Immaculate Machine Are A Hit With Kids In The Yukon

Brooke Gallupe was recently standing in the middle of a classroom in the Yukon, surrounded by children displaying their iPods.

The Immaculate Machine guitarist/vocalist has been on a fellowship in Dawson City, writing music and giving school kids "lessons on how to write pop-punk songs about snowboarding."

The kids weren't particularly attentive until he revealed his band's name. In a flurry of excitement, they rushed to prove that they were fans by showing him that his group was on their playlists. His solo shows (the first of his career) in local theatres and bars were met with the same enthusiasm.

Gallupe and his bandmates plan to return in the summer for the city's famous music festival.

"It seems like it's going to be a good lineup this year," he says. "It's such a small, bustling place."

From Dawson City to Barcelona, it seems Immaculate Machine are building a fan base that spans the world. The Victoria indie pop group recently returned from a European tour that Gallupe calls amazing.

"We're not famous there, probably less well-known than in Canada. Somehow people [in Europe] are more open to checking out new bands."

Although vocalist/keyboardist Kathryn Calder now pulls double-duty as a full-time member of The New Pornographers, Gallupe hopes the band can stay as busy as possible, primarily with extensive touring.

Immaculate Machine will embark on an eastern Canada jaunt this month in support of their June 2007 release, Fables. But Gallupe says they'll soon be selling seven-inch vinyl singles of songs that were cut from the album in order to fit the 10-song package.

Here are Immaculate Machine's Canadian tour dates:

March 5 Waterloo, ON @ The Starlight
March 6 Toronto, ON @ Soundscapes (in-store performance)
March 6 Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern (ChartAttack CMW showcase w/Dog Day, Katie Stelmanis, Plants And Animals, The Acorn, Sunparlour Players and Oh No Forest Fires)
March 7 Brantford, ON @ Ford Plant
March 9 Peterborough, ON @ Underdog
March 10 Ottawa, ON @ End Hits
March 11 Quebec, QC @ Le Cercle
March 12 Sackville, NB @ The Pub
March 13 Saint John, NB @ Elwoods
March 14 Halifax, NS @ Seahorse
March 15 Charlottetown, PEI @ Back Alley Music (all ages)
March 15 Charlottetown, PEI @ Baba's
March 16 Fredericton, NB @ The Capital Bar
March 18 London, ON @ Salt Lounge
March 19 Hamilton, ON @ Casbah
March 20 Montreal, QC @ Le Divan Orange
March 21 Montreal, QC @ Drawn & Quarterly (all ages)
March 21 Ottawa, ON @ Zaphod Beeblebrox
March 22 Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
April 6 Vancouver, BC @ Richard's On Richards