Blake Berglund took a risk last year. Instead of heading into the studio to record a perfectly thought out and edited album, he filled the Jasper Legion with a rowdy crowd of country music fans and pressed record.
A year later to the day, the Canadian country star is heading back to the legion to release his live recording, Jasper. Although he’d like to take credit for the timing, Berglund said it wasn’t planned; everything worked out serendipitously.
“It turned out awesome,” he said. “Jasper was the perfect place to record it, and it’s the perfect place to release it.
“The legion has that perfect mixture of chill factor—everybody’s calm and cool and not stressed out about anything—but, with that said, it’s also rowdy as hell. It’s the perfect mix.”
Despite Jasper’s perfection, Berglund is quick to admit the recording process was a bit stressful. As a musician who’s used to sitting in a studio perfecting each and every note, it was difficult for him to let go.
“It’s an uncontrolled environment. You can’t control what people are going to say to you while microphones are on and how you react to that. So going into a live album, that is one of the things that you have to release.
“You play on your feet.”
And what you get is what you get, even if that means including the awkward moments; like, when an audience members yells out, “where you from, anyway?” right after you’ve shared a story about your hometown.
It’s that kind of rawness that almost had Berglund scrap the project all together. It wasn’t the safe move to make; he knew that. But, after receiving some positive feedback from people in the industry, he and his band, the Vultures, ran with it.
“We’ve become a live band; we’re on the road over 150 days a year. It’s our entity. It’s who we are. So, why give the fans an in-studio product when we can just let it rip and give them a live show?”
Plus, he said, there’s something special about releasing a live album. It gives people an opportunity to experience the environment and the people, as well as the music.
“When we first started to mix it and we listened back to the tracks, there were so many nice little magical moments where someone in the crowd says something and you respond just like any live show.
“The crowd was just great. The crowd in Jasper adapts to the act that they’re listening to. Someone can come in that expects a listening crowd and the crowd gives them a listening response. They sit and digest the words and show appreciation. Then we come in and we want a rowdy crowd that’s yelling and drinking and dancing and that’s what we get.”
Berglund will take the stage at the Jasper Legion Friday, Aug. 15. The performance is the first in a series of pre-release shows that will take him across the country.
On Saturday, Aug. 16, he will also play the Jasper Heritage Rodeo dance at the Jasper Activity Centre.
This is his second year rockin’ the rodeo and he said he’s pumped to be back.
“The rodeo crowd—they’re completely off their rockers. They’re the most satisfying people to play for.”
Nicole Veerman
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