Yellowknife (July 09/04) - Only in Canada would invading troopers be welcomed with open arms.

In this case, the landing forces are the five members who make up the band Trooper.

The band's songs, fist-pumping rock anthems and catchy tunes that stick in your head for days at a time, are so well known that Ra McGuire, one of two remaining original band members, said they get treated like old friends by everyone they meet.

Just being Trooper opens doors to places ordinary tourists will never see. That includes remote Northern communities. "It's the best part of the gig," said McGuire.

"People feel we've spoken to them in some way, and it pays off. We get to do some seriously cool shit."

McGuire counts the band's trip to Inuvik in 2002 as a highlight.

Despite not succeeding in their plan to dip their feet in the Arctic Ocean (it was April) they drove the ice road to Tuktoyaktuk.

"I have an amazing collection of photos from Inuvik," he said.

"It's one of those places not a lot of people get to."

And Trooper gets to a lot of places. The band has played in every province and territory in Canada.

"We had a hold-out of Labrador and I told my agent I'd even play there for free," said McGuire. "But last year we picked that one off."

No sound check

Surprisingly for a professional touring band that performs about 100 times a year, Trooper doesn't do a sound check. The band has a staff of three who hook up the instruments and monitors to the musicians' requirements. McGuire said the arrangement helps keeps the performances fresh. The first time they see the venue is when they walk on stage.

"It keeps it alive and exciting for us. Our first four songs are our sound check.

"A live show is a magical thing. We go from playing a night club one night to playing for 10,000 people. And people have said we're one of the few bands who can do all those kinds of gigs and pull it off."

McGuire credits Trooper's longevity to the songs.

"They've taken on a life of their own," he said.

Helping keep the songs in the collective Canadian consciousness is CBC's This Hour Has 22 Minutes, which has used Trooper music extensively. McGuire said the show has so far used six Trooper songs, including Raise a Little Hell for a piece on the 2000 election, and Here For a Good Time with Canadian soldiers in Bosnia.

"Tim Horton's does Boys in the Bright White Sports Car in a commercial, or a Calgary Flames game uses Raise a Little Hell," said McGuire. "The songs are deeply ingrained in Canadian culture. It's awesome."

But McGuire said it's the Canadian public, and not the media, who keep the band going.

"Ultimately it comes down to the people. There's a connection before you even walk in.

"The amazing thing at our all-ages shows is that the front 20 deep are usually the 20-year-olds right down to the 12-year-olds, and three quarters of them are singing along. That's the shockingly odd thing. The songs still work for them, and they weren't even born when they were written."

He said the day nobody shows up for a concert is the day they'll quit.

"People used to ask me when I was going to get a real job. They stopped asking when I was in my 30s. I'm 54 now."

Trooper performs Saturday night at 7 p.m. at the Multiplex.