJs Cash Cash and Stafford Brothers at the show, which will take place next month.
The local group recently won second place in The Peak Performance Project, and have been performing together for five years. The band also has an SFU connection; bass guitarist and bass synthesist Deven Azevedo is an environmental science student who also serves as a student representative on the university’s board of governors.
Derrival’s vocalist and rhythm guitarist, Adam Mah, is also a student, currently attending Capilano University for its arts and entertainment management program.
The Peak: How will the Spring Jam be different for you from other shows?
Mah: I don’t think we’ve ever played a university show of this scale. We’ve played Capilano before, but it’s super small. It will be really cool to get into a larger environment. Playing with two bands that are more EDM-based will be interesting.
Azevedo: I think it will be largely a different crowd, if they come early enough to see us [laughs] — a different crowd in terms of their taste for music, which is neat because I think we’re kind of going a bit more [towards] synthesis in our music. It will be interesting to see if they dig some of our stuff.
P: What can people expect from you at the concert?
A: Probably a few new songs. So, in terms of content, that will be something new and different. I guess we haven’t actually seen what the stage setup will look like, so there’s a potential for something different . . .
M: Back-up dancers, confetti cannons [laughs]. I’ve heard that one of [the other performers] dresses up as a kangaroo.
P: I think they actually bring an inflatable kangaroo.
M: So, we might have to get an inflatable animal. [. . .] I could just bring my cat.
A: We got a new instrument — a new bass synthesizer — which with these big subs they have will hopefully shake the ground.
P: What impact, if any, have events like these had on student life at SFU?
A: It seems like over the past two years that I’ve been here, or year and a half, it feels like something has been changed. I think that these concerts have had a role in that in terms of there’s something to do up here, occasionally. [. . .] So, I do think it’s part of a change for the better in terms of more of a community feel.
On the Facebook page, there are a few remarks that were expressed that they said it would be more broad and it’s still very EDM. [. . .] I think there are ways that could definitely improve it, that could help the community be stronger, but I think it’s a step in the right direction.
P: Where does the name Derrival come from?
M: When [Tokyo Police Club] released Champ, I watched an interview where they talked about how they used the dictionary to find the name of the album. I thought would be a cool idea, so we found the words ‘departure’ and ‘arrival’ in the dictionary and we mashed them together.
[Quoting David Bowie] The truth is, of course, is that there is no journey. We are arriving and departing all at the same time.
P: On a scale of ‘meh’ to ‘OH MY GOD,’ how excited are you for the concert?
Both: OH MY GOD!
