You could say that 2025 is shaping up to be quite the year for Jake Vaadeland and The Sturgeon River Boys. Starting with a European tour that ended with packed out shows at Country To Country Festival in London before winning a Juno award for Roots Album of the Year, Jake Vaadeland has now released his new album One More Dollar to Go, and if that wasn’t enough, him and the boys will also be returning to the UK in September. It’s all going on for Jake this year. “Yeah, it seems like people say that to us every year about every year,” Jake politely drops in. Oh, to have every year be a great year like Jake Vaadeland.
With such an in-demand touring schedule in his home province of Saskatchewan, as well the rest of Canada, and now Europe, it’s amazing Jake and the boys even made it to accept their Juno Award in early April. “If anybody watches that video, I’m working on two hours of sleep there to do that.” Looking dapper in their custom-made RW & Company white suits, jazzed up with music notes made by bass player, Jake Smithies, it was a significant night for the band. “It was a good night, but it was a short night, I was definitely ready to go to bed after that.”
We spoke on one of the first sunny days of the year in England, thus the ice cream man was in full, turn it up to 11, blare that jingle, force. It felt necessary to stop our conversation and forewarn Jake on this before ‘Greensleeves’ screamed its way through the speakers. “Well, we have an equal thing there,” Jake said with a smile. “If you hear a jingle, it’s one of my many clocks in my house here, they all go off every 15 minutes.” May our two nations always be bonded with politeness and pleasantries.
Jake has been bonding our nations even further over the past 12 months, by charming the UK audiences at sell-out shows with his vintage radio-esque ‘programme’. Returning in September, part of the reason why he likes touring Europe is because him and the boys are “able to tour out of our country without going to the US,” but also because of how well they’re treated and received this side of the Atlantic.
A lover of an analogy, and quite fantastic at them, Jake likens the difference between touring in the UK and the US to free-range and caged chickens. “We’re treated good there, and you get good products because of it.” However, over in the States, it feels too competitive: “It’s just a big slaughterhouse, all the chickens, all the musicians trying to do it, they crowd them into these pens and take the product and sell it.” Something Jake no longer feels he needs to do anymore.
There also seems to be an equality over here that he’s noticed, especially in regard to opportunity and treatment. He was blown away by festivals in England where he was given a green room and a rider, while at festivals in Canada: “We get a communal shack with all the other artists, with a bowl of chips and some water.” I suggested that when he’s back in September, he should make an outrageous request on his rider, to see how far they will go to fulfil his needs, which he liked the idea of. “We should request one of those big, huge, what do they call them, the full piece barrel thing, you know?” I didn’t know. “Like you’ve got the cheese when it’s stored and they’re like two thousand dollars if you get the big ones.” I believe that’s a cheese truckle and I hope to see one on stage with him at Bush Hall.
Not only does he enjoy our venues’ treatment of him and the band, but also how well-received they are by our audiences. “We’ve got young people there singing along to our songs and people here don’t do that.”
He has, however, noticed that we can be a little more reserved, or respectful as he put it, needing to be instructed to clap and make a bit of noise. Something of which I agree with, even telling him how recently at his London gig, Sturgill Simpson had to tell the balcony audience, in a fun and cheeky way, “to get up and fucking dance” (I did tell Jake to pardon my French). “Yeah, I noticed that too,” he said with a laugh at the Sturgill Simpson quote. “I recall saying feel free to give the boys some encouragement when they’re playing their solos. We have a good time and they’ve been really good to us regardless.”
It delighted me to hear that Jake waited for his upcoming album, the at-once fun and beautiful One More Dollar to Go, to come out on vinyl before listening to it in its entirety for the first time. “Of course I listen to all my music on vinyl.” It then delighted me even further that he evades professional studios, preferring to record at home, noting that his house is important to him, filled with antiques, and each room is painted in a nice bright or pastel colour. “We really wanted to base the album around that, and brand it with the home and my lifestyle, bring people into that just a little more too.”
Not only does he avoid the professional studios because he wants to do things his way, with his vision, but also because he finds the sound too perfect. Using another fantastic analogy, he likens recording older style country songs in modern studios to repainting vintage cars with metallic paint. “It’s still an old car, but in my opinion doesn’t look good anymore.” Whereas, his 1947 Dodge has original matte-gloss paint, which looks “much warmer and cosy,” something of which he wants to achieve with his recordings and looks to Dean Martin sonically for inspiration.
“There’s ‘New York, New York’ by Frank Sinatra that’s very clean and polished, and then you’ve got ‘Everybody Loves Somebody’ by Dean Martin, that’s got that warm, cosy sound, like you’re sitting by a fire.” In my head I can hear the difference, Frank’s is well-rehearsed, while Dean’s is rich and fuzzy. “Like you’re sitting by your fireplace, that’s what we want, we want that sound and that’s what the album is.” It then makes sense that One More Dollar to Go sounds like its meant to be played on a record player (or on the radio of a 1947 Dodge), as even through the digital mode of which I listened to it, I could hear that warmth. Jake also reassured that his new vinyl has that beloved fuzzy crackle to it.
But his dream is to one day record straight onto analogue tape, as it has that “warm warbly sound to it.” Which is unsurprising to hear, as he’s a young man with an impeccable eye and ear for detail, as well as an assured sense of self with what and how he wants to shape his career. “Everything you see is what I want to be doing. It is me and we will never stray from that. If anyone ever tries to take away our timeless appeal, then I guess I’m out of the business.”
This ethos extends to his fashion-sense, an envious collection of ’40s and ’50s suits, some vintage, some new, and a collection so big it bent the wooden rod in his closet. As someone myself who dresses in vintage and is inspired by the music I’m listening to, I was curious to know if this was the case for him. Does he wear specific suits for his albums? “I try to wear a little more laidback suits for this album in particular.”
Said suit is a pastel green number, a little less flashy than the checked one worn on Retro Man…More and More, 2024. “I wanted to get that same feel as the house, you know those pastel colours that are on the walls.” Nothing but appreciation for someone who matches their outfits to their lovely antique-filled home.
What he really loves to match with though are venues. He brings all his suits on tour with him, scopes out the venue, and then decides the best fit. “If it’s a sort of a dive venue, you know it was built in the 70s, and has water damage and all that, then I like to wear my cream/brown types of suits with the Ernest Tubb string ties.” He also has a suit which belonged to Wilf Carter, Canada’s answer to Hank Williams, and “one of the greatest country entertainers,” which he likes to wear at the venues Carter played at. As a vintage lover, this makes my heart sing, what a beautiful full-circle moment. I’m excited for what the Bush Hall suit match will be…
Is it rude to ask a singer their favourite song on their new album? Maybe, I assume it’s a bit like asking a parent or a teacher to pick their favourite child. But I was glad to have asked because the answer was quite beautiful. ‘Old White Home’ is the answer and is a lovely song with a sweet melody, about the old white farmhouse next to a lake he lived in as a small child and would someday like to see again. “I feel like it could be a bit of an emotional time, because I’ve heard stories that some things have fallen down, you know that it’s been sitting abandoned and overgrown and so when I was wondering about that, I did write that very simple song, ‘Old White Home’, just wondering if it’s still there, wondering what’s happened to it.”
He had also heard rumours that a logging company had bought the land and would demolish the house, the barn and the pontoon that sat with the lake. “That’s what the song is about: I wonder if it’s still standing there or have they taken it over to make a profit, you know?” After our chat, I went back and listened to ‘Old White Home’ and my newfound insight prompted memories of my great-grandparents’ house in Cork, with its orchard and a black horse named Molly. Unfortunately, it was knocked down for profit, and is why I’m hesitant to go back as I’d like to remember it the way it was with that house still intact. But what a nice little connection, and reminder of how powerful songs are with taking you back to times and places.
Not only is ‘Old White Home’ one of his favourite songs lyrically, but also because of its sound. “I know a lot of people like the fast songs, a lot of people probably think that we like the fast songs because we play a lot of fast bluegrass songs. But my favourite bluegrass songs are the slow ones,” he went on to explain further. “Not really slow, but the very happy melody ones with the guitar playing.” A style of guitar picking that’s been very influential on his unique style of playing.
“I’m very proud that I figured out [how] to play because I haven’t seen, and I’ve been told by many, that they haven’t seen anybody playing guitar like that for quite some time, which makes me happy that I can bring it back.” He cites Mother Maybelle Carter as not only “the most influential women of early country music,” but also as an inspiration for his style of guitar playing. “She invented that ‘Mother Maybelle Carter Scratch’, is what they call it.” Jake has a wealth of country and roots music history knowledge. “And I watch those old videos and listen to the records and try to come up with my version of it, and I believe I’ve gotten pretty close to it.” He also mentions that he uses this style on his favourite song, as he finds “that to be such a timeless wonderful warm sound, like we were talking about.”
Mother Maybelle’s influence doesn’t end at guitar picking, as her and the rest of the Carter Family’s start into music isn’t too dissimilar to his own. After prattling on about how his songs and style always sounds so, buzzword here, authentic, unlike some other singers who attempt “retro sounds” and miss the mark, sound like they’re trying too hard, Jake suggests that it was where he grew up that gave him this authenticity. “Just playing from neighbours coming from other farmyards down the road and us all playing together.” Like the Carter Family, he grew up in an area that was secluded; he listened to and played the music just like how it was around him. “It’s very down-to-earth rural country music, and that’s just the way they played it and that’s the way I play it. The only difference is that somebody hit the record button and recorded me doing it.”
In this homogeneous, digital age that strives for perfection and conformity, stamping out individual flair, Jake Vaadeland is a breath of fresh air. It is fantastic to see someone so young to be abundant with such confidence and direction, as well as having a clear and fun image. He uses elements of the past; the music, the clothing, the methods of recording, to bring into the future and creates a sense of timelessness. Jake Vaadeland is going to be an exciting one to watch, get in and see him quick. And don’t forget to clap!
Tickets to see Jake Vaadeland at London Bush Hall are available here. Listen to the new album from Jake Vaadeland, One More Dollar To Go here.
