It's been almost a year and a half since New Country 94 arrived in Ottawa and one thing is clear, they are doing everything in their power to help fun remember Ottawa and if the party they had on Thursday was any indication...it's working!
We were graciously given a VIP invite to their exclusive party which featured stellar performances by country chart toppers Chris Lane, High Valley and Dean Brody.
Chris Lane
North Carolina native, Chris Lane, kicked off the show in style with a high octane performance that easily rivaled any modern day rock show.
Lane's show mixed country with rock with a little bit...ok a lot...of boy band that surprisingly didn't suck, actually to be honest it was really really good and made Chris my hands down favourite act of the night. His current single, Fix, is a catchy tune when you hear it on the radio but I have to say hearing it and seeing it performed live was so much better.
Although Lane is a relative newcomer to the country music charts a quick Google search shows that he has spent a long time perfecting and tweaking his performance including an audition for American Idol in 2007 with his twin brother Cory that didn't go so well. Thankfully about a year later Chris connected with Seth England of Big Loud Mountain and the rest, as they say, is history.
High Valley
Following Lane were Alberta boys Brand and Curtis Rempel also known as High Valley. Their set was much more toned down compared to that of Chris Lane. The duo opened their show with my personal favourite "Come on Down" which I broadcast on Periscope and actually netted a follower from the UK where Brand and Curtis recently spent some time. Just this past October High Valley signed with Atlantic Records Nashville and their debut single in the US, "Make You Mine", reached the top 40 on the US Country Airplay charts.
Over the course of their set the Brand and Curtis took the crowd through 6 years of High Valley singles from 2010's "On The Combine" all the way to their current single "Be You".
Dean Brody
The man headlining the evening's festivities needs no introduction, and no I don't mean Ryan Lindsay, as he and Paul Brandt just passed through Ottawa on a Road Trip last fall. Dean Brody was the cherry on top of an incredible evening. Having been a Dean Brody fan since my wife first played me "Trail In Life" (I'm adopted and had just met my biological mother so the bond with the song was immediate) but seeing him in concert has always managed to elude me. I did manage to catch him with Paul Brandt in Ottawa but a show at the Canadian Tire Centre vs a show at the incredibly intimate Algonquin Commons Theatre can't be matched.
When you have as many big songs as Dean Brody does it must be impossible to put together a setlist for a show, you simply can't play them all. Either way when you see Dean perform you're in for a great show and Thursday was no different. It was hit after hit starting from "Bounty" all the way to his current single "Monterey". Brody told the crowd that he's been working in Nashville on new music and that a new album, his sixth, is on the way. Dean Brody is this year's headliner for Coors Banquet's 2nd annual One Horse Town competition along with Chad Brownlee and The River Town Saints. Nominations close on May 13 and until then Coors will donate $5 (up to $25k) for every #OneHorseTown nomination received to the relief effort in Fort McMurray.
My heartfelt thanks to the incredible people at Ottawa's New Country 94; Ryan, Mary-Anne, Brittany, PJ, Matt, Dayna and everyone behind the scenes for their ongoing support for what we are doing here at Sound Check Entertainment and for, once again, allowing my wife and I to join you at another incredible event. On behalf of all other country fans in Ottawa thank you for everything you are doing to help bring incredible talent back to our fine city! Also thanks for allowing us to use Sean's incredible pictures from the event!
Make sure you bookmark their website and lock it in at 93.9 so that you don't miss out on their next incredible event, you'll be glad you did!
Field Service Tech by day, Live Music Nut by night! My family and I call the Thousand Islands region of Ontario home. I'm a blogger, social media geek, tech, and live music fanatic. I founded Sound Check Entertainment in 2010 to help promote festivals and emerging artists from across Canada and the world! I now act as festivals liaison, manage media relations and, of course, cover events in the National Capital region. I'm also a diehard Habs fan but Sens fans fear not; as long as they aren't playing against my Habs I cheer just as loud for the Sens.
