Here in the Bow Valley, owning a home away from home is nothing new.
In Canmore in particular, many people from around the world have purchased a property which they call their second home.
When it comes to second homes for rock bands, though, a home away from home is a little more rare; but not for Saskatoon’s Wheatmonkeys.
The Wheatmonkeys – Dave Pura (vocals, guitar), Andrew Cook (bass), Logan Reid (lead guitar) and Scott Sproull (drums) – play Canmore’s Drake Inn, Jan. 20-21. A month later they’re back to play Banff’s Rose & Crown, Feb. 24-26.
“We always look forward to playing in Banff and Canmore,” said Pura. “Actually, I think we play more there than we do here in Saskatoon. It’s just the way it works out.
“The thing about Banff is that there are always different people from around the world there. On any night, a bar there can be full and again full with different people the next night. Really, it’s the whole world in one place.”
Still, the band is based in Saskatoon and that’s where the foursome is now working toward their next album. The band has purchased recording equipment and has been working on getting new tracks down, some of which will be played during the Valley gigs.
The Wheatmonkeys’ last album, Hotter Than A Pistol (2006), received critical acclaim and the single “Heat” received plenty of commercial radio airplay.
As a band that started out playing in a garage, the Wheatmonkeys have worked hard to maintain a high-energy live sound that jumps from retro, including horns on “Like I Do” to the blistering punk sound of “Eleventhousand” then back to straight up rock with “50/50”.
In penning new songs, the effort is collaborative said Pura. “It’s always collaborative; if a member was missing, it just couldn’t be done.”
Band members originally got together as high school buds and in 1999, Pura and Cook put together a nine-track album. Reid and Sproull then hooked up full-time and the band played its way to what they consider their 11-track debut offering, Danger, in 2002.
After Danger, Wheatmonkeys toured madly, motoring across Canada and taking the stage at showcases like Prairie Music Week, Canadian Music Week, and the Western Canadian Music Awards.
Now that the band has its own recording equipment, the foursome is taking the time to craft a new album they can be happy with once again.
“When you can record yourself, there’s no time limit,” said Pura. “We’re trying everything and trying to get it to work. Some of these songs will be different than our past albums – it’s kind of like you throw all the spices into the stew and see how it tastes when it’s done.
“We’ve been working on new songs for a couple of years now and we’ll try to get some funding to have the best 10 or 12 tracks for a new album finished.”
Another upside to playing the Bow Valley, especially when two or three gigs can be played on one trip, is that bandmembers can get in on some snowboarding during daylight hours.
