!!! Think Canadians Can Dance Well, Even Without Drugs

Rock 'n' roll musicians aren't as tough as they may seem. For instance, if you want to see the boys in !!! (pronounced "Chk Chk Chk") squirm a little, just ask them to name the capital cities of each Canadian province.

"We feel uncomfortable saying Regina," concedes vocalist Nic Offer.

Thankfully, the band only had to play Saskatoon while in Saskatchewan last spring. The show was one of many that the New York City-based octet have performed this year since the March release of their third full-length, Myth Takes.

The outstanding live act have shown that they can hold their own against any touring band. However, despite the strength of their infectious disco-punk onslaught, it's human nature to occasionally worry about your competition. The U.S. leg of their North American tour saw the band sharing a bill with The Field. The Swedish electronic musician's From Here We Go Sublime album is the top-rated disc of 2007 according to popular reviews site, Metacritic.com. Realizing this, !!! attempted to tip the scales in their favour early on.

"We spiked The Field's drink with acid the other night, but it just made him play even better," explains Offer.

After North America, the group will travel to Reykjavik for the Iceland Airwaves music festival and then spend a week in Europe before taking a well-earned break. Offer admits that everyone is looking forward to just "chilling out and kicking back" for a while. Having spent several months on the road together, especially with eight people in a group, conflicts are destined to arise. !!! have found a way to get around this that caters to their skills.

"You can't be really mad at each other after a great show," Offer says. "We usually avoid talking about something if there are any troubles, and then just start making jokes again after a good show. I'm not saying this is necessarily a healthy way to resolve issues, but it's how we do things."

So what exactly makes a great show for !!!?

"When people start dancing on top of the bar," says Offer.

Getting crowds grooving is Offer's specialty. A constant ball of energy on stage, he often looks like Richard Simmons hopped up on speed as he bounces, twists and shakes his ass along to the non-stop, complex, funky rhythms turned out by his talented bandmates. Being responsible for inciting dance parties around the globe has given him a good feel for determining the top two-stepping nations.

"Spain is the best, but maybe they are cheating a little because they are all on drugs," says Offer. "Canada does pretty well for itself, though, without the drugs."

New material will be debuted during !!!'s final concerts for this year, but Offer is mum on whether the group will do any recording during their downtime. All he shares is his ultimate goal for any project that the group undertake.

"I just want to make records that mean as much to people as other records have meant to me."

If !!! continue to turn out albums like Myth Takes, this shouldn't be a problem.

!!! will play Montreal's Le Studio on Saturday and Toronto's Opera House on Monday.