LAKELAND - It's been another busy year for Brett Kissel. The country music star who is originally from the Flat Lake area, has been busy touring the country, celebrating the past decade of success, releasing a Christmas song, a new single, and this week returned from a trip to the Bahamas where he filmed a music video.
On Saturday, Kissel will play in front of a hometown crowd at the Bonnyville C2 Centre, where he expects plenty of family and friends to be in attendance. The show was strategically placed on his tour schedule just before the holiday break so there won't be any holding back, and no need to leave any fuel in the tank, he says.
Coming back to play a show at home is always the most exciting part of any tour, says Kissel. Back in the era of the Centerfield Music Festival, which took place in St. Paul, Kissel recalls it was always "the show of the summer."
With Bonnyville added to his current Compass Tour, he once again looks forward to the event as being "very much a reunion." While many in the region remember Kissel playing as a kid at various events, the Compass Tour specifically celebrates the past 10 years of musical success for Kissel. But when he plays in Bonnyville, it will be more of a 25-year celebration, acknowledging a career that began over two decades ago in community halls scattered across the Lakeland region.
At one point in the show, Kissel expresses his gratitude for the journey he has been on, and he is certain it will be even sweeter offering that gratitude in Bonnyville - in one of the communities where his journey started.
Speaking to his current tour, Kissel says most of the shows he's played have been sold-out, and it's been great to visit many of the communities he hasn't been to visit in several year. Kissel is a firm believer that the most important thing about being on tour is the connection he creates with his fans, and the crowds have equalled his intensity and excitement at all of his shows.
It's always a bit of a competition between “who can have more fun - me on stage or the crowd out there," says Kissel.
The holidays
With the Bonnyville show being the last before a much-needed holiday break, Kissel is looking forward to spending time with his family. It will be a jam-packed 10 to 12 days, bouncing between different homes, celebrating his grandparents' birthdays, ice fishing with his kids, and more - but it's one of his favourite things to do.
“I love being outdoors, especially with the kids," says Kissel, when asked what his favourite part of the holidays is. "As busy as it can be, I still love it.” The holidays are a magical time, not just for his kids, but for the older generation too. Kissel enjoys hearing stories told by his grandparents of Christmases from years ago and relishing those memories
In honour of the Christmas season, Kissel has also released a song this year - one that he's been playing for many years. The idea to re-write the popular Christmas song "I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas," into a more farmer-friendly version came about years ago.
A trip to Caouettes & Sons Implements - a farm equipment business in St. Paul - earlier this summer sparked some extra inspiration, and Kissel figured now was the right time to record the song, "I want a Massey Ferguson for Christmas."
Kissel also recorded a fun video of the song, featuring his kids, his grandfather who is affectionately known as Grandpa Bear, Santa Claus, and of course some shinny red tractors. Kissel also wears a bright red hooded shirt with the Caouette & Sons logo on the front throughout the video.
Although he is clearly a Massey Ferguson supporter, Kissel says the tractor brand was chosen for the song because it had the right number of syllables. He adds that was surrounded by other popular tractor brands in his time growing up on the farm.
The song has received a great response over the holiday season, and Massey Ferguson's head office based out of Georgia recommended creating the music video. The whole process was "really, really cool" says Kissel.
Popular single
Another recent highlight for Kissel has been the success his single "Two of Us." The song was recorded with TikTok star Cooper Alan, who after performing in Canada asked his fans which Canadian country music star he should write a song with.
Kissel was tagged in the TikTok post several times, and figured he would reach out. After some back and forth TikToking each other - just one week later the song was written. And just three weeks later, the pair played the song on the Canadian Country Music Awards (CCMAs).
While it's always a bit risky to play a brand new song for the first time in front of a live crowd, by the second verse, the crowd was singing along. Heading backstage after the performance, Kissel and Alan realized "we might have a hit," recalls Kissel.
And just days before playing the Bonnyville show, Kissel found himself in the Bahamas, recording a music video for the song, "Two of Us." The song is now climbing the charts and Kissel describes it as one of the funnest songs he's ever written.
Looking forward to 2024
After spending the holidays with family, Kissel will perform in Edmonton on New Year's Eve, and then it will be back to business as he hits the road to continue his Compass Tour. He says he's excited about the rest of the tour, and his family will be hopping on the bus with him, trekking across the country.
“It’s going to be busy," says Kissel, but he is excited to explore the country with his family, while doing what he loves.
