Wide Mouth Mason will take the stage next Thursday (July 25) as one of the headline acts performing at this year’s Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship.
But after that, their instruments will be replaced by rods and reels as the trio stays in Fort Frances to fish.
“They’re arriving on Tuesday and sticking around to fish until Friday,” said Doug Cain, a director of the FFCBC.
Schoolmates Shaun Verreault (guitar), Safwan Jared (drums), and Earl Pereria (bass) came together officially in 1996, although they had all played together numerous times growing up.
Picture a scene in Saskatchewan (a province usually known for its general flatness and wheat) of two young boys—Shaun and Safwan—banging on the pots and pans of a mother’s kitchen, beating out rhythms that eventually would morph into chart-topping hits.
These boys go way back. And it’s from this quaint rural kitchen scene that the band found its name—deriving Wide Mouth Mason from the canning jar of the same moniker.
Having already played countless bars, rehearsed countless hours, and heard countless comments on the band’s ethnic mix, they were ready for the big time in 1996.
Their self-released “The Nazerene” met with critical acclaim, and audiences were electrified by their blues, rock, and pop-inspired live show.
“Wide Mouth Mason” by Wide Mouth Mason was released when the band’s average age was just 21. Triumphed for breathing “new life into the blues-rock trio concept,” that album was praised as intelligent and gutsy.
Despite the album’s success, it was—and remains—their live show that draws the band’s growing fan base and accolades. Wide Mouth Mason received a Juno nomination in 1998 for “Best New Group” and they continue to live up to the label.
The year 2000 saw the release of another strong album, “Stew,” and the band’s popularity only continues to grow.
The opening act for next Thursday’s show is “Thinking of Pinky.”