Most bands from outside the U.S. view it as the final frontier -- a place where a hit single is the proverbial ticket to fame and fortune. For Mike Turner, guitarist for the Canadian band Our Lady Peace, the attraction is less lofty: "Shorter drives between gigs," he says. "We're used to 30-hour trips."

Our Lady Peace hails from Toronto, where Turner hooked up with vocalist Raine Maida three years ago and later enlisted bassist Chris Eacrett and drummer Jeremy Taggart. Though the band is already big in Canada and has toured the country five times, "Starseed," from their Relativity debut Naveed, marks their U.S. debut. Featuring ringing guitars and urgent lyrics, the track boasts a directness reminiscent of the punk records that were Turner's first influence. "When punk happened, I had something to be passionate about," he remembers. "It was like, 'I've got one good note, and I'll beat you over the head with it until I make my point.'"

Turner favors Gibson guitars, particularly as ES-135 "that wasn't on the record, but should've been," and Marshall amps, one of which died a messy and audible death at the end of "Denied." "There were no effects or EQ," Turner comments. "All the different tones came from the guitar, amp, and mike placement."

The American press has started to pigeonhole the band, tagging them with the dreaded "g-word." "Grunge is something you find under the sink, not a musical style," says Turner, who nonetheless exhibits some of the genre's stylistic traits. "I'm gonna play a song, not a solo and not a part. The band's role is to support a song."

Though he disdains flash guitar for its own sake, Turner respects judiciously applied technique: "I wish I'd learned about key signatures before we finished the record. Our producer would say, 'Try something else' and I'd say, 'I don't know what we're doing!' If I knew what I was doing I'd probably be dangerous."