In early October, the Answer had no plans of touring North America for the first time. The lads from Northern Ireland were recording in London when their A&R man took them to a pub to break the bad news that a planned tour opening for Black Stone Cherry was off. "He told us we got the AC/DC American tour instead," singer Cormac Neeson tells Spinner. "We were jumping about, throwing beer on each other. It was a memorable moment."

The Answer ended up besting more than 150 other bands for the opportunity to support the Aussie rockers on the anticipated Black Ice tour with their straightaway ballsy, classic rock sound. "They've really made us feel like part of the family," Neeson says. "Angus and Malcolm seem to see us as kindred spirits, and Brian Johnson's been a real gentleman. He and our bass player, Mickey, smoke the same tobacco, and he's constantly making sure Mickey's OK and we have enough alcohol."

In addition to the care and having their first tour bus, Neeson says watching AC/DC perform every night has been a blessing. "It's inspiring to see a band that's been around that long still filled with so much passion," he says. "It's a priceless education we're getting."

While sharing big stages is nothing new to the quartet -- they've opened for Aerosmith, the Stones and the Who -- doing it in America certainly is, as they've played only a handful of shows here. So far, though, Neeson sees it as an absolute success. "AC/DC's crowds are notoriously hard to win over, but we've gotten lots of new fans and not one bottle has been throw our way yet," he says.

As if this opening slot weren't enough exposure, their song 'Never Too Late' was included on Guitar Hero: World Tour, and their celebrity fans include Joe Elliott of Def Leppard and Jimmy Page. With their second album, 'Everyday Demons,' due out in February, it looks to be an even bigger year for the Answer. "Between each leg of the tour and on our days off, we'll be playing gigs in the U.S., London and Japan to support the new album," says Neeson. "It's going to be busy, but I think we've got it covered."