When I saw Yukon Blonde at the frosh concert in September, I thought, “Who’s the biker on bass?”

But I was soon pulled into their classic rock sound and started bobbing my head along to the guitar riffs of “Wind Blows.”

Guitarist Brandon Scott said that old school vibe is what the band was going for with their latest album Tiger Talk.

“The album was done right off the floor because we wanted that old organic sound from the 70s,” he said. “We were really influenced by the late 70s and early 80s punk rock sound as well.”

The new and polished twist on the band’s familiar sound has been recognized nation-wide.

In November, the band’s single, “My Girl,” off their last record, appeared as the background music in one of Canadian Tourism’s YouTube videos, promoting Canada’s scenic nature and multiculturalism.

“It was fun dealing with French translators and rewriting our lyrics in one of our national language,” Scott said. “We had to do it countless times because our French is terrible, so it took us four or five tries.” Beyond Canada, the band’s toured across Europe and made stops in places like Amsterdam, where Scott said one of his

favourite shows took place.

“It was our first time in that city and there was a lot of hype about us being there,” Scott said. “Somehow we bypassed all the effects, played everything bare bones and it ended up being a really good show.”

In their home country, Yukon Blonde has received an acclaimed nomination for a

Juno award.

“It’s Canada’s biggest honour so we were so excited that morning — we’ll have to see what it does professionally, because the exposure is amazing since everyone knows the award.”

Scott said the band’s close ones were especially excited about the announcement.

“We were flooded with emails and we had our families calling, so it was a nice thing to be recognized for, especially for your loved ones’ sake,” he said.

Getting the Juno nomination made the band feel like what they’re doing is worthwhile, Scott said.

“It’s a moment where you realize that you’re actually doing something productive with your life instead of saying we have this many Twitter followers or whatever.”

Yukon Blonde plays The Grad Club on Wednesday at 10 p.m.