Walk Off the Earth Step into Music Stardom

Walk Off the Earth wsg Julia Nunes and The Mowgli's
The Intersection, Grand Rapids
Nov. 4, 7 p.m.
$20
All Ages
sectionlive.com, (616) 451-8232

Noted modern day philosopher Kanye West once famously stated, "I'm livin' in the 21st century," and that is certainly true of Walk Off the Earth.

The Ontario-based five piece pop ensemble has videos on YouTube well into the millions. Most notable is their cover and accompanying music video of Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know," which is rapidly approaching 140,000,000 views.

Multi-instrumentalist Sarah Blackwood agrees that her band has been a major beneficiary of new, digital forms of distribution.

"There are a lot of things in the industry that are changing," Blackwood said. "Bands don't need labels to put their music out ... It's great that people can put their music out on [sites] like Bandcamp and Facebook."

Aside from "Somebody That I Used to Know," the band has also done a cover of "Little Boxes," the theme song to "Weeds." Last month, the band released R.E.V.O., an EP of original material. It features the track, "Summer Vibe," which hit YouTube in July and amassed more than 1.5 million views since then. Blackwood also says Walk Off The Earth is working on a full-length record.

In support of R.E.V.O., Walk Off the Earth is also doing a national tour that will bring them to The Intersection on Nov. 4.

"We have a pretty intricate and awesome live show ... We tie in a lot of things from our videos into our shows," Blackwood said.

Whether that means the concert attendee gets to see all five members playing one guitar on "Somebody That I Used to Know" will be a surprise, but Blackwood says Walk Off the Earth likes to get the audience involved in the show.

"Depending on the size of the venue and how many people are there, we also like to involve a mash of giant balloons and confetti."

Walk Off the Earth is hardly the first or only band to take full advantage of new technology or methods of distribution, but their meme-worthy videos coupled with catchy songs and a fun-loving attitude have them well placed for today's day and age.