Quick, name five bands from Saskatchewan. Stumped? Can you even name one? Okay, it's time to beef up that prairie rock knowledge, starting with Saskatoon's finest atmospheric indie rock outfit the Junior Pantherz. These cats (ahem) have been stalking the mid-western Canadian music scene for over five years and with their lethal new album, Death by Life, ready to drop, they're poised and ready to pounce on Toronto and the world with both ferocity and finesse.

FIRST, GIVE US A LITTLE INTRODUCTION TO THE BAND.

Arnie Van Lambalgen (drums): The Pantherz formed in 1999; this formation, circa 2001. Terry (Mattson, vocals/guitar) and I have been playing together since 1993. I used a bed as a bass drum and a practice pad as a snare in the beginning days of the band. Arcade Fire, eat your heart out. I created the kooky instrument idea long ago... I kid, I kid.

YOU'VE RELEASED FIVE CDS IN AS MANY YEARS. HOW DO YOU REMAIN SO PRODUCTIVE?

S.J. Kardash (bass): It's easy when there's nothing else to do. That, and we love the whole recording process. I'm sure it helps that I have a little studio set-up in the basement, so all the resources are at our disposal 24 hours a day. It always feels like such an accomplishment, creating sounds from nothing and it keeps us excited to make the next record.

I KNEW A GIRL FROM REGINA, I SAW THE TOMMY DOUGLAS TV THING AND I LIKE CORNER GAS. THAT'S PRETTY MUCH THE EXTENT OF MY ONTARIO-CENTRIC KNOWLEDGE OF SASKATCHEWAN. CAN YOU GIVE US A SHORT REFRESHER COURSE ABOUT SASKATOON, FROM BOTH A GENERAL AND A MUSICAL PERSPECTIVE?

SJK: I knew that girl too! Okay, though. Saskatoon is nothing like Corner Gas, thank God. It's much funnier'¦ then again, anything would be. But, yeah, I love living in Saskatoon. You have to deal with some pretty extreme temperatures, but the summers are great. When we come back from touring, it's a nice place to call home.
AVL: As for local music, there are plenty of great bands (one being Parades Against Parades, a band you'll be hearing plenty of in the future). The only complaint I would have is that NO bands from Saskatoon (or even the Prairies) tour. It's a shame.

I READ YOUR TOUR DIARY ONLINE, AND THERE'S SOME CRAZY SHIT GOING ON! TRANNIES WEARING YOUR SHIRTS IN PORN FLICKS, STRIPPERS AS OPENING ACTS'”ARE THE JUNIOR PANTHERZ LEADING THE MID-WESTERN CANADIAN SEXUAL REVOLUTION?

SJK: To be honest, we were still learning about the birds and the bees, so needless to say, we were shocked to discover bee-birds.

WHILE YOUR MUSIC CONTAINS MANY DIVERSE ELEMENTS, THERE ARE STILL HINTS OF THAT CANUCK INFLUENCE. WHAT IS IT THAT MAKES CANADIAN MUSIC SOUND SO, WELL, CANADIAN?

SJK: Any band would be lying if they said their sound isn't influenced by the music they listen to. It just happens naturally. We listen to a lot of different music, including a lot of Canadian music, and I'm sure that Canadian sound gets passed down from generation to generation.

IS IT EASIER OR HARDER FOR BANDS TO DO STUFF INDEPENDENTLY IN A SMALL TOWN LIKE SASKATOON?

AVL: It could go either way. It really depends on the bands' work ethic. We've worked our asses off recording and producing our own records and booking our own cross-Canada tours. Essentially, everything involved in a band (and the business side) has been handled by us. I am proud of our accomplishments. We've also had great people like Timbre Productions (Vancouver) landing us the Pixies opening slot last year, as well as Craig Laskey (Against The Grain, Toronto) helping us build our name out in Toronto over the years. At the end of the day, I think that if your music is decent, you work hard and actually enjoy what you're doing, you'll do just fine. And if not, there's always that dream job at Arby's.

DO YOU THINK THE CANADIAN MUSIC SCENE WOULD BENEFIT FROM A HEALTHY EAST SIDE/WEST SIDE BEEF? IS THERE TOO MUCH LOVE ACROSS THE LAND, OR SHOULD WE ALL LET THE MUD SLING FREELY?

SJK: You know what, I'll get this started right now with two words: West-Sieeede!

By Mike Perrault