Cuff the Duke is a band ready to explode. Ever since I picked up their second album in 2005, I've been waiting for them to blow out of Toronto spreading their musical goodness over borders and oceans to far away places. They're one of those local bands that you hear so much buzz about that eventually they just have to bubble to the surface and break out.

While they haven't jumped Canada's fences yet, they are doing remarkably well. On Saturday night they'll l be performing at SIRIUS Canada's live broadcast of DJ SK8 Night at the Harbourfront Centre. It's an all-ages, free show from 9-11pm. And there'll be ice skating.

I called up frontman, Wayne Petti (also plays with the Hylozoists), to talk about the upcoming show and the merits of ice-skating.

"We'll be playing in a tent with heat, and they'll be pumping the sound out to everyone skating. By the sounds of it, there's gonna be big screens and they're going to film us - the feed will be out on the screens while people are skating. It's kind of crazy actually."

SIRIUS Canada will actually be broadcasting the entire performance live, so any SIRIUS listeners in Canada and the U.S. will be able to catch the show as well.

It dawned on me that I hadn't been on skates in awhile, but I wasn't the only one.

"You know what, we [other band members of Cuff the Duke] were just talking about that. I haven't been on a pair of skates since I was probably about thirteen or fourteen."

Well Wayne, this could be your opportunity!

"Yeah... I'm probably going to wait until after the show before I make an ass of myself. But I'm probably going to give it a whirl. You can't not ice skate. It's funny when you live in the city, because there are a lot of skating rinks. I live in the College and Bathurst area, and I just never get the urge to ice-skate."

When they're not working on their own music, Cuff the Duke has acted as Hayden's back-up band and have accompanied him on tour.

"It's great. We love Hayden and are big fans. It also worked out perfectly. When we had finished up about 6 or 7 months of touring for Sidelines of the City [their 2007 release], there was an opportunity for some down time. But then you have to consider what to do next, and instead of that we had this perfect gig lined up."

Cuff the Duke is managed by Hayden's label, Hardwood Records.

They're planning on releasing their next album this summer, and when I talked to Wayne he was on his way to the studio (a friend's farmhouse). But I didn't let him go without reminding him to bring his skates.

Photo by Brad Ferguson.