HuskaVarna exploiting Whistler roots

Club tours, music videos, a new CD – and marmots?

Yep, local boys HuskaVarna have a lot on their plate and they’re eating it up. The first course is a ski resort tour at the end of March with another local favourite, Going Blind.

"We’re looking at playing Sun Peaks again, Banff in the Battle of the Bands, Lake Louise – whoever’ll let us play!" laughs drummer Tom Wood, a June addition to the punk-metal band.

"A lot (of those resorts) aren’t quite up to date like Whistler is with live music. A lot still play top 40 bands."

Wood says while they’ll be working to break through in those venues, they aren’t having any trouble south of the border. The band has 28 shows confirmed for a solo tour in late March through California, Washington and Oregon.

"It should be interesting trying to get down there sleeping three guys in a little Dodge Caravan… with all our equipment."

Second course for HuskaVarna is a visual treat. The video for Stomping Grounds, off their first album Music for Pornos, should be released on MuchMusic in about three weeks. It features local flavour with a cameo by the Whistler firefighters’ extrication team.

The main course is a new CD. "We’re making it with Brian Els from Greenhouse Studios (in Vancouver). It should be pretty cool. He’s done stuff with NoMeansNo, Day-glo Abortion, SNFU," says Wood.

The title of the CD is more than a mouthful, and probably won’t make Tourism Whistler’s playlist: I Spent $600 in Whistler on Shoes and Pants and I’m Still a Loser .

"It should be out in the summer, if we continue making good money selling firecrackers and exotic spray paint to kids in town," Wood cracks.

If you just can’t get enough HuskaVarna and need to go back for seconds and thirds, you can find the band on a soon-to-be released tribute album to Trooper. Trooper?

"Oh yeah!" enthuses Wood. "It’s a compilation from bands like SNFU, Real McKenzie’s, JP5, D.O.A.… They’ve taken all these bands and done punk tracks to Trooper. It should be pretty funny."

You can also find HuskaVana in an on-line battle. Wood urges everyone to check out War of the Worlds and vote at www.punknet.com.

So what about the marmots you ask. Well, the marmots aren’t coming to the dinner table, but Wood says they’re doing a dinner for the marmots.

"We’re playing at the mayor’s house on March 13 th in his backyard. We’re headlining for his annual Save the Hoary Marmot Dinner and Dance," laughs Wood. "We might just get upper crust individuals showing up to our shows!"