You know, we have got to thank Portland, Oregon sometime.  Not only has it bestowed some great bands/artists on us like The Wipers, Gossip, M. Ward, Dandy Warhols and Courtney Love. But, Pierced Arrows were on the scene, long before we even had these artists on our radar.  And you know what, they are pretty freaking great.

With a balls-out sound between garage rock and punk, Toody and Fred Cole along with drummer Kelly Halliburton play rock they way it’s suppose to be done.  So with the upcoming North American tour, what’s it like for Toody Cole getting back on the road, especially with her husband and long-time band-mate? “Being in a band together and touring has never been a problem.  We’ve been together since we were 18 years old and it’s probably one of the greatest things.  We are never separated six months out of the year.  It’s like an extended vacation and we’re doing something we love.”

So while touring may have its ups and downs (as Toody puts in, “Being stuck in a van together freezing your ass off may suck. But hey, that’s life on the road.”), the tour also let’s them see different parts of the country and introduce them to different musical acts they might not have heard before in their “gypsy lifestyle of touring”. For this matchup of the tour, Pierced Arrows will be taking the stage with Lullabye Arkestra, one of Toronto’s own.  Toody told me that the matchup was made due to them both working with VICE Records.  “It’s always fun to meet up with new bands and tour with them.   It’s the energy and the electricity.  It feeds off everything.  That’s up side to touring – you never know what’s going to happen the next day.”

Just recently, Eddie Vedder publicly endorsed Pierced Arrows stating: “In a day and age when authenticity is harder to come by than an honest Republican, legends Fred and Toody Cole deliver on every record and at every show,” and claims that Pierced Arrows are among one of his favourite live acts.  Cole claims that while Eddie is a good friend, she had no idea he was going to do that.

Well, if Eddie Vedder hasn’t convinced you to see a Pierced Arrows live show – hopefully the music can.  Remember, Pierced Arrows were probably the ones influencing all our favourite Portland artists, at some point in time.

Tour Dates:

3/03/10            TORONTO, ON                        EL MOCAMBO
3/04/10            MONTREAL, QC                        GREEN ROOM

For more info:

http://www.piercedarrows.com
http://www.myspace.com/piercedarrowspdx