Stephen Kozmeniuk (born 1982) grew up in
Whitehorse, Yukon. "Boy" was initially his solo project, and he recorded his first album using
Pro Tools in his bedroom in Whitehorse. In 2002,
The Globe and Mail described Boy's music as "art rock with a Brit twist, combined with an ultracool, laid-back attitude". At the time, Kozmeniuk was using the name Stephen Noel. He was then signed to Bumstead Records, which re-released the album in 2003. As Boy, he toured nationally in support of the album, opening for artists such as
Sam Roberts,
54-40, and
Broken Social Scene. Boy then expanded to a five-man band with new members guitarist James Robertson of Toronto; drummer Maurie Kaufmann from
Nanaimo; bassist Steve Payne from
Winnipeg; and guitarist Rolla Olak from
Victoria. The 2004 album,
Every Page You Turn, produced by Brenndan McGuire of
Sloan fame, was recorded in a
Vancouver Island cabin. The lead single, "Same Old Song", received airplay on rock radio stations across Canada, The song was also featured on the soundtrack of the video game
FIFA 06. The second single, "Up In This Town", also received significant airplay, peaking at #7 on Canada's Rock chart. The band toured Canada along with
Pilate, and played the
South by Southwest festival in Texas, and the 2005
Summer Sonic Festival in Japan. The band's style was likened to that of
Sam Roberts, with influences of late-1960s and 1970s British pop-rock music. ==Discography==