artist The Odessa Steps Sequence

Known by their fans simply as "Odessa", this three-piece band combines influences from 1970s and '80s post-punk with modern indie-rock to produce a unique blend of high energy music. Lead singer and rhythm guitarist Shelley Therrien provides folk-inspired vocals, guided by Damian Pamminger's driving bass lines and Eric Davis' enthusiastic drumming in original pop songs designed to get crowds dancing. Having played in venues across Kitchener-Waterloo since late 2008, Odessa has begun recording their first EP and plan to take their live show to other cities in Ontario.

      Singer-songwriter Shelley Therrien, following a solo career in her hometown of Waterford, Ontario, met drummer Eric Davis, formerly of the Brantford-area hard rock band Apnea, during their time at Wilfrid Laurier University in 2006. After sporadic jam sessions and the occasional open mic, the two decided to form a serious band combining all of their musical influences. Shelley began jamming with bassist Damian Pamminger from Kitchener, as the two had a strong common interest in British post-punk, new wave and goth rock. After working on Joy Division, Psychedelic Furs and Cure covers, the two began writing original material together and enlisted Davis' powerful drumming style to give the songs a heavy, yet up-beat feel.

     After some discussion the band decided on the name The Odessa Steps Sequence, inspired by the pivotal scene of the same name from Sergei Eisenstein's soviet montage film, Battleship Potemkin. Their first performance as a group was at an open mic at Kitchener's Boathouse in the winter of 2008. After surprising the crowd with their repertoire of cover songs and original tunes, they were offered a gig at the Boathouse the following spring and played their first official show there in 2009. 

      The band proceeded to be offered gigs across Kitchener-Waterloo and can now boast performances at Maxwell's Music House, The Circus Room, The Hive, The Joint, University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier's Wilf's Pub, Kitchener's Cherry Park, numerous returns to the Boathouse, as well as events in the smaller towns of Port Dover and Simcoe, Ontario.

      Odessa has most recently begun recording an EP with producer Brandon Weirmier at Maxwell's Music House in Waterloo and hopes to have it released in late spring of 2010. Following this they will continue to play extensively in the K-W region and plan to extend their touring to other major cities in Ontario.


     "Odessa is the best band I've heard in a very long while. Taking their cues from such classic bands as The Cure and Joy Division, they manage to create music that sounds inspired rather than derivative. I eagerly await their next move."
-Mark Logan, 
Busted Flat Records