Rainmaker Rodeo stage is ready to party

St. Albert’s 51st Rainmaker Rodeo has snagged two of Canadian country’s hottest acts, and they may just be the perfect entertainment for this rollercoaster month of May.

Emerson Drive has received some killer nods from both fans and industry in its two-decade career. This coming Friday its energy and edge receives top billing at the Rainmaker’s two-day concert series May 27 and 28.

Opening for the driving country-rock band is Newfoundland singer-songwriter Jason Benoit, Ontario recording artist Meghan Patrick and British Columbia’s Lisa Nicole.

Man of the moment George Canyon is one of Canadian country’s most iconic figures and he is the marquee headliner on Saturday night.

The ever-popular Saturday night concert also features a stable of country artists that includes American country rock group Blackjack Billy, Alberta’s classic country band The Dungarees and Edmonton vocalist Bradly Tucker.

This year the concert series has undergone a change. Traditionally the two concerts were split into a Friday rock night and a Saturday country night. This year two rock acts bowed out and forced organizers to book two country themed nights.

“Other rock bands weren’t available in our price range,” said concert chair Patrick Dower. He explained that rock bands are pricier than country acts.

“We had no choice, but keeping that in mind, we try to put on the best shows we can,” he said.

Another change in the concert series is the addition of a 50/50 draw.

“The 50/50 draw and 10 per cent of gate tickets will be donated to Kin Canada disaster fund and allocated to the City of Fort McMurray,” Dower added.

“We want to set up a disaster response team and see where the money can be best used. Then it can be filtered through the City of Fort McMurray.”

Emerson Drive will draw Friday night’s winning ticket and Canyon delivers the honours Saturday.

Friday Night Lineup

• Emerson Drive

Emerson Drive last performed at the Rainmaker in 2005 with Johnny Reid when both were on the cusp of international success. Back then, the band barrelled from one gig to the next, playing up to 300 gigs a year.

Today the Nashville-based road warriors have slowed down, however the tempo of their music still gusts from high energy, in-your-face rock-country to softer, quieter ballads.

Recently they released, The Good Hurt, the third single from their first EP album Tilt-a-Whirl circulated in April 2015. It followed Who We Are and Till the Summer ‘s Gone.

Now in between albums, Brad Mates, Dannick Dupelle, Mike Melancon and Dale Wallace are taking the time needed to craft sophisticated material that meets their expectations – a lineup of emotional ballads and fast movers that show the guys haven’t lost their touch.

“Dannick and I have done writing over the years and collaborated with other people. For both of us it’s been a learning process. Only an incredible handful of people can write a song every day and keep at it,” said Mates.

They are slated to record another album after the summer touring circuit has finished, quite possibly a combination of original and outside sourced tunes.

As for the Rainmaker concert, expect a few surprises.

“I always write out a set list five minutes before we go on stage. It drives the guys crazy, but I like to feel it out.”

• Jason Benoit

Singer-songwriter Jason Benoit hails from Newfoundland where Celtic is king. But in the Benoit household, country ruled. By the time he was 19, Benoit was earning his spurs singing for bar crowds, some of the toughest to please.

But in 2012 he exploded onto the country scene with a soulful version of Armin Van Buuren’s dance hit This Is What It Feels Like. It nearly reached the Top 40 and for a first single, it was a realized dream.

A year later Benoit inked his first deal with JV Records/Sony Music Canada and surged to the Top 30 Canadian Billboard Charts with Crazy Kinda Love.

His third single, Gone Long Gone, written about a friend going through rough times, was released last year. It hit the Top 20 reinforcing the idea he was not a one-hit wonder.

This year he released the ballad Waves, an ode to his late father who died of cancer.

“We’re surrounded by water. He had a cabin at the beach and we did a lot of fishing there. It has a personal story and I’m very proud of the song,” Benoit said.

His first album also titled Waves is scheduled for release in the fall.

• Megan Patrick

The cowgirl with fancy boots, Megan Patrick was tagged as a Canadian country artist to watch. Patrick first got her feet wet as lead singer of rootsy blue-grass group the Stone Sparrows. That was four years ago outside her hometown of Bowmanville, Ontario.

Today she’s signed a deal with Warner Music Canada and is polishing her craft at songwriters’ circles, hosting open-mikes, recording song tracks and making songwriting trips to Nashville.

“I was always identified as being part of a band, but with Warner there was a great opportunity to tell stories in my own way or being indicative of who I am,” Patrick said.

Her first solo album Grace and Grit is all sweat and sweetness, an autobiographical representation of Patrick, a country gal that enjoys wearing flirty dresses with the same passion as hunting and fishing.

Some of the standout tracks range from I Won’t Drink, a vulnerable song about people that manipulate others to high-tempo Be Country With Me.

“At the end of the day I believe in honesty and real music.”

• Lisa Nicole

Originally from Grande Prairie, Lisa Nicole is nesting in the mountain area of Trail, B.C. A healthy-living addict, she hits the gym up to six times a week.

“I always exercise before a show. The cardio helps me. It gets my body moving and lungs going,” said the self-described healthy eater.

At the start-gate of her career, Nicole debuted a six-track EP in 2012 and is set to release another as of yet untitled EP in the fall.

The independent, self-managed artist sings a spectrum of songs from the breakup song Come Find Me to the cheesy self-deprecating Mad About It.

“She emailed us for the past three years about appearing at the Rainmaker. And we thought if someone is that dedicated to their craft, we’d give them a try,” Dower said.

Saturday Night

• George Canyon

As a singer George Canyon is the complete embodiment of cowboy hospitality, a man who naturally tips his hat to others.

Just last week Canyon received a couple of nods as a 2016 Western Canadian Music and Industry Award nominee. The country star received two nominations for his latest album, I Got This.

The first was for Country Music Album of the Year and the second as Songwriter of the Year for Lifetime, a co-write with Terry McBride and Brice Long.

A devoted family man, Canyon wrote the romantic Lifetime for his wife Jen.

“Every line is true to fact,” said Canyon. “It fell together in 10 minutes.”

In the spring Canyon delivered a highly successful cross-Canada Jekyll and Nothing to Hide Tour. It was in support of I Got This, an album peppered with new material and few standard country-rock favourites.

Canyon was slightly taken aback when manager Jim Cressman proposed the odd tour name. Cressman’s rational was simple.

“You go out with an acoustic guitar and you wear your heart on your sleeve. What you see is what you get,” were Cressman’s words to Canyon.

“And we had so much publicity just from the name,” Canyon laughed.

As a singer-songwriter-performer, Canyon always made sure to fit snuggly into the country box. He was creating great music, but wasn’t dropping his guard.

“It was more my mindset. It took two years before I finally wanted to throw caution to the wind and make music that put a smile on my face. I wanted to try something new. I wanted to have fun.”

After working professional for 26 years and boasting a catalogue of 15 charted albums under his belt, the Canadian star is more excited than ever about country.

“Country is here for everybody. It opens itself to all styles and that’s an amazing thing that we’re able to do. And by that I mean there are so many talented singers out there doing different things.”

During the rodeo concert Canyon will sing with his four-man support band he jokingly calls Train Wreck.

“They run light and tight. They’re so good it scares me.”

• Blackjack Billy

Pity Blackjack Billy. First the “Redneck Rock” musicians record The Booze Cruise, the biggest-selling song on iTunes by a band without a major label in 2013. It’s followed by an album release, big tours and finally a holiday in New Orleans.

“We were taken by surprise. We had no record deal and we were self-contained. We wanted to get our music out. Sirius played us and with a video we blew up virally,” said electric guitarist Jeff Coplan in a telephone interview while soaking up the N’awlins vibe.

Leaning towards rowdy and robust, the four consisting of Coplan, Rob Blackledge, Noll Billings and Brad Cummings, give an uninhibited vocal performance of dance tunes.

“We like to have fun and we want to be entertaining and uplifting. We want people to dance or go home and make love to their partner,” Coplan said.

They are putting the pedal to the metal on a second full-length album, a CD with their 12 best new songs.

And in case rodeo fans are wondering, yes, they’ll be road testing a few on the crowd.

• The Dungarees

The Dungarees are back from Nashville after writing songs with Deric Ruttan and Clint and Bob Moffatt for upcoming recording sessions.

The brotherhood of five stands out for their love of traditional, high-energy music infused with the modern intensity of pop and rock.

They’ve performed at the biggest country festivals in Canada including Big Valley Jamboree and Dauphin Country Fest as well as opening for Reba McEntire at The Calgary Stampede.

As their single Ain’t Through Being Happy Yet gains traction across the nations’ radio stations, they are gearing up to release a second single, I’m Down, produced by Clayton Bellamy.

• Bradly Tucker

Bradly Tucker plays “muskeg country.” The Bonnyville raised singer-songwriter is all about the family farm. One of his favourite pleasures is jumping on a quad and bouncing around the farm’s muskeg patch as if it’s his private playground.

He sings a workingman’s country. That means less party, beer and objectifying women and more tractors, trucks and farms. Much to his wife’s chagrin, Tucker uses his grandfather’s cream can as a footstool when writing songs.

A recent addition to the Capital Region country scene, Tucker grew up on the likes of Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash and Porter Wagoner. Although a fan of traditional country, his gig at Rainmaker with his four-piece band affectionately dubbed “Bush Pirates,” will include originals such as Spin Cinderella and Cold, Cold Heart.

“This is my debut back into music. It’s my re-entry and I’m ready to make something good of it.”

For complete rodeo info visit www.stalbertkinsmen.ca.