Off In The Woods, out in the open

POLSON — Individually, Sean Burress is a baker, Nathan Noble is a waiter, Jon Schumaker is a store manager and Layne McKay is an electronic engineering student at the University of Montana. Together, however, these Polson High School graduates are known as Off In The Woods, a scintillating band with a myriad of styles.

Back in middle school, Burress, Schumaker, Noble and McKay connected. All were musically talented, with Burress, Schumaker and McKay playing saxophone in the middle school band. Their ability, coupled with their dedication enthusiasm for music, offered them a chance to do something special: release their first album, Smoke Signals.

The process, which can be long for many artists, was not a quick one for Off In The Woods. Some of the songs on the album were written as long as two years ago. They then spent eight months putting the album together before heading to the studio for six days, recording for four of them.

The arduous process paid off at the beginning of September when Smoke Signals became available to the public. To celebrate, the band got together for a three-stop album release party, which began on Oct. 14 at Craggy’s in Whitefish and concludes Oct. 20 in Missoula. Between those, the band returned to its roots with an Oct. 15 performance at Polson High.

Getting together isn’t as convenient as it used to be for the band. Burress works in Kalispell, making reuniting difficult. But the band loves playing gigs and a release party mini-tour was the perfect opportunity.

“We’ve definitely spent more time playing gigs than we have practicing,” Burress said. “But we have great chemistry, so it works out.”

That chemistry is evident in their music. Burress and Schumaker are the primary songwriters, but McKay is making strides in that department, while Noble has written a song, but spends most of his time rocking out on the drums.

Off In The Woods also features a collection of sounds ranging from the guitar and bass to hand percussion instruments, but can’t quite put a definitive genre on their music. It’s a bit of everything with one common theme.

“It’s all very soulful,” Schumaker said.

Smoke Signals may just be the beginning for the local group. According to the band, they have enough material for three or four CDs and are itching to put together their next album.

“We’re excited we can celebrate this one and move on to the next project,” Schumaker said.

From live gigs to their first CD, the process is one the band can feel great about, and seeing results makes their work even more satisfying.

“Being able to put the songs in the public that you’ve worked so hard on is rewarding,” Burress said.

“It’s nice to see a reaction,” Noble said.

“A reaction to your passion,” Burress added.

Smoke Signals, along with their singles, are currently available on iTunes and Amazon.