Murray Wood: Who's hot... and who's not
Every Friday, Murray Wood takes a look at the week's news and decides who's not, and who's not. This week's list induces...
Beneath the glow of stage lights, Jake Vaadeland is a true performer, drawing applause and accolades for his unique country and bluegrass notes.
Back in Cut Knife, what matters most is the simple stillness he feels after closing his front door.
Read more:
- Sask. woman seeks dad’s lost 1968 Ford Galaxie before 80th birthday
- TikTok Canada halts arts sponsorships including with TIFF, Junos as shutdown looms
- Border Insecurity: Canadian musicians face volatile tour life under Trump
“I haven’t been home for a long time. Now I’m home, I get some good time off,” he said.
Homecomings have been rare for him.
This year, Vaadeland received a Juno, toured overseas, reached the top three in SiriusXM’s Top of the Country competition, and on Sept. 13, stood beneath the lights of Prospera Place in Kelowna, B.C., where he claimed Alternative Country Album of the Year at the Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) Awards for One More Dollar to Go.
“It would be our first CCMA award now, which is not a small deal by any means, but the Juno kind of got my head up in the clouds, you know, and so I haven’t quite gotten over that yet,” he said.
“It’s been an honour.”
Jake Vaadeland accepts the award for Alternative Country Album of the Year for One More Dollar to Go at the Canadian Country Music Association Awards in Kelowna, B.C., on Sept. 13, 2025. (Jake Vaadeland/Instagram)
Songs built from simplicity
Vaadeland’s music doesn’t come from sleek Nashville studios. His CCMA-winning record was tracked in his own space, guided by his guitarist’s ear and a sound tech’s steady hand.
“None of the recordings that we have (were) done in the studio … it’s all quite, quite simple and low budget,” he said.
“That seems to be the way that you get the best sounding, most wholesome, true to yourself, recording, in my opinion.”
The approach isn’t new.
His Juno-winning album Retro Man… More and More was produced the same way. Both succesful albums blend bluegrass speed and rockabilly grit.
Brothers on the road
But Vaadeland doesn’t stand alone. At every show, the Sturgeon River Boys surround him: Joel Rohs on guitar, Jaxon LaLonde on banjo, and Jake Smith on bass.
“They’re very important to me,” he said,
“Our job is to go out and put on shows all over the world …bring a show to as many people, as many countries, as many areas as possible and small communities included.”
The bond runs deeper than music. Months on the road have turned the four into family. They’ve learned each other’s rhythms, their friendship holding as tightly as their harmonies.
Still, Vaadeland bristles at how the industry overlooks them. Awards name him alone, and his bandmates are told to buy their own tickets. At the Junos and CCMAs, he ignored those instructions, pulling them onto the stage.
“Even if I’m told that I’m supposed to be the only one to go on stage to receive the award, I don’t care about that,” he said.
Jake Vaadeland and the Sturgeon River Boys perform during the Canadian Country Music Association Awards Gala. (Jake Vaadeland/Instagram)
Choosing the crowd over the cameras
Vaadeland is blunt about where his loyalty lies.
“I don’t really love the fact that you’ve got all these fans and these people that love the music, but you still have to put on a smile and impress the industry people that sit behind the desk and have never held an instrument in their life,” he said.
For him, success isn’t in accolades but in applause — the people who buy tickets, line up for records, and keep him on the road.
“I’d if I had to choose between that and the awards and the recognition … I would choose the audience over any of that because they’ve already bought the albums before they won the award,” he said.
“They were already successful.”
In a business that often chases shine, Vaadeland has staked his future on something sturdier: simplicity, loyalty, and connection.
“My job is an entertainer, and to work for them, to make them happy and make them smile,” he said.
“It’s all the audience’s. It’s all the fans.”
Jake Vaadeland performs as one of three national finalists in the SiriusXM’s Top of the Country competition in 2025. (Jake Vaadeland/Instagram)
Back home for Christmas
That connection will come full circle this fall when Vaadeland launches the second annual “Goodness Gracious, It’s Christmas!” tour.
It begins Nov. 27 in his hometown of Cut Knife — a rare chance for neighbours and friends to see him just down the street from where he grew up — before rolling through the rest of Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia and Manitoba.
Stops include North Battleford, Prince Albert, Saskatoon and Regina, alongside dates in Vancouver, Calgary, Penticton and Winnipeg.
“I’m just glad that they enjoy it enough to keep supporting it. And as long as they do, I’ll keep putting out the best product that I can [and] keep writing new music.”
For Vaadeland, it’s another chance to bring music back to the people who matter most. And this time, it starts at home.
He performs at Elk’s Theatre in Cut Knife on Nov. 27. On Dec.13, he will perform at Saskatoon’s TCU Place; Dec. 14 in Prince Albert; Dec. 17 at North Battleford; and Dec. 18 at Regina.
