The Johnstones Want You To Have Sex

Ajax, Ont. ska-punk band The Johnstones will promote the June 3 release of their Sex EP with a nationwide tour that will see them headline, open for Hedley and play music festivals. Although the quintet's follow-up to 2006's Word Is Bond is simple in title, drummer/vocalist Ryan Long says Sex is nothing short of genius.

"In my mind, this is one of the best packages of music to come out of Canada in a long time. We wanted to focus on making a product that was really killer and at par with the best in the world right now."

Although a title like Sex may lead you to believe the band don't take themselves too seriously, their knack for infectious hooks and live spectacles has The Johnstones leading the pack of top up-and-coming Canadian punk acts.

"The last album opened everyone in the industry's eyes to us, so the industry knows who we are," says Long. "Now it's just a matter of us coming out with something that is really genius and groundbreaking, and that's what I think we've done."

The Johnstones also know how to party. Their last tour saw various members in handcuffs across the country.

"We kind of got in trouble a bunch of times with a lot of different people," Long says with a laugh. "It was mainly party-related.

"It was mostly breaking into places and partying and stuff like that, mouthing off to cops and getting in fights and that kind of stuff. But there were a lot of times where we woke up the next morning and had a lot of people yelling at us.

"I guess the bottom line is that basically most nights, me and [guitarist] Jarek [Hardy] wake up the next morning and it's like, 'Uh-oh, we're in big trouble.' And then we get a bunch of calls and everyone's yelling at us for all the stuff we did."

Only time will tell how much the RCMP will be involved when The Johnstones hit these venues:

May 28 Milton, ON @ Nascar Sports Bar w/The New Cities and Walk Off The Earth
May 29 Guelph, ON @ Club Vinyl w/The New Cities
May 30 Chatham, ON @ River View Hall w/The New Cities
May 31 St. Catharines, ON @ Red Hot Chili Pepper w/The New Cities, Street Pharmacy and Mean Tangerine
June 5 Montreal, QC @ Le National w/The New Cities
June 6 St. Jean Sur Richelieu, QC @ SkatePark Du Orbite Sport
June 7 Rimouski, QC @ Pacillon Agricole w/The New Cities
June 8 Ottawa, ON @ Mavericks
June 10 Belleville, ON @ The Bohemian Nightclub
June 16 Charlottetown, PEI @ Charlottetown Civic Arena w/Hedley
June 17 Moncton, NB @ Moncton Coliseum w/Hedley
June 18 Saint John, NB @ Harbour Station w/Hedley
June 20 Oakville, ON @ Oakville Waterfront Festival w/Hedley
June 22 Cobalt, ON @ Cobalt Classic Theatre w/Hedley
June 23 Parry Sound, ON @ Charles W. Stockey Centre w/Hedley
June 26 Cobourg, ON @ Park Playhouse w/Hedley
June 29 Brockville, ON @ Brockville Riverfest w/Hedley
July 2 Brossard, QC @ L'Etoile Dix30 w/Hedley
July 3 Laval, QC @ Salle Andre-Mathieu w/Hedley
July 19 Toronto, ON @ Downsview Park (Warped Tour)
July 20 Montreal, QC @ Parc Jean Drapeau (Warped Tour)
Aug. 2 Grand Bend, ON @ Cutting Edge Music Festival
Aug. 3 North Bay, ON @ North Rocks The Bay w/Hedley