Country star to stop in Penticton, Vernon on 1st Canadian tour
Brett Kissel has a long relationship with Penticton both as a working musician and as a tourist.
He’s played multiple gigs over the years but, for the first time, he’ll be headlining his own arena tour when his “We Were That Song” tour comes to the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre on Friday, March 16.
The Canada-wide tour, that will include 80 cities, also stops at the Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre on Monday, March 12.
“Five other musicians on stage with me, two buses, trucks, and trailers — we’re traveling up and down the highway and all across Canada,” Kissel said in a phone interview. “It’s a special moment to see my career and organization grow.”
Including his opening act, there will be a crew of 22 at each show, a far cry from when he stepped on stage alone as the opening act for Loretta Lynn, back in 2013.
It was only he and a guitar and with Lynn’s fan base in their senior years, the then 23-year-old won the crowd over instantly with a series of traditional country covers ranging from Hank Snow to Conway Twitty.
“I love the format of traditional country so much, I didn’t have to learn the songs,” he said. “It was a special tour. I’ll never forget the kindness everyone showed and it was wonderful standing shoulder to shoulder with a legend.”
Kissel’s agent convinced Lynn’s management to book the unknown for a one-off opening gig. His reception was so good that one show extended to six gigs including a stop at the South Okanagan Events Centre. A year later he played The Barking Parrot as the headliner with The Young Guns, a showcase for up-and-coming stars.
It now seems like ancient history. He tosses in the occasional cover in concert but easily has enough of his own material to perform a two-hour show of hits.
Since 2013 and the present, he’s scored a No. 1 single, “Airwaves,” plus three others which reached the top 5 on the Canadian country charts — “Started With a Song,” “3-2-1,” and “We Were That Song,” the title track from his newest album released last Christmas.
He’s won multiple industry awards, including back-to-back trophies for Male Artist of the Year at the Canadian Country Music Association Awards.
He’s opened more than 20 times for his hero Garth Brooks.
He also had a strange experience singing the national anthem at an Edmonton Oilers game that went viral. The sound malfunctioned and, without panicking, he simply held the microphone towards the crowd and the fans took over.
“That was the furthest thing from staged,” he said, recalling the incident. “What you had were 19,000 hockey fans who did a beautiful job singing our national anthem.”
Kissel, who’s instantly likable and can easily win over a country music detractor, is enthused about the tour.
“There are a hundred different roads I could travel but we wanted to hit as many markets as we could and as fast as we could in 2018,” he said. “I have a new record out that’s doing really well. We’re playing a lot of major markets but based on my small town values, I wanted to go to places like Swift Current, Vernon, Fort St. John that maybe don’t get as many big shows as other places.”
While Kissel’s core is here in Canada, thanks to the internet he’s also gaining a fan base in such unexpected countries as Sweden, Holland, France and Germany.
He said he prefers performing live — “500 per cent more” — to being in the studio and hopes to be still playing into his 70s like many of his country and rock heroes. (The Eagles and CCR are among his musical influences.)
Reflecting on his career to date, two memories stand out.
“The very first time I opened for Garth Brooks was a special moment, one memory I will never forget. I had the opportunity to sing Callin’ Baton Rouge with him. The other special memory was the first time I stood on the stage at the Grand Ole Opry. I looked down at my boots and thought, Hank Williams Sr. and Jr., Johnny Cash, Dolly (Parton) and Garth... they all played here. It was such a timeless moment.”
Since Penticton audiences last saw Kissel, the Flat Lake, Alta. native became the proud father of two girls born about a year apart in 2016 and 2017.
“My girls have definitely been a huge influence in my writing,” he said. “As a songwriter, you live it. As a parent it’s very easy for me to write. It’s funny, I’m writing more nursery rhymes, songs for supper time, bath time, bedtime. At least it makes them giggle although I guarantee you, these songs will never see the light of day.” Is a children’s album in Kissel’s future? “No, not immediately. Maybe when I have grandchildren,” he joked.”
General admission tickets to the Penticton show are $49 plus tax and service charge. Visit: www.valleyfirsttix.com or phone 1-877-763-2849.
Tickets for the Vernon show are $49.50. Visit: www.ticketseller.ca or phone 250-549-7469.
Beamer Wigley is Kissel’s opening act in Penticton; Dan Davidson in Vernon.