CREDIT: RYAN RITCHIE
The Motorleague pulls into London for a show at The APK on September 22 in support of new album Acknowledge, Acknowledge.

To state that Canada as a nation has a fairly internal music industry is a bit obvious; it's little secret that for years, top-tier Canadian artists have had trouble making the same kind of splash internationally as they do domestically.

However when you pay closer attention, it's possible to notice music communities that are even more tightly knit than our own.

Hailing from Moncton, The Motorleague is a prime example of an East Coast rock outfit that is able to generate some momentum yet stay nestled within a musical micro-climate created by our vast geography.

“I think it's completely fair to say that our band is pretty well unknown in most of Canada, except for the four Atlantic provinces,” frontman Don Levandier agreed, speaking by phone from Kingston before a recent performance. “But to be fair, the Atlantic provinces are also pretty unknown to the rest of Canada.”

The Motorleague — Levandier on guitar and vocals, Nathan Jones on guitar, Sean Chaisson on bass and Francis Landry on drums — have just embarked on a tour across Ontario this month to warm up for a massive Canadian/American tour in October and November. They are appearing at the APK on September 22 with locals Tandem Eagle and Traumahawk.

“We've been working hard on the East Coast, and now it's time to see what the rest of Canada is like. We're pretty stoked to get out and do Ontario properly this time.”

As bands from Ontario can struggle to cross the expanse of land and scattered music markets westward to B.C., so too do bands from the Maritime provinces struggle facing the distance between Fredericton and Quebec City. Consequently, it can be easy for bands not to visit all the usual markets that we in Ontario take for granted.

And while the band is going to be busy, they're in the mood to celebrate their latest album Acknowledge, Acknowledge, released in June this year. Focused and pensive, the album displays intrigue and depth deftly captured by producer Steve Rizun in Toronto, a strong effort that Levandier said tested the group as performers both individually and collectively.

“There's no question, working with Steve was a real eye-opener to the fact that we weren't great musicians,” Levandier began humbly. “I think every band goes through that. You get in the studio and realize, ‘Man, we're not the band we thought we were.' We thought we were this road-hard band that toured and did so much but then you get in there and start to realize all the stuff you can't do.”

“That was a three-year record to make,” he continued. “We went through every hell imaginable — we wrote a van off making that record, we went through a lot of bullshit to get it finished, it almost tanked our band a couple times. We had fun making it, but it was a really long process, so when it finally came out it was like a huge weight was lifted.”

Not one to complain, Levandier put things into perspective: “It's not really fair for me to complain about it, because I've got friends from Newfoundland, and it's about a billion times harder if you're from Newfoundland.”

For more on The Motorleague and their recent album Acknowledge, Ackknowledge, visit them online at themotorleague.ca or follow along on Twitter @themotorleague. They perform at The APK in London on September 22 with Tandem Eagle, Traumahawk and BurnRed. Tickets are $5, doors open at 8 p.m., and the show is 19-plus.