Classical side to Olenka's music

While many musicians have turned to touring solo, or with pared down bands to save money, Olenka and the Autumn Leaves have bucked the trend in order to preserve their approach to music.

The Autumn Leaves, the band behind Olenka (Krakus) has been an entity for about three years, although "people have come in and out of the band," she said.

Sara Froese, violinist with the group has been with Olenka almost from the beginning, while others in the five piece band joined just before the current Canada-wide tour.

Olenka said formulating a band, which performs at 5th Avenue Cup & Saucer in Yorkton Aug. 19, is not easy.

"It'd difficult when people have decided on sort of different life paths," she said. " There's a big commitment. It's a lot of work."

The current tour is an example.

"We're all taking a month off from our lives for this," she said.

With six in the band, Olenka admits it's not easy generating the dollars to keep everyone on the go.

"We stalk the grocery stores and go for the sales," she said with a laugh. " It's a lot of creative organizing, crashing in people's homes."

Often a band member may not mesh and moves on necessitating adding a new face. Olenka said while that takes effort, it can also be good musically.

"It's exciting to have the opportunity to include new styles and instruments into arrangements," she said. " The advantage does seem to translate in a different way."

Musically Olenka said different instrumentation has proven an asset creatively.

"I seem to have a genuine connection to the instruments," she offered, adding she leans toward "more classical arrangements."

When you have violin, cello and brass it broadens the music, offered Olenka.

"It's the voice they can create," she said, adding "it's hard to imagine songs without violin and cello

"It's really about creating melodies that work with each other creating musical tapestries."

Olenka said the home studio, thanks to computer programs, have meant more CDs being made, so to stand out you have to make sure you do it right.

"It's easy to make an album, but it comes down to the quality," she said.

Even with quality Olenka said it is difficult to break big.

"The large players in the industry are just not investing in independents," she said.

As a result bands must become good at marketing and setting tours themselves, and then the question is whether a label offers anything they are not doing themselves, said Olenka.

Ultimately Olenka said she would like to do things well enough that she could leave her part-time job behind.

"It would be nice for the music to be self sufficient," she said.