Sault band opening for Marianas Trench and The Trews

The Mocha Shriners Concert Series in Sault Ste. Marie is fast approaching. One of the opening acts is local band The Northwest, who are promoting their new album ‘All In.’ The band has been playing together for nearly 10 years, and they’re looking forward to playing in front of a hometown crowd at GFL Memorial Gardens.

The Northwest will be opening for Marianas Trench and The Trews when they take the stage on Sept. 22.

“I don’t want to say nervous, because nervous means, like, I’m afraid,” Wayne Watkins, vocalist and guitarist for The Northwest, told CTV News.

“But I’m anxious. For me, this has been a dream of mine. When you start playing in a band, your goal is to play the Gardens; or to hope one day to be on a stage that big.”

Greg Callaghan, who also sings and plays guitar in the band, says this isn’t the first time they’ve opened for an established group.

“This is actually the second time we’ve played with The Trews,” Gallaghan added.

“A couple years back, 2019, we played Rock On The River in Timmins. We were on the second stage, away form the main stage, and we played between The Trews and The Sheepdogs. So, I like to tell people that The Trews have technically opened for us before.”

After COVID-19 brought live performances to a halt, the band is happy to see concert venues coming alive once again. However, Watkins said the pandemic downtown afforded them greater introspection when it came to songwriting.

“It actually kind of benefitted us,” Watkins said.

“We could focus more on the song and on songwriting. But now that shows are coming back, it feels good. It’s what we need, we’re very much a live band, I feel.”

Callaghan says The Northwest is a rock n’ roll band and that every member brings different influences and experiences to the group.

“We have backgrounds in metal, punk; we’ve done some folk stuff, heartland America sort of concert rock,” he said.

“We all sort of make a spicy gumbo!”