Want to know what makes SweetFire one of the hottest rock bands on the continent? Just do the math. You can start with the number 7,000, which is roughly how many other Canadian acts SweetFire outshined in the Bodog Battle, a multi-national search for the next big thing in rock ‘n‘ roll. Or you...

Want to know what makes SweetFire one of the hottest rock bands on the continent? Just do the math. You can start with the number 7,000, which is roughly how many other Canadian acts SweetFire outshined in the Bodog Battle, a multi-national search for the next big thing in rock ‘n‘ roll. Or you could start with the number one, which is the quantity of bands, out of that batch of 7,000 competitors, that fared better than SweetFire in the Canadian finals of the Bodog Battle in March 2008. Think about that for a moment: out of all those bands in the competition, the judges only preferred one over SweetFire at the finals. And if you consider the fans’ reactions at the finals that night (the crowd chanted “Sweet Fi-re!” for five minutes before or after the band’s set) SweetFire was the heavy favourite to win. Perhaps one should consider the number 5,000, which is approximately the number of football fans SweetFire rocked out for when the band was picked to play a Hamilton Tiger Cats tailgate party at Hamilton’s Ivor Wynne Stadium. The most important number to consider when talking about SweetFire, however, is four, which how many highly talented players bring their diverse musical backgrounds to SweetFire. Those four musicians are Jesse Webber and Ryan Brohman, who share vocal and guitar duties, Danny Alac on bass and Christian Reichard on drums. Each is an accomplished solo musician in his own right, each playing shows most nights of the week, but when they join forces in SweetFire the chemistry is explosive. These four young men, whose combined musical experience exceeds a half-century, bring their own unique talents to what has become SweetFire’s trademark sound. It’s a sound that combines all the best elements of rock ‘n‘ roll, from the anthemic choruses of AC/DC to the southern swagger of The Black Crowes, from the lyrical intricacy of Tom Petty to the over-the-top stage presence of Kiss. “It’s a really old, classic sound with a totally modern twist,” says Webber. “It’s all about energy, stage presence and great tunes.” Anyone who saw members of SweetFire open for Peter Frampton and Alice Cooper at an outdoor festival in London, Ontario can attest to the band’s infectious energy and larger-than-life presence. Anyone who saw them perform at the Ontario Hockey League Memorial Cup tournament — a concert that was performed in one packed arena and simulcast into another one — will understand why SweetFire has built a reputation as a unfailing crowd-pleaser. And anyone who saw an early incarnation of SweetFire (then named Webbs Jr. & The Honeywood Express) at the Kitchener Blues Festival will understand why the band won the festival’s Youth Legacy Award -- a prestigious honour that allowed them to share the stage with blues legend Jeff Healey. But it is the SweetFire’s success in the increasingly competitive stages of million-dollar Bodog Battle that best exemplify their ability to whip any crowd into a frenzy. To secure a spot in the Canadian finals, SweetFire had to compete against — and beat — dozens of other bands from across Ontario in preliminary competitions. And although another band took first place in the finals, SweetFire’s set that night caught the attention of Greig Nori — star producer for such bands as Sum 41 and Iggy Pop, and star of MuchMusic show disBand — who approached the boys of SweetFire and exclaimed: “I think you guys are amazing!” SweetFire has recently returned to the studio to record a full-length follow-up to their debut EP. But they area actually writing several albums’ worth of material, confident that their ever-growing fanbase will soon demand more. And when a major record label comes a-knockin’, SweetFire wants to be ready to deliver more rockin’. Until then, they’ll continue proving to live audiences that, when this band is on fire, it is very sweet indeed.