I Mother Earth is riding a wave of on-again, off-again popularity.

The Toronto-based rock quartet -- playing a sold-out gig tomorrow with Moist and Mudgirl at the Max Bell Centre -- has enjoyed strong radio and video support for its two albums, Dig and last year's Scenery & Fish. Yet according to surnameless lead singer Edwin, the band is currently without a record deal.

"Our record deal ran out Dec. 24," he says in a telephone interview.

"We're going to stay with EMI Canada because they've been great with us, but we are not going to stay with Capitol U.S. They (were terrible)!"

Apparently, the band did not have the kind of support from their U.S. record label that EMI Canada afforded them.

"There were so many record-company reps (in the U.S.) who were just great ... but then there were just a lot who were just a joke and we often sat there wondering why these people have a job."

Even though I Mother Earth is in temporary limbo until a new deal is signed, fan support in Canada for this alternative-meets-progressive rock band seems to be at an all-time high.

"We did an in-store yesterday here in Vancouver," recalls Edwin, "and there was over 1,000 kids outside the store.

"They were crowd surfing on the sidewalk before we even started playing!

"As we were playing this acoustic thing, the store was like totally packed. They're moshing in the store and the whole store was rocking up and down.... It was really quite exciting, actually."

Edwin -- who also sings for Victor, Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson's side project -- says audience response equals success.

"If I can get the crowd singing, that's success to me because that means they're all listening. They all get it. And they're all into the band and we are entertaining them. A whole room full of people singing along to me is just the greatest sound on earth!"