White Stripes make dates with the North

The White Stripes have announced Canadian tour dates that span from coast to coast to coast, including first-time concerts in Nunavut, the Northwest Territories and the Yukon.

The Grammy Award-winningAmerican rock duo of Jack and Meg White has set dates this summer in Whitehorse, Yellowknifeand Iqaluit as part of a cross-country tour that will see them perform in every province and territory.

"Having never done a full tour of Canada, Meg and I thought it was high time to go whole hog. We want to take this tour to the far reaches of the Canadian landscape. From the ocean to the permafrost," singer and guitarist Jack White wrote in a release posted Wednesday on the band's website.

"The best way for us to do that is ensure that we perform in every province and territory in the country, from the Yukon to Prince Edward Island."

The Canadian leg of the White Stripes' tour starts June 24 in Burnaby, B.C., and ends July 16 in St. John's, N.L.

White noted the band will mark its 10th anniversary on July 14 with a show in Glace Bay, N.S.

The White Stripes, made up of Jack White on vocals and guitar and Meg White on drums, burst onto the mainstream music scene with their 2001 album White Blood Cells, which includes the hits Fell in Love with a Girl and Hotel Yorba.

The duo is on tour to promote its sixth album, Icky Thump, which is scheduled to be released in mid-June. The title song, its first single, was released Thursday exclusively on iTunes.

Iqaluit ticketscould costless than $40

They will play Whitehorse June 25 at the Yukon Arts Centre, Yellowknife on June 26 at the Shorty Brown Multiplex Arena and Iqaluit June 27 at the Arctic Winter Games Arena.

The city of Iqaluit's economic development officer said he had been in talks with the White Stripes' publicist about the show.

Mike Bozzer said Thursday the band will bring its own sound technicians and equipment, but the city is connecting it with local options for security, ticket printing and other logistics.

About 500 tickets are expected to go on sale in Iqaluit by early May, and Bozzer said he hopes to keep ticket prices at less than $40.

He added that he's received interest from promoters outside Nunavut in inviting southern fans to the Iqaluit concert.

"The Gillett Entertainment Group has contacted me wanting 50 of the tickets for themselves to sell online to people in Montreal and Ottawa. So definitely those 50 people would stay here for probably a few days stay in the hotels, eat at our restaurants, shop at our stores," he said.

"It's definitely going to have some economic impact, and they'll come back home with positive stories of the city."

While northerners do not often see big-name mainstream musicians such as the White Stripes coming to town, they have seen their share of musical talent appear north of 60.

In Yellowknife, organizers of the annual Folk on the Rocks music festival recently gave a sneak peek of its lineup, including Sarah Harmer andthe Sadies.It also announcedits special emcees will be Randy and Mr. Laheyof the television show Trailer Park Boys. Thefestival is slated for mid-July.