The Michael Wood Band may be from Victoria but when it comes to playing hometown gigs, they don't see much action.
"There are a ton of bands in Victoria," Wood said. "I think we're kind of over-saturated with musicians."
Luckily for Wood (vocals/guitar), Josh Weed (guitar/vocals), Jon Burgundy (bass/vocals) and Alex Campbell (drums/vocals), they get a lot of attention in the interior of B.C. and Alberta.
This summer, besides headlining the Canada Day celebrations at Port Coquitlam's Castle Park, the two-year-old rock band will be busy on the road: On July 2, they will open for Platinum Blonde in Sidney before making their way to Calgary for a number of Stampede dates.
They return to Victoria for an all-ages concert mid-month then back to the Okanagan, Revelstoke and Alberta in August.
Speaking in Halifax last week, where they played the Canadian Organization of Campus Activities (COCA) and the Oasis night club with My Living Will and Brite-VU, Wood said the band intends to head back into the studio this fall to cut its sophomore EP.
Currently, it's writing about dozen songs for the album, though only half will be included. Wood said its new work is "more upbeat" than the debut album, titled Occupy This, released last May.
"It's defined more as us. My lyric writing has been a lot more focused. I guess over time you find your voice and it gets refined along the way."
As for the PoCo show, Wood said it'll be fun and tailored to an all-ages audience.
"It's a little different playing for families than in a rowdy bar," he joked.
The Michael Wood Band takes to the stage at 8 p.m. with the fireworks to follow. For the day's line-up at Lions and Castle parks, visit portcoquitlam.ca.
