Inuvik (Oct 31/03) - For Kamloops, B.C. rockers Unit 731, playing in Inuvik was a little off the beaten path.

"It's the furthest North we've ever performed," said drummer Daniel (the fellows asked that their last names not be printed as in the past this has resulted in unwanted adoration from certain fans). "It shows you how much the people here appreciate live music when a bar is willing to fly a band up from the South."

However, according to members of the group that includes bassist Shawn, Tod on guitar and vocalist Rob, performing in a town not saturated by commercial radio required some tweaking of their set-list.

"We played a couple of songs that were super popular down south and usually got great crowd reaction, but here nobody knew them," Rob said. "So, we had to learn some new songs on the fly."

This included a stirring punk-rock rendition of John Denver's Country Roads.

"That was fun to learn and it definitely got people's attention," Daniel said.

While the band has a host of original material, paying their dues on the bar circuit has forced Unit 731 songs to take a backseat to tried and true cover tunes.

"(Doing covers) is a good money maker and it's an end to a means," Rob said. "Because if we want to record, we need the cash to do it."

Though Daniel sees playing other people's material as a way to improve the overall musicianship of band members, Shawn is a little more to the point.

"If all we did were original shows we'd be playing backyard barbecues for free."

As for their impressions of Inuvik, all agree the community has treated them well.

"It is definitely a friendly place," Rob said. "Last night, somebody bought us Chinese food for dinner and that floored us. It was a really nice gesture."

Next stop for the guys is Prince George, B.C. for a string of shows. Then, the band will head to the United States for a "Minneapolis to Florida and back" tour. After that, the band hopes to hit the studio to record their demo.