Grab your dancing shoes and Brylcreem, Jake Vaadeland has a new album that’ll rock your socks offJake Vaadeland returns with a new album on April 25th.
Roots music is having quite the moment, especially with the likes of Billy Strings and Sierra Ferrell breathing new life into a traditional genre. But head further North up to Saskatchewan, Canada and you’ll find Jake Vaadeland, another name making waves in the roots scene. With a recent win for Best Traditional Roots Album at the Juno Awards, and his third album, One More Dollar to Go, coming out 25th April, Jake Vaadeland is a name to get to know. Fast.
With his signature blend of bluegrass and 50s rockabilly, One More Dollar to Go is fun and energetic from the get-go, and makes you want to experience it live. From dancing songs to storytelling songs, Vaadeland covers a range of themes with lonely hearts, wild women, being skint and travelling the road with just a guitar and a dream. All with a large helping of charm and speedy guitar picking.
This is a no skip album, but there are some highlights: ‘One More Dollar to Go’ and ‘A Glass of Wine Will Fix it Every Time’ are at once relatable in these miserable times, yet have a cheekiness to them, a wink and smile to get us through tough times. Then with ‘Hot Headed Woman’ and ‘Too Much Sugar’ there’s a Carl Perkins and Eddie Cochrane feel to them, making you want to swing your partner around and/or race hot rods. There are also the hauntingly hypnotic cautionary tales ‘Don’t Go to the Valley’ and ‘Neath the Shade of the Tree,’ as well as some beautiful storytelling of a memory of a childhood home with ‘Old White Home.’
While there may be songs that are thematically Hank Williams, others that are Carl Perkins sonically, and that Jake and the band The Sturgeon River Boys dress in 1940s and 50s style suits, Vaadeland is no copycat or “retro act.” You can hear that he lives and breathes his chosen styles of music, there are nods and influences, but all in his own way.
The songwriting is rich with stories and images that come to life. For example, ‘Lonesome Motor Inn’ feels like a William Eggleston photograph. Then there’s the musicianship of Jake, electric guitarist Joe Rohls, double bassist Jake Smithies and banjo player Jaxon Lalonde, that is so stunning, your ears will not believe these young men are in their early 20s.
It is also wonderful to know that this album is independently made, with Rohls producing, and it was recorded at Vaadeland’s antique-filled home, which you can have a little peep at through his TikTok, proving that the independent music scene is where it’s at. Viva la independent labels revolution!
Though his name wouldn’t look amiss next to Elvis, The Carter Family and Slim Whitman on an old tour poster of one of fellow Canadian Hank Snow’s jamborees, Jake Vaadeland is no mimic. Through his genuine love and knowledge of bluegrass and 50s sounds and fashions, his authenticity, personality and talents, as well as the band’s, make this album both nostalgic and fresh. Get it on vinyl if you can.
Haiku Review:
A bit of bluegrass
Alotta rockabilly
Vaadeland is fun
