Let’s paint a picture together: It’s a night where you know you’re going to swing back a few beers and get a little wild. There are insanely attractive people mingling around a warm bar, everyone seeming to know one another. The room itself carries a slight anxious tone, almost intuitively preparing the crowd for what will be. As the lights darken, The Dudes pour onto the stage like lava, drenching everyone in their fiery rock and roll. The audience knowingly howls along every word, and all at once the bar feels like home. Strangers are your best friends, and you don’t even care if you lose your phone in the pit. These are The Dudes, and they know how to infect life into your veins.

Since 1996, the Calgarian boys have been breaking hearts then writing about it. They may have cycled through a few members in their four-piece band, but have always been carried by the illustrious and gritty Dan Vacon. With a voice that could melt the skin off a snake, and an affinity for rock and roll, Vacon has always driven the Dudes with an effortlessly positive attitude.

The rockers have been pumping out the cleverly devised rock songs, since the glorious “Do The Right Thing” from 2006’s Brain Heart Guitar album catapulted them forward. Their three albums are chock full of heart-bleeding lost love laments, coupled with all the melodies and seductive guitar chords you could ever want in a rock record.