‘Tugnut’ to perform here tomorrow

A pair of local products now making noise on the national music scene will be back on home turf Tuesday night—and are excited about seeing some old friends, as well as some new faces, at their concert.
Lead singer Joe Egan of Fort Frances and drummer Steve Vargas of Emo make up two-thirds of the band “Tugnut,” a heavy-rock outfit slated to play at the old CN station.
The group embarked on their first coast-to-coast Canadian tour three weeks ago, but have had July 19 circled on their calendars for quite some time.
“That’s what we look forward to all year, coming home, playing for our friends, seeing some familiar faces,” Egan said Thursday from Trois Rivieres, Que., one of five stops they made last week.
Egan and Vargas started playing together while attending Fort Frances High School. Bass guitarist Marc Bourgon was added to the line-up when the local products relocated to southern Ontario a few years ago.
The group hasn’t played here since last summer and, having released their latest CD, “Golden Chopper,” in February, have plenty of new material ready for their hometown followers.
“The new stuff has gotten a lot heavier, a lot more technical,” Egan said.
“There’s no boundaries now,” he added. “We do what we want, there’s no code to the music.”
So far, crowds seem to be reacting positively to Tugnut’s new sounds. Egan said he’s been having a ball on the tour, which will see the group play more than 30 shows in nine provinces before the end of August.
“Oh man, it’s been incredible,” he enthused. “The shows have been great. [The crowds] keep building and building everywhere we go.”
Tuesday’s concert will get underway around 6:30 p.m., with a pair of other bands—one from Thunder Bay and the other based out of Ottawa—also set to take the stage.
Tickets cost $5 at the door.
The Fort Frances show will be the first of six-straight for Tugnut, who also will play gigs in Kenora, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton, and Kamloops before their next off-day.
For those looking for a different variety of music, the third-annual “Battle of the Bands” also goes Tuesday night under the big tent at the Sorting Gap Marina in conjunction with the Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship.
Tickets for that event also cost $5, which will be available at the door.