Most bands would be upset if their bass player bailed on them just weeks before a tour, but The All Night’s Steven Foster has a pretty good excuse – he’s moving to Toronto for six months to intern at a record label, something that will no doubt benefit the band upon his return.

“He’s going to learn tons, because everything to do with music is (about) getting grants. Learning about the music industry by working in it is one of the best things you can do,” said All Night singer-guitarist Krys Tennant.

Before Foster leaves for Toronto, the pop-punk quintet – rounded out by lead singer Jared Alderson, guitarist Ashton Barter and drummer Jordon Ottenson – will perform at The Big Show, a free four-hour concert at The Forks’ Scotiabank Stage that caps off the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ’s Ciclovia festival.

The line-up includes Ash Koley, JP Hoe, Magnum K.I., Enjoy Your Pumas, Desiree Dorion and turntable sets between bands by Mama Cutsworth.

The All Night will also perform to a room full of music industry professionals at Manitoba Music’s showcase at the Lo Pub on Tuesday, Sept. 21.

It may seem weird that a band that only formed at the end of 2009 is getting such high-profile gigs, but Tennant is building on the groundwork laid by his previous bands, Moments of Brilliance – a group that included Alderson and Foster – and Crisis Jane, which included Foster and Barter.

Both bands released a handful of EPs and played across the country on tours the band’s members booked themselves. Those experiences cemented the members’ friendships with each other.

“ It’s like The All Night ran ahead of us and we’re like, ‘Get back! Come back, you foul beast!’

Krys Tennant, guitarist, The All Night

“It’s good because we all trust each other,” Tennant said. “(We’re) continually pushing and trying to find new ways to do things with the same group of guys, so it always makes you feel comfortable to … do new things in every way – in terms of music and in terms of promoting the music.”

Like Moments of Brilliance and Crisis Jane, The All Night’s music is firmly rooted in the pop-punk genre, often reminiscent of Blink 182.

However, time changes, metal guitar tones, the vocal interplay between Alderson and Tennant and the occasional piano-driven coda show that the band isn’t afraid to experiment.

“We’re trying to be catchy enough, poppy enough, good enough that you’re going to give us a chance, and then we’re going to go crazy,” Tennant said of the band’s tendency to experiment.

In June, the band released its debut EP. The self-titled disc was recorded at Private Ear with ubiquitous Winnipeg recording engineer and producer John Paul Peters. After their upcoming tour – which will be their second – the band plans on writing more material for a possible full-length.

“There’s (a lot) going on,” Tennant said. “It’s only our first year as The All Night and we’re not slowing down really. We just need to catch, up in a way.

“It’s like The All Night ran ahead of us and we’re like, ‘Get back! Come back, you foul beast!’”

Published in Volume 65, Number 2 of The Uniter (September 9, 2010)