Two opening acts, Tim & The Glory Boys and The Heels, will kick off the party at the annual Saturday night concert.
The organizers of the Niverville Olde Tyme Country Fair have announced the mainstage acts for this year’s big Saturday night concert. International, double-platinum country music star Jade Eagleson will be the main event, along with opening acts from Tim & The Glory Boys and queens of country pop The Heels.
One of the planners on the organizing committee, Dustin Krahn, is eager to talk about how the acts are selected each year.
“We are always keeping our ears to the ground, and we often try to catch artists that are on the rise and really breaking out,” says Krahn. “Jade Eagleson had a very big year in 2022 and was actually the top played Canadian country artist, so that definitely says something as to where he is headed. Tim & The Glory Boys also had a really big year, for that matter.”
Krahn says that he’s seen Eagleson live as recently as last summer and is excited to bring the neo-traditional country artist to his hometown.
“He has a really unique and captivating voice paired with an upbeat and more classic country sound, so that will be a very good show to catch!”
But why another country artist? Krahn is quick to answer this question, which seems to come every year.
“People often ask why it is always country,” he says. “That is the brand we’ve established and the audience that follows us and has grown to appreciate what we offer for entertainment.”
Though the committee’s goal is to attract a significant audience for Saturday night’s entertainment, they wouldn’t necessarily say they are setting out to book bigger and bigger names each year.
“Bigger names obviously come with more buzz and more excitement, but they also come with more risk and more cost,” Krahn explains. “So it isn’t as simple as just booking a bigger name. There is a good balance we try to find. We operate within our means and we do the best we can with the budget we have.”
The Saturday night concert requires a lot of planning to ensure that it is a fun and safe night for all. The committee says the effort is very much worthwhile because the music has become a highlight for many fairgoers. This is a key component when attracting other smaller attractions and entertainers. The combination is what makes the overall event successful.
“For a lot of people, [the concert] would absolutely be the highlight, whereas for other people it wouldn’t be,” says Krahn. “That said, it is a big part of what makes our fair work. Getting people through the gates is a very big part of what allows us to be able to bring in all the other kinds of great entertainment that we offer. The main concert always creates a lot of buzz and that is definitely something that helps us in the bigger picture.”
Krahn promises that crowds will also see local entertainment featured on the mainstage.
“Yes, there will be local bands on Friday and local bands in the beer gardens throughout the entire weekend. More info will be available on the full line-up in the coming weeks.”
Jade Eagleson
Originally from Ontario, Jade Eagleson stepped away from some of his duties on the family farm to pursue a long-time dream as a country music artist in 2017.
With the 2018 release of his debut single “Got Your Name On It,” Eagleson was featured as a YouTube trending Artist On The Rise and appeared on the website’s homepage, marking the first time a Canadian-signed artist in any genre received that honour.
Today, Eagleson’s songs have reached more than 270 million global streams and over 105 million views on YouTube. The music video for “Got Your Name On It” has been seen more than 80 million times, and counting. It’s become the first debut single by a Canadian artist to go platinum.
His self-titled album was released in 2020 and went on to achieve three gold- and two platinum-certified singles.
The 28-year-old Eagleson landed another three gold-certified tracks on his sophomore album Honkytonk Revival.
Honkytonk Revival also helped Eagleson kick off 2023 with his second Juno nomination for Country Album of the Year. In 2022, he received six nominations for the CCMA awards and took home the award for Top Selling Canadian Album.
In total, he’s had four songs hit number one on Canadian country radio and his 2022 single “She Don’t Know” recently reached number one on the Canadian country radio charts. A new single, “Shakin’ in Them Boots,” is currently climbing the charts.
Tim & The Glory Boys
Tim & The Glory Boys are a “Canadian gang of backwoods hillbillies with world-class facial hair and infectious on-stage energy,” according to their website. They have toured the world for more than a decade and have shared the stage with countless country, roots, and gospel artists.
In 2021, the two-time Juno award-winners achieved two CCMA nominations in the Group of the Year and Rising Star categories.
They have been entertaining live audiences around the world since 2013 with their unique blend of boot-stompin’ country, front porch jams, and a healthy dose of blue-collar humour.
The Heels
Known for their high-energy live shows and larger-than-life stage presence, The Heels are a trio from Vancouver who have earned a unique title: the Queens of Canadian Country Pop.
Together, Bobbi Smith, Brittni Dominelli, and Kyla Rawlins have a signature sound that is equal parts sassy and bold, as well as positive and empowering. Inspired by contemporary female artists such as Sheryl Crow, Carrie Underwood, and Whitney Houston, they combine classic country, gospel, and Motown styles to create a style of their own.
Their debut album Love, Heels was released in 2017 and the lead single, “Come Around,” propelled the band to prominence in western Canada.
In 2018, they performed at festivals including the Calgary Stampede and Sunfest Country Music Festival, and they received six nominations at the BC Country Music Awards, winning two!
The single “Hush Money” on their third album, I Am, has reached over a million views on TikTok while another single features Canadian country superstar Aaron Pritchett.
In 2022, they won a Josie Music Award for Best Country Trio and had the honour of performing on-stage at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.
Collectively and individually, music and healing have always been inseparable for The Heels, and in 2023 they were inspired to revolutionize their country sound, resulting in the recently released EP, Work of Heart. The album delivers chill-inducing vocal performances, with lyrics and hooks underpinned by perfectly balanced tones designed in keeping with the techniques of wellness sound therapy.
Altogether, The Heels deliver an energetic performance with characteristic enthusiasm and humour, attitude, and playfulness every time.
