Mick Davis, the Newfoundland native and lead singer and guitarist of The Novaks, took time out of his busy schedule to talk with me on the phone on a blustery day.
The Novaks, however, haven’t always been known by their current alias.
“A few years ago we were called Persona, which is a pretty unoriginal name,” Davis said. “Apparently, there’s a million bands named Persona in the world, so when we signed our record deal, we had to change it and so we were just scrambling for names and came up with The Novaks after Kim Novak, who was a famous actress in the ‘50s and ‘60s.”
Along with Davis, the band consists of bassist Mark Neary and drummer Elliot Dicks. The band has been playing together since 2002.
“In St. John’s, everybody plays in everybody else’s band. It’s very incestual,” Davis said.
Their first, self-titled album was released in 2005. After four years, The Novaks have released their second album, Things Fall Apart, featuring the new single “Destroyer.” This rock-and-roll band has a sound that’s easy to listen to, but would also be fun to jump up and down to at a concert.
“I want people to hear it,” Davis said. “I want to play for as many people as I can, for whoever will listen to it.”
Apart from writing a variety of lyrics ranging from being in relationships to complaining about whatever pisses them off, Davis said The Novaks just want to sing for people’s enjoyment.
“A lot of bands are too cool; too cool for school,” he said. “I know we’re sort of raw. To me, it’s what are you saying? What are the lyrics? Do you have anything relevant to say?”
With The Novaks on their second tour, Davis said touring and being on the road is no easy ride. Being away from home for that long certainly sounds like one hell of an emotional rollercoaster.
“Besides the hour that you’re on stage, it’s pretty much a nightmare,” Davis said. “I mean, everything is funny cause the band gets in this mode where, I mean, we’re trying to entertain ourselves cause everybody’s lost and lonely.” The Novaks do, however, have other places that they feel comfortable. They may not stay in each city very long, but Davis said places like Halifax and Toronto feel like a second home.
The band will tour across Canada from Oct. 30 until Nov. 28, Davis said.
“We just want to be able to keep on playing and have the means to keep doing what we’re doing and keep doing it.”
The Novaks will be playing at Clark Hall Pub on Nov. 5 along with Arkells and Huron. Tickets are sold out.
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