Brett Kissel Ahead of Bonnyville Show: “I’m gonna sing all night, then party all night”

Calling from the edge of a cliff in Cape Breton, Brett Kissel has enjoyed his extensive tour schedule.

The We Were That Song Tours (1+2) are the longest in Canadian country music history. Not only has he played over 100 shows in towns like Sedgewick or Port Hawkesbury, he’s also ventured to every province and territory along the way.

The motto for the trip: Why not?

“Every tour in Canada goes to the same big cities. They go to Edmonton and Calgary, Regina and Saskatoon, Vancouver, maybe Kelowna, and then you make your way east,” said Kissel.

“For us it was like, why not? There are country music fans everywhere and let’s make history with this thing. Let’s go out and play and make some amazing memories and see the Atlantic coast, the Pacific coast, and even, hey, why not the Arctic coast?”

While enjoying all of what Canada has to offer, Kissel announced last week that Bonnyville will be the final date of the tour on Dec. 7, roughly twenty years after his first time ever playing in public.

“My grandpa Lloyd, it was his birthday so we rented out the Neighborhood Inn in Bonnyville, and I played a song called the John Deere Tractor Keys by Danny Hooper.

“I played another song kind of karaoke style called Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident) by John Michael Montogomery. It was so fun. I kind of got the bug, playing in front of friends and family everyone was kind of cheering me on.

“And then it wasn’t much later I played at the Bonnyville Pro Rodeo. They had a cowboy poetry gathering at the old Agriplex where the C2 is now. I played like two songs and I think I was hooked ever since.”

The former BCHS student says that things couldn’t be busier or better.

His wife, Cecilia, is due with their third child at the end of the tour.

Musically, he’s been linked with Serena Ryder, and writing his next record.

“I’ve been writing a lot and listening to a lot of songs, some written for me by a lot of my friends in Nashville. I’m really excited about new music and making this record the best one yet, and quite frankly twice, three times, four times, ten times better than anything I’ve ever done. That’s a big goal for me.”

It was always his intention to end the tour in Bonnyville, and he says it’s going to be a wild time.

“You can’t discount the fact that all my buddies are going to be there, all my cousins are going to be there, and we don’t have a show the next day. I don’t have to save myself or my voice, or my energy or anything for the next day. I’m gonna sing all night, then party all night. We’ve got the entire weekend to just chill, visit, and have fun, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do.”

General admission tickets are almost sold out, but VIP tables are still available. If interested email bonnyville@brettkissel.com.