Brett Kissel Interview

I had the lovely opportunity to chat with Brett Kissel last week. One of the bouncier country stars I’ve ever had the pleasure of interviewing for sure!

 

River Country, is this Brett?

yes, it is sorry for my delay.

 

No worries How you doing this morning?

Honestly really good, really good. It’s great to be back in the saddle and doing press and talking about all the shows that are coming up, obviously (promoting) make a life not a living. It’s really, really great. Like I said, just be back in the saddle, you know, and how are you?

 

I’m doing terrific. I mean, better now. I guess let’s just get right into it. How was your year? You were very productive. Tell me how your year went?

Well, it’s a different one, I’ll tell you that for free. I mean, it’s so crazy to think about the things that we ended up doing and the stuff that we did accomplish. You know, in the last 12 to 18 months. our drive-in shows were amazing, some of the best memories I’ve ever had in my life, getting a chance to bring live music back in that way. But now that we see light at the end of the tunnel, or here in Alberta, I think we’re obviously experiencing some of the sunshine and the freedoms that we’ve been missing out on. I’m so so happy that the Calgary Stampede is back and we get to play. I’m so excited to be talking to my agent on a regular basis about “Okay, looks like we’ve got these upcoming dates. So it looks like we’ve got a tour that is going to be planned and looks like we’ve got all of these great, great things.” So I mean, you’ve got a very, very happy country singer on the phone with you right now. Because it looks like things are truly looking up.

 

Yeah, I can tell you sound very happy, you’re gonna be hitting the main stage in my beautiful hometown of Calgary, Alberta. But what does it mean for you personally, to be out there hitting the stage again?

it’s emotional, it’s really difficult to put it into words, because it’s something that I’ve been waiting for for so long. But I know that everybody who’s got a ticket for the show, everybody’s going to be waiting in line, everybody’s going to experience what I am going to bring on stage. I know that they feel the exact same way, in terms of the excitement, the anticipation, all of those feelings are going to come flooding back to everybody. And so there’s going to be this very, very healthy, I’ll call a competition between me and my crowd at the Calgary Stampede, where every ounce of energy and excitement that I’m going to give to the crowd, I know they’re going to give back to me double! so then it’s going to be important for me to one up them again. And then I think the more energy that I give them, the more energy they’re going to give me back until I truly believe we’re going to blow the roof off of the Nashville North tent.

 

Yeah, I think it’s gonna be incredible. We’re getting back out here and open people are very excited to be partying I think a lot of people their first party back might be might be with you and Nashville 

Yeah. And it’s gonna be epic.

 

 Well, I wanted to ask you a little bit change a topic? Where is home these days? Are you back in Nashville? Are you still hanging out in Canada?

No, I’ve not been back to Nashville. We’ve really enjoyed our time here in Canada. At the same time, it’s very interesting, because as things were going on in the United States at the later part of 2020, especially around the election, I was so so happy to be in Canada, because I thought you know what, in the United States really gotta get their stuff together. Like it’s, they got to get it together down there. And then, as things have been so delayed in Canada, and the lockdowns have continued. And I believe that so many of us have been wanting to just get back to normal life, yet we haven’t been able to do it. And there’s been so much hypocrisy in government, there’s been so many challenges that have happened, you know, in so many things that a lot of us are raising our eyebrows on. just good Alberta people and thinking, this doesn’t make sense! I’m thinking to myself as I’m watching my buddies in the United States play concerts, and I’m watching my friends in the United States go out and eat dinner and golf and have fun and, and have parties and I’m thinking to myself, here in Canada, we need to get it together. So it’s crazy how things have flipped flopped. That being said, the question was, where am I? I’m in Alberta and spending a lot of time on my ranch, my family ranch up in St. Paul area. So it has been great to at least be in a spot where there’s a lot of freedom when you’ve got a farm. And so I can go out on my four wheeler, I can go out on my Quad to go check out, I can go fishing, I can go hunting, I could just be with nature and be out in the bush. And I know a lot of people in the Peace Country get the opportunity to live that lifestyle. So we’re definitely got a lot in common for sure.

 

Awesome. Well, I’m glad to hear that you’re out back home hanging out. Actually on that topic, I was asking the listeners here for some questions if they had anything to ask you. And Cindy wanted to ask is: how has being an albertan boy influenced you in your music and your career path?

Well, that’s a great question from Cindy and I would talk a lot about the work ethic because I’m very proud of the landscape, and I’m very proud of the lifestyle I’ve been able to live here in Alberta. And being an Albertan, obviously does come through in my music. But as far as an artist and entrepreneur and an entertainer is concerned, I’m very proud of the work ethic that was instilled in me by a lot of my families that have worked in, you know, oil and gas and the energy sector. You know, my grandparents and my dad, who were cattle ranchers, and farmers. where everything that we ever got in our lives was because we worked hard. If we didn’t work hard, we didn’t eat, if we didn’t work hard, we didn’t get paid. So I’m very, very grateful to have those types of people to look up to. And I try to take the same approach to my music, to be a hard worker to be somebody who has a lot of gratitude, but knows that if I want to be successful in this business, it’s not going to come from somebody else giving me a handout, it’s going to come from me waking up early in the morning, and get into work. So I believe a lot of people, if not everybody in our province has that type of attitude, which is why I’m very proud of, you know, all of my family, all of my friends, and all of my fellow Albertans.

 

Awesome. Well, I’m glad to hear it, we’re proud to have you. a little bit a Change of topic here. Newest album, What Is Life, it’s been out for a couple months now. Covers a large range of topics inside that bigger one that’s like right there in the name. Now that it’s been stewing out there for a little bit. Do you feel like you’re maybe closer to an answer to that question?

Every time I think that I’m closer to finding the answer to the question, “What is life?” Every time I think I get closer, I realize actually how far away I am. And that’s the beauty of it. is the quest, the journey, asking the questions that lead to even more questions, getting an opportunity to sit down with a lot of people, you know, that are my elders, my grandparents and ask them about the olden days. Ask them about what they believe the secret to life is now that they’re in their 80s. Or get an opportunity to ask somebody who’s young and innocent. And, you know, maybe hasn’t been able to be jaded by you know, some of the frustrations that you can experience in this world and get a chance to ask my kids, especially my daughter, Mila, who’s five years old and asked her what is life. And she talks about joy, she talks about happiness, and family and friends and love and hugs and kisses. And it’s crazy. As a five year old, she may have the answer. It is all of those things.

 

Yeah, that’s beautiful. I like that a lot. 

Do you have any plans for the remainder of the year?

Oh my god, so many plans, you know, at all of the things that we wanted to do in 2019 and 2020, that, you know, we didn’t get a chance to do or we planned in 2019 that were going to happen, you know, at the beginning of the pandemic, which obviously got taken away. Well, now we’ve had an opportunity to just think about these things. plan now for 18 extra months, and now I get a chance to go out and hit the road. So we’ve got a lot of great shows that are going to be coming up and a lot of big ideas that I probably can’t share right now. But if you stay close to my social media, a lot of big announcements are going to be coming up on Instagram

 

Something bigs cooking! Hopefully.

I’ll maybe just ask a few quick questions. I was told I was informed that you are a fellow funky sock wearer. What you’re rocking today in the sock department?

Great question. I got little crabs. Little Red crabs. I got these socks in Florida. My daughter picked them out at a little gift shop. So little red crabs are crawling all over my feet today.

 

Awesome. Do you have any exciting new ones they got recently for birthday or something?

You know I got two sock drawers which is crazy. I get so many and I get so many from fans too, because they know that so I’m also predicting that during the Calgary Stampede when I play, a lot of people are going to get me like rodeo inspired socks and horses and horseshoes and Chuck wagons and I don’t know probably whiskey bottles and cowboy hats and stuff like that I think i’ve got probably one of the most extraordinary sock collections of anybody you may know.

 

 It might even rival mine perhaps

 what and what did you have some? I mean, depending on the weather, you might be in flip flops, but what you got on your feet today?

 

today, I got some various animals who are dressed up as astronauts.

 Yeah, it’s the more random the better for me. 

 

Yeah, it’s a lot of fun. A little bit of customization. 

Alright, last question. This is one that I asked everybody just because I like hearing the answers for it. What is, in as much detail as possible, the correct process for making a peanut butter jelly sandwich?

Well, for me first you got to toast the bread. I don’t like a soggy sandwich. So I like good crisp. So I like toasting good bread. My wife is Incredible at making homemade bread. So I’ve got her homemade bread, thinly sliced, not too sick but thinly sliced, put it in the toaster on about, if it’s on a scale of one to 10, like a three or a four, so not super dark, crispy, but enough for a crunch. Then I actually like to butter the bread so I get a little bit of that saltiness. Then I put in the peanut butter and I like crunchy peanut butter. So I’ve got the peanuts. Then I use homemade jam or homemade jelly. I don’t like to store bought stuff anymore. My wife makes incredible homemade jam. So I’m big into some of the unique flavors like rhubarb, or something like a blackberry or Saskatoon Berry. Lately, I made one the other day, Saskatoon berry on top of the peanuts, and then you put your you know, obviously your second slice of toast on top. Now you get that crisp like it’s gourmet. 

If you’re just the guy who just gets two slices of bread, peanut butter, jelly, and slaps it together in 20 seconds, you’re doing yourself a disservice because you can take it across the finish line in a much more extravagant way. So that’s how I would describe the best peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

 

I’m very glad that you had a thought out answer. And I you know, I never heard of people putting butter on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. But would you believe Aaron Goodman told me the exact same thing not an hour ago?

Did he really?

it must be an Alberta thing. It must be your we’re both from up north. I’m from the northeast. He’s from the northwest. And he’s a good guy. And he’s a smart guy. So he even went up an extra notch in my books because obviously, we like the same things.

 

Wow. So two for two I’m putting butter in PB and J’s you heard it here first. 

Do you have anything else that you want to say to our river country listeners before I let you go?

Well(…) when I do come back up to the area, which I will. We’re working on an opportunity to play very soon. When that happens. And tickets go on sale. The way the tickets have been selling in Calgary or my shows in Ontario or Quebec. Like they go fast. So when that happens, don’t delay. Don’t be on the fence about it. Don’t be like oh, I don’t know. Maybe we’ll see. make the choice. Get the tickets. Let’s party together and let’s make up for lost time. That’s probably the only thing I want to say.

 

Awesome. I look forward to seeing you up here. Once again. I look forward to seeing you in the stampede as well. 

You betcha. Well, thank you for this. Hope you have a good one. 

 

Yes. Have a wonderful rest of your day. 

You betcha. See ya buddy!