Hot Hot Heat are set to begin a headlining trek November 6th in Kentucky, but first they'll finish cutting their arena-rock teeth, having nabbed an opening slot on the Foo Fighters/Weezer double bill.

"The first night we all drove on the Foos' bus to New York and partied all night," says frontman Steve Bays. "It was such a great initiation. Since then we've hung out with Dave [Grohl], his wife and his mom."

The jaunt is the first the Canadian pop-rockers have embarked on as an opening act. According to Bays, Grohl can personally take credit for helping them overcome their opening-act fears. "We haven't done opening slots before because we loved playing our own shows," Bays says. "The first time we met Dave was three years ago. And I guess Paul [Hawley, Hot Hot Heat's drummer], Stewart Copeland [from the Police] and him were all hanging out at a festival in June, and Dave suggested we tour with them."

So far the dates have proved rewarding for the young rockers, who Grohl psyches up before showtime each night. "Dave will pour us each shots of Jagermeister before we go on: it's our ritual," says Bays. "Then before [the Foo Fighters] go on, we go into their dressing room and do what they call scoops, with a big scoop of Crown Royal."

The Foos/Weezer tour has given Hot Hot Heat the chance to promote their new single, "U Owe Me an IOU" (from their major-label debut Elevator), as well as begin airing some of the "deeper and darker" material Bays says they've written on the road. The Heat plan to test out some new songs during their own November trek as well.

"'It's a Good Day to Die' is on this epic, U2 War-era kind of vibe," he says of one new song. "We used to always go for a really dry sound, but this song is very sprawling and haunting. It's a result of playing larger venues. The new material is getting away from nice pop songs."

Although they took a year off to write Elevator, Hot Hot Heat hope to keep moving while writing their follow-up. Early indications are that the band plan to strive for a bolder sound than early pop hits like the infectious, keyboard-led "Bandages." "We're changing as people," Bays says. "We don't have that 'ignorance is bliss' element to us anymore. We like music that triggers an emotion. Paul has been brought to tears by certain bands, and that's the kind of music we want to play now -- music that pulls on something inside of you."

Hot Hot Heat tour dates:

10/21: Santa Barbara, CA, Santa Barbara Bowl
10/22: Long Beach, CA, Long Beach Arena
10/23: Long Beach, CA, Long Beach Arena
10/25: Portland, OR, Memorial Coliseum
10/26: Seattle, Key Arena
10/28: Oakland, CA, Oakland Arena
10/29: Fresno, CA, Selland Arena
10/30: Las Vegas, The Joint
11/6: Louisville, KY, Jillian's
11/7: Columbus, OH, Newport Music Hall
11/9: Syracuse, NY, Club Tundra
11/10: Buffalo, NY, Icon
11/11: Cambridge, MA, Walker Memorial
11/12: Hartford, CT, Webster Theatre
11/14: South Burlington, VT, Higher Ground
11/15: Johnson City, NY, Magic City Music Hall
11/17: Sayreville, NJ, Starland Ballroom
11/19: Baltimore, Sonar
11/21: Greensboro, NC, Greene Street
11/22: Atlanta, Roxy Theatre
11/25: Oklahoma City, OK, Bricktown Live
11/26: Dallas, Trees
11/27: Austin, Emo's
11/29: Tallahassee, FL, Floyd's Music Store
11/30: Jacksonville, FL, Freebird Live
12/2: Lake Buena Vista, FL, House of Blues
12/3: West Palm Beach, FL, Sound Advice Amphitheatre
12/4: Myrtle Beach, SC, House of Blues
12/17: Chicago, Aragon Ballroom

JOLIE LASH
(October 19, 2005)