Blake Berglund, one of Canada鈥檚 hardest working singers and most prolific songwriters, is finally getting an opportunity to appear on stage in the Energy City.
Three winters ago, Berglund appeared in Estevan in the company of Chris Henderson and Jess Moskoluke in their Grass Roots and Cowboy Boots tour, but he hasn鈥檛 been back since.
The outlaw of the Saskatchewan C&W musical scene will be appearing on the Estevan Art Gallery and Museum鈥檚 After Dark series stage on March 13, beginning at 8 p.m.
The next day, he鈥檚 off to Australia.
He鈥檒l be accompanied by a couple of members of his band, the Vultures, he said, and he鈥檚 anxious to try some new material as well as his tried-and true tunes and a variety of songs from his recently released Jasper album.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a new tune, Funny Thing About You Leaving, that we鈥檝e given a new sound to,鈥� he said during a telephone interview last week.
He tried out some new sounds and lyrics in Medicine Hat two weeks ago and will be showcasing them in Estevan.
Being one of the hardest-working cowboys on the C&W circuit is not a misnomer for this native of Kennedy, Sask., since he鈥檚 usually booked for over 150 to 170 shows a year and is just coming off an eight-night, seven-city tour with Manitoba鈥檚 Quinton Blair. The last show was in the Palomino Club in Calgary.
Berglund will team up again with Belle Plaine, who is his 鈥渟ignificant other,鈥� in Australia where she has already landed, and they鈥檒l be doing a little sailing down under, which will be a different mode of transportation for the guy who is usually more comfortable on horses or in touring vans.
His Coyote album received good airplay, especially in the United States where independent songwriters and artists get some good exposure, he said.
鈥淢y technique as a vocalist was suspect, but Melanie (aka Belle Plaine) has worked with me a lot to get me to a new level. I always considered myself to be more of a writer than performer, but I enjoy performing too much not to do it and I do a lot of collaborating with other songwriters too,鈥� he added.
Life on the road is hard, and Berglund readily admits that 鈥渟ometimes we get going too hard. I should know better, but then the voice goes after a couple of hard days, and I know I have to settle down.鈥�
The Jasper album and how it came about, only highlights Berglund鈥檚 reputation as the outlaw 鈥� a friendly outlaw though.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a bit crazy. Their Legion Hall there would be a typical Legion you鈥檇 see in any small town but the manager there has made it a destination spot for touring acts. A beer company wanted to do a recording with us, in the hall and we had it all lined up. We then found out that due to marketing cuts at their corporate level, they were backing down from the deal. They had already spent about half their budget getting set up and we had spent some time getting ready, so we kind of had a band meeting and said 鈥榣et鈥檚 do this anyway,鈥� so we did in the summer of 2014. The Thursday night, we played pretty well to an empty hall, but on Friday, it was wall to wall with people. We played 26 songs that night and 17 of them found their way on the album that was released and we had a blast.聽 Since then we鈥檝e received nothing but solid feedback on that material.鈥�
Berglund then laughed and added, 鈥淭hat was just one nice little mistake that turned out great.鈥�
After he returns from Australia, the country troubadour said he鈥檚 booked for the rest of the spring and summer with a bunch of rodeo appearances and a west coast swing. In the meantime, he鈥檚 willing to ride the musical surf.
鈥淵ou know this industry is constantly changing. I鈥檓 not sure if anybody knows what they鈥檙e doing these days, but I鈥檝e still got some studio time ahead of me, and I鈥檓 doing some duo recordings and on the tours you get an opportunity to build some buzz. I鈥檝e got some music out with the Regina group Rah Rah, who have been great to work with as well as some with Jack White. And I have a pile of new stuff I want to try out.鈥�
As far as the outlaw label goes, Berglund notes, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 refer to myself as that, but it seems as if I鈥檓 doing it different from the pack. I appreciate what they do, but in my family, we push it with the heart.鈥�
Besides the new music, those attending the concert in Estevan will no doubt have the opportunity to hear some songs that have already made Berglund a 鈥済o to鈥� country artist in Western Canada. Tunes such as Hanging by a Thread, Come Back Around, Taxes and Death and Where Have All My Horses Gone, might be on the play list.
This past fall Berglund and Belle Plaine were special guest artists on the east coast where they entertained Canada鈥檚 provincial premiers who were conducting a conference in Charlottetown. Berglund said he was pleasantly surprised to see Saskatchewan premier Brad Wall in the audience a couple of nights later when they were performing in Halifax.
He wasn鈥檛 sure whether they had gained a new fan, or whether the premier was just looking for a few relaxation hours, but either way, it was a gesture that didn鈥檛 go unnoticed and was certainly appreciated.
Berglund is now anxious to build a few new friendships in the Energy City. 聽
