For this week’s edition of the Northern Heat Report, we sat down with three of the five members of rising local band The Golf Pencils.

The band is hot off the release of their debut EP, Pencil Core, which, so far, has garnered over 20,000 streams on various digital platforms. Lead guitarist Teegan says he’s humbled by the response and that they’ve experienced faster growth than they originally anticipated.

“The dynamic was natural. We never had to bend or break our comfort zone. We kind of just did what we did, and it unfolded into something that had incredible potential,” says Teegan. “We knew we had something, but we were still humbled by how quickly it happened.”

Originally, the band was jamming without a drummer until one evening Phil Lefort decided to join the session, creating what the rest of the band calls “the secret sauce.” With Phil in the mix, the guys had the final piece of their puzzle.

“The meat and potatoes of our rhythm section held the whole thing together, and with Jordan’s lyricism and energy, it shot off into something. We saw potential through the roof.”

Last December, The Golf Pencils played an album release show at Southside Lounge. The crowd was out in full force. From day one, the band has felt great support from the rising music scene here in Bathurst, especially a scene that welcomes diverse artists playing original material.

While the members of The Golf Pencils acknowledge the talent of various cover and tribute acts in the region, they feel that original music resonates with a lot of people.

“It’s nice to be recognized as an original band. I think that’s one of the things that means the most to me, honestly,” says lead singer Jordan Roy.

Now, the band has two shows to prepare for an upcoming NB/NS May tour called the That’s Your Home Tour. To prepare for the May tour, they’ll be testing the waters at Gus’ Pub & Grill in Halifax for Chatfest, which will bring together ten rock bands from around the Maritimes, and then, on April 3rd, they’ll be supporting Green Day tribute act Nimrods at the Southside Lounge, along with KROW.

The idea for a multiple-weekend tour came from Phil, who had success doing something similar with a former band. He already had some contacts who could help secure the gigs, and from there the tour was booked.

The band will start in Edmundston, then play Moncton, Campbellton, Halifax, and Miramichi before concluding the tour back in Bathurst on May 16th.

Today Junior, Mean Street, Six Gun Smoke, and King Cod will join The Golf Pencils for select dates.

We wish The Golf Pencils the best of luck on their two upcoming shows, followed by their May tour.

That’s it for this week’s edition of the Northern Heat Report—the place you come to listen to the stories that have not yet been discovered.