Wheatmonkeys

Wheatmonkeys were a Saskatoon rock band built on prairie persistence, high-energy live shows, and a stubborn belief in doing the work themselves. Formed in the late 1990s around vocalist/guitarist Dave Pura and bassist/vocalist Andrew Cook, the group came up through high school friendships and a shared appetite for loud, melodic rock. Early influences ranged from Guns N’ Roses and Nirvana to punk, ska, classic rock, and the radio-ready alternative sounds of the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Their first CD, Silver Inside, appeared in 1999 and featured Drew Wollenberg, Andrew Cook, Dave Pura, and Troy Camp. The band followed with Danger in 2002, a release that helped establish them beyond their hometown and reportedly sold more than 2,000 copies. By then, Wheatmonkeys had become part of a busy Saskatoon scene, pushing themselves through touring, showcases, and as many live dates as they could fit into the van.

By the mid-2000s, the lineup featured Dave Pura on vocals and guitar, Andrew Cook on bass and vocals, Logan Reid on guitar and vocals, and Scott Sproull on drums. Around them was a larger Saskatchewan music community that helped shape the band’s identity. Derek Bachman, through Greenduplex Productions and later Rawk Entertainment, became an important friend, designer, manager, and supporter. Pura Guitars, run locally by Dave Pura’s father, was also closely tied to the band’s sound and gear.

Their most ambitious studio album, Hotter Than a Pistol, was released in 2006. The record was made across several Canadian studios, with drums and bass recorded at Phase One Audio Group in Toronto, guitars and vocals recorded at Audio Art Recording in Saskatoon, and horn tracks recorded at B-Rad Studios in Regina. The album also brought in major outside support: Darrin Pfeiffer of Goldfinger played drums during the sessions, and veteran engineer Mike Fraser mixed the album at The Warehouse Studios in Vancouver. The result was a punchy, polished rock record built around short, energetic songs such as “Heat,” “Like I Do,” “Almost You,” and “Big Bus.”

Wheatmonkeys were especially known for their live work. They toured Eastern Canada, showcased at the 2006 Western Canadian Music Awards, played Taylor Field for Saskatchewan Roughriders fans, and were known to fit multiple shows into a single day when the opportunity was there. Their approach was simple and direct: keep playing, keep writing, keep moving, and do not wait for someone else to make things happen.

At their core, Wheatmonkeys were a Saskatoon band with a national reach — funny, hard-working, melodic, and loud enough to leave a mark. As Andrew Cook summed up the band’s attitude, their motto was simple: “Hit it hard.”

-Robert Williston