The Mohawk Lodge Find Order In Chaos

To say that The Mohawk Lodge frontman Ryder Havdale is a busy individual would be a significant understatement. While his band's blue-collar rock-infused Wildfires disc is actively creating a demand for live appearances, the Vancouver-based musician is also trying to juggle a number of other bands' releases on his White Whale Records label.

"You wouldn't believe what I'm supposed to be doing right now," Havdale says over the phone after finding refuge in a bedroom at a birthday party.

Havdale's to-do list may be mounting by the day, but he wouldn't have it any other way.

"It does well enough to keep me poor," he says with a laugh. "The problem is, the better it does, the more we reinvest in it, so it's this constant cycle.

"I love running the label, but it's because of the challenge. That's what keeps me going."

Making Wildfires also provided Havdale with a hectic ride that nearly rivaled his consuming schedule as record exec. At the tail end of a tour, as he and bassist Samir Mallal were driving to Montreal, Havdale found himself suddenly convinced by his bandmate that the two should head to Toronto to record with producer Darryl Neudorf. The change in plans meant that Havdale had to quit his day job, call his girlfriend to explain and basically put his entire life on hold. The creation of Wildfires began.

"It was tentatively called Bloodlines," Havdale remarks of the second Mohawk Lodge album. "It was going to be named after the song 'Bloodlines,' which didn't end up getting recorded.

"There's definitely a fire theme on the record, and everything that was going on at the time was chaotic and heated, so it seemed appropriate."

The recording sessions for Wildfires — which eventually moved to a cabin in Point Roberts, Washington — included more than a dozen musicians. They also helped Havdale solidify a Mohawk Lodge membership that's rounded out by drummer Rob Josephson, bassist Paul Goertzen and guitarists Cory Price and Arch.

Havdale and his new lineup are getting along so well that they've already made plans to begin recording their next disc in November.

"It's more punk rock," he divulges. "It's probably not going to have as much on it, but it'll be a tighter band feel.

"I'm pretty excited about it. You do a record and the band becomes the record."

The Mohawk Lodge have a month ahead of them that would make most bands break down and cry.

Here's where you can catch them:

Oct. 4 Vancouver, BC @ Ukrainian Hall
Oct. 5 Golden, BC @ Packer's
Oct. 6 Calgary, AB @ Hi-Fi
Oct. 7 Edmonton, AB @ Black Spot Cafe
Oct. 8 Lethbridge, AB @ The Slice
Oct. 9 Saskatoon, SK @ Lydia's
Oct. 10 Winnipeg, MB @ The Mondragon
Oct. 11 Thunder Bay, ON @ The Apollo
Oct. 12 Sault Ste. Marie, ON @ The Arc
Oct. 13 Sudbury, ON @ Townehouse Tavern
Oct. 14 Kitchener, ON @ Circus Room
Oct. 15 Guelph, ON @ Vinyl
Oct. 16 Hamilton, ON @ Pepperjack Cafe
Oct. 17 Toronto, ON @ The Boat
Oct. 19 Ottawa, ON @ Zaphod Beeblebrox
Oct. 20 Montreal, QC @ Barfly
Oct. 21 Kingston, ON @ Ace's Top Card
Oct. 22 Waterloo, ON @ 130 King St. N.
Oct. 23 Toronto, ON @ El Mocambo
Oct. 24 London, ON @ Alex P. Keaton
Oct. 25 Windsor, ON @ Phog Lounge
Nov. 1 Vancouver, BC @ Railway Club