Wednesday night, November 5th, after opening for Big Wreck across Canada, Royal Tusk will be in Kelowna performing at Flashbacks in support of punk rockers The Smalls.

Tickets at the door.

Royal Tusk is the name of their beast — a shaggy, tenacious force with hints of Americana, soul, and a whole lotta heart. Their first six-song EP, Mountain, is out on Hidden Pony Records. You could say the title refers to the pair’s immovable friendship, but it’s also a cheeky nod to their persistence as musicians — not even a mountain can deter Royal Tusk.

“We’ve been pushing a cart uphill for years,” Carriere chuckles. “We just don’t know how to stop,” MacKinnon admits.

You might recognize the two from Ten Second Epic, one of Edmonton’s most beloved rock bands. After 12 years, three albums and two Juno nominations, TSE is winding down, but Carriere and MacKinnon still want to make music together.

“With the experience of Ten Second Epic, we learned how to do it right, so we know which tunes to put forward …,” says Carriere. “… And not to be so sensitive if something isn’t as good as something else,” adds MacKinnon, who sports a tattoo of a bass-playing mammoth on is right arm. “Not to mention having spent the last 12 years in a van.”