Calgary Celtic punks the RiverJacks are excited to kick off a big tour in support of their most recent album “Strange Adventures, ” which stops by the Owl Acoustic Lounge, Monday, May 28, where they will be the unofficial hosts of their regular Monday open mic.
Bassist Tyler Burton, although he has been with the band for two years still considers himself to be the new guy, but is excited to be part of the band of seasoned Calgary music scene veterans, frontman Spencer Jo, drummer Mikey Blotto, accordion player Mandrill Shannon and guitarist Jordan Barrett.
They considering touring to be a vacation.
“We like to get out at least once a year.This time we‘re going out for two weeks which is a bigger tour,” said Burton from an outdoor festival on the Siksika Nation.
“ We all have day jobs. So we do a lot of weekend playing. I’m an electrician, and Spencer Jo works at CJSW, the radio station at the University of Calgary. So we‘re all pretty busy,” he said.
“ Lethbridge shows always go well. We always love to play the Owl. We have a great relationship with Steve Foord,” he said.
“We‘re also working on some new material. It’s in the working stages,” he said, adding they are excited about this tour which focuses on Alberta and B.C.
“ We’re excited to explore different parts of the country. We‘re getting in the van and driving to Vancouver and Victoria and as far north as Prince George,” he said, adding earlier in the year they drove in the other direction to explore Ontario and Quebec.
“Touring is a fun way to see the country, though we won’t drive the Canadian shield again,” he said.
“I’d love to get to the east coast, though the boys took two weeks to tour there before I joined the band,” he said.
he is excited to play a few other festivals this summer including Frogfest during Canada day celebrations near Rocky Mountain House, as well as the East Town Get Down festival in Forest Lawn in Calgary.
“ We applied for Sled Island, but we didn’t get in,” he said.
The RiverJacks play the Owl Acoustic lounge, Monday, May 28 at 9 p.m.