Recently we have spent a bit of time enjoying live country music.

I would like to tell you a bit about Evan Baxter. We have been friends with Evan’s grandparents for many years. Evan was raised on a farm near Demaine / Beechy, Saskatchewan. He was introduced to music early as it’s always been his dad’s passion. After graduating from high school a year ago, Evan made the decision to take a shot at a music career. He has performed at a number of venues and his first single, The Show, is available on most platforms.

In September, Evan was invited to perform at the Saskatchewan Country Music Association’s Showcase during the CCMA Week in Edmonton. We were excited to have the chance to see Evan perform and also, to have a visit with his dad, Kirt.

We were very impressed with Evan’s music. During his 45 minute performance, he presented five original numbers as well as a number of covers. He has a powerful, unique voice. His original numbers are well put together, telling interesting stories with great music. On the covers he performed, Evan added some excellent personal twists. We watched a side of Evan where it was his strong vocal and guitar skills that connected with the audience. But we have also seen videos of another side of his music where he performs with a full band and gets the crowd rocking.

We wish Evan the best in his future. If you are interested in learning more and hearing his music, please visit Evan Baxter Music at evanbaxtermusic.com.

A few days after Evan’s performance, we travelled to the southern U.S. for a few days. I’ll post a few of the highlights of the trip in another blog, but as you can imagine, country music is everywhere in this area. Let me tell you about a few encounters we had.

In Louisville, Kentucky, we took an afternoon riverboat cruise. The entertainment was provided by the Juggernaut Jug Band. These gentlemen have performed together for many years and their repertoire spans popular and obscure tunes, traditional jug band fare, originals and even a few rock and roll classics. We were sitting on the upper deck so didn’t watch much of their performance, but it was broadcast through the vessel and it was fun to listen to.

On a Sunday afternoon drive through the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia, we stopped at the Big Walker Lookout Country Store where Jim Crandall was providing folk music on the store veranda. Originally from Whitefish, Montana, Jim performs what he calls American Folkage. We had a little chat about Ian Tyson after he sang a nice rendition of Four Strong Winds.

Prior to the Bass Pro Sports 500 NASCAR race at Bristol Motor Speedway, there was a concert by Tim Dugger. Alabama-native Tim Dugger is a singer/songwriter-writer who grew up on NASCAR racing, Gospel singing and classic country music. He developed a genuine love for songwriting and storytelling during summers spent at his local music store jamming with bluegrass pickers. Tim presented an entertaining 45 minutes of his original music and covers of crowd favourites.

In Nashville, we spent an afternoon and evening on Lower Broadway, the heart of country music. As you walk down this avenue, live music comes from the open windows of every club.

We stopped in at Friends in Low Places, the new honky-tonk bar owned by Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood (for a great look at the creation of this club, check out the series on Prime). Live music was happening on two different levels. As we sipped our Pina Coladas in the Oasis, we enjoyed the music of Ben Law. We also checked out Christian Lee & Sara Spicer as well as Liam Coleman in the main floor Honky-Tonk.

Music is really everywhere in Nashville. As we enjoyed a bbq sandwich in the Assembly Food Hall, we were entertained by the music of Sam Mullins.

It was a fun few days of country music! We hope you find something you like with these up and coming artists.

Cheers,

Bev & Harvey