In The Country With Dave Woods

Born and raised on a farm just north of Airdrie, Alberta, Mark Lorenz lived and breathed the country life. Learning to ride a horse and drive a tractor was an everyday activity. Mark’s parents raised and trained Pure Breed Morgan Horses. As a family they would tour across Western Canada and the United States showing. The highway was already calling Mark’s name… but it would take a few more years, and a dare for Mark to understand why… “When I was 17, some friends and I were shopping for a birthday present for a buddy that had everything. We were walking through a mall in Calgary, and came across a small recording studio. After some taunting, maybe even a couple of chicken calls, I ended up recording a song. And the rest is history.” After recording his first song, Mark was approached by the recording engineer and asked if he wanted to enter a local singing contest. “I wasn’t sure what to say… I said I didn’t know, but as usual my friends were there to talk me into it…” Mark won that singing contest. In 20

Quinton Blair - Manitoba Country Music Association Roots Artist of the Year (2015) - is a self-ordained troubadour, tale-spinner and songwriter. Imagine Steve Earle jamming with Dwight Yoakam, minus the burden of fame. Influenced by the likes of Rodney Crowell and Merle Haggard, his brand of strikingly diverse roots/country music casts a wide loop, and captivates audiences with witty stories and relatable songs.   The authenticity of Quinton shines through in the many formats in which he travels. As a solo artist, he relies on his guitar, witty stories, and keen ability to capture the crowd night after night. He is often joined by good friend Bill Western Jr on pedal steel, where the chemistry and musical backbone of this combination lends to an unpredictably charming experience. Through the summer months, Blair is most often seen moving his full honky tonk band back and forth across the prairies.   The new EP, Cash Crop, released in April 2016, boasts elements of soul, heartland roots, country, and rock, a

From early in her career, Amy Nelson has performed at events across Canada such as the Calgary Stampede, Craven Country Jamboree, and even opened for country stars like Terri Clark and George Canyon. She has also performed internationally in the United States and in Mexico. A career highlight for Amy was performing at the Canada Day celebrations in London, England. While on stage, representing all of Canada in Trafalgar Square, she says will never forget the feeling facing a sea of people dressed in red and white. She continues on to say that performance was the first time when she was covered in goose bumps and reminded of why all her hard work is worth it. Amy never loses sight of that connection with her audience and always gives a performance to remember. Amy chats with me from Nashville about songwriitng and working on her third CD. It'll be produced by Dan Swinimer. She's also a CCMA Spotlight Performance Finalist. Tune in to hear about that & much more on this ediiton of In The Country!         

Ever since he was young, it was clear that Bruin was destined to be a part of the country music world.  As a baby, he would easily be mesmerized by the upbeat sound of Marty Stuart's song Hey Baby along with the tunes other popular Country music artists played on the television at the time. It was his strong connection with the music of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, though, that truly had him hooked on Country music, and ultimately inspired him to start playing. By the time he attended his first concert (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band) at the age of three, Bruin had already mastered air­strumming on the flyswatter and belting out his favourite tunes. At the age of nine, after showing rhythmic ability, Bruin received his first drumset; passed down from his uncle. He started drumming regularly at his church services, playing alongside his mother, the church's organist.  Fast forward to present: the Saskatchewan native has performed across western Canada and even into the United States, sharing the stage with award winn

Born in Calgary and raised in Thunder Bay, Lauren Mayell's entry into Country music quickly occurred while accompanying her grandparents – highly sought after musicians in their own right – to their various and many, Eastern Ontario live performances. Encouraged by her “Pure Country” belt buckle-wearing grandfather to sing, Lauren did, and she hasn’t stopped. Through the support and love of her family, the eventual loss of her beloved grandparents, and facilitating a promise in obtaining a University degree, Lauren’s commitment to country music remained unwavering.  Nominated for Alberta Country Music Association’s Female Country Artist of the Year (2012, 2014-15), Lauren was also nominated as ACMA’s Fan’s Choice of the Year for 2012 through to 2014 consecutively. Having opened for Wes Mack, Dean Brody and Dr. Hook, Lauren’s drive and discipline has garnered her additional friends and fans while Nashville music industry executives raise their country eyebrows and declare their interest to align with Canada’s

Jessica Mitchell's debut EP Hold Onto The Light was released April 1, 2016. Produced by Grammy-nominated producer Dave Brainard (Brandy Clark, Jerrod Niemann) and co-written with Luke Sheets (Plumb), her lead off track Grown Up Things is a soul-searching song about loss and change, of not wanting to deal with the curve balls that life throws at us – a feeling that most people have had at some point in their lives. When listening to her music, she makes it very easy for you to latch onto her inviting melodies and the genuine, soulful nature of her words.The rich tone and hopefulness in her voice grabs you and pulls you in. After signing a publishing deal with Slaight Music Publishing and management deal with RGK Entertainment (Cord Lund, Dean Brody, Tim Hicks), Jessica embarked on several writing trips to Nashville where she found herself inspired by the raw honesty and storytelling nature of the country music genre. She has opened many times for Tom Cochrane and spent the last few years travelling between T

From his blue collar roots working at the age of 8 years old in a fish plant in Newfoundland, to roughing it on oil rigs, the experiences lived by Country artist Brad Saunders are the scenes and life stories from which his music is derived. Once you’ve experienced the unique sound and style that he brings to the table musically, it is immediately apparent that he was born to be a musician. He proudly credits his father for passing on music to him at a young age. In fact, some of Brad’s earliest memories are of his father strumming his guitar to put Brad and his brothers to sleep at night. In this act, the stage was set early on and would become the foundation of Brad’s musical pursuits. Over the last year, Brad has spent a lot of his time working in Nashville, writing with some of the towns most reputable song writers such as: Phil O’Donnell, Bruce Wallace, Ole Publishing, and many others. Brad is currently in development with Jeff Ojeda of Chief Music Management: Florida Georgia Line, Chris Lane, Dallas Smi

The Chris Buck Band is the BC Country Music Association (BCCMA) 2014/ 2015 Country Club Act of the Year and 2015 Group/Duo of the year. They have performed over 100 live shows this past year. The guys are quickly becoming known as one of the busiest country performers on the west coast of Canada and have also had the opportunity to open for such artists as Sam Hunt, Thomas Rhett, Colt Ford and The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band to name a few. Their live show is fun, energetic and it will be hard to sit still when they're on stage! Chris Buck Band didn’t always play and perform their own music.The band was formed when Chris Buck lost his best buddy to cancer at the age of 13. Music was a big inspiration and healing process for Chris. “I decided to pursue music harder then ever at that time and began writing and playing guitar almost everyday and started a cover band.” Playing in a cover band for over 8 years now has really helped them learn how to perform and eventually led them to become one of the busiest bands in

Country artist Nikki Shae - from Ontario and now living in Nashville - is reaching out to her fans to help get her music heard! She's enjoying a successful Indiegogo campaign to help fund her radio promotion and publicity for her EP Let Me Love You produced by famed producer (Dolly Parton) Kent Wells. You'll not only hear her beautiful voice on the EP, you'll also hear her songwriting talent. And several of the songs are co-writes with well-known producer/artist/songwriter Beau Fuller. Tune in to hear about life in Nashville, making music and reaching out to fans to be part of this great journey she's on. This is Nikki's Indiegogo page: www.indiegogo.com/projects/nikki-shae-s-radio-and-marketing-campaign# Visit her at her website at: www.nikkishae.com

Thanks for tuning in to this episode of In The Country! Be sure to download past and present episodes of the show for free at iTunes. The Abrams - brothers John and James - have a self-titled EP released on May 20th available at iTunes.  It features the catchy, feel good first single Fine. Check out the cool video for the song at YouTube. John Abrams tells me about the brothers' experience on the Opry back in 2005. Great story. But up first on the podcast, Robin Leblanc joins me to chat about the constanty growing popularity of craft breweries. She is one of the authors of The Ontario Craft Beer Guide. She's also a columinst for Metroland North Media and Torontoist. Check her out online atwww.thethirstywench.com.

TIN PAN NORTH - in its 17th year - is Ontario’s largest 3-day songwriters festival and is a celebration of original songwriting with intimate shows held in the GTA over three nights. You'll get to experience Nashville-style songwriters rounds - and hear the stories behind the songs.  In addition to showcasing local talent, each show features big-name celebrity headliners - heavy hitters in the songwriting world whose work exemplifies excellence in the craft of songwriting, One of the NSAI/Tin Pan North organizers Dan McVeigh - with NSAI Toronto since 1994 - joins me on the show to discuss this successful annual event. We'll feature music from headliners Small Town Pistols & Gil Grand on the show.  Special guests on the show include Tin Pan North performers & well-known artists Genevieve Fisher & Thomas Wade. Purchase your tickets for Tin Pan North atwww.nsaitoronto.com

In 1997, Sudbury, Ontario's Gil Grand signed a music publishing deal with TMP out of Toronto, Canada headed by Frank Davies and moved to Nashville. Within just a few months of his arrival, he secured two cuts, Love Trip with Virgin recording artist Jerry Kilgore and On Again Off Again with MCA recording artist Tracy Byrd. His songwriting skills and singing ability immediately caught the attention of top record executives, and he soon signed a major U.S. record deal with Sony Music Nashville’s Monument Records.His debut album, Famous First Words, gained the respect and accolades of the country music industry on both sides of the border. On the strength of that record, he received three CCMA nods, including Male Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year and Wrangler Rising Star. His impressive sophomore effort 'Burnin' netted him five CCMA nominations, including Single of the Year, Song of the Year, Video of the Year and Album of the Year, with Grand taking home the award for Male Vocalist of the Year. In 200

George Canyon released a brand new album in February 2016 called I Got This. It features the title track as the first single as well as the second single called Daughters Of The Sun. The album is available at iTunes. “I wanted to create a record that was fun to play, and exciting for the fans to listen to. It’s been a while since I’ve had an album of new original songs, and these songs put a smile on my face,” says the talented Canadian Country artist. He started the year off with a very successful cross-Canada tour called the Jekyll and Nothing To Hide Tour. In 2015, George was inducted into the Nova Scotia Country Music Hall Of Fame. Tune in to hear George discuss his latest album, working with Richard Marx, writing songs with Gord Bamford and more! Plus, you'll hear two songs from I Got This.  Visit George online at www.georgecanyon.com.  

As a professional Nashville songwriter since 1978, Byron Hill has written songs released on seventy-seven RIAA certified Gold and Platinum albums and singles, earning ten ASCAP awards, thirty-two U.S. and Canadian top-ten chart hits, and numerous hits in other worldwide markets. Since signing his first publishing deal in Nashville in 1978, his recorded catalog spans 4 decades and includes more than 700 recordings of his songs recorded by Ray Charles, Alabama, George Strait, Jason Aldean, Mark Chesnutt, Kenny Rogers, Don Williams, John Michael Montgomery, Anne Murray, Juice Newton, Joe Nichols, Randy Travis, Keith Whitley, Gary Allan, Rhonda Vincent, Johnny Lee, Blackhawk, Tracy Byrd, Neal McCoy, Trace Adkins, Tommy Overstreet, Gil Grand, Asleep At The Wheel, Dionne Warwick, George Jones, Toby Keith, Gene Watson, Margo Smith, Tom Wopat, Mark Wills, The Kendalls, Porter Wagoner, Reba McEntire, Sammy Kershaw, Ed Bruce, Moe Bandy, Clint Eastwood, Gord Bamford, Joe Diffie, Brooks & Dunn, The Road Hammers, Con

Ontario's Jason McCoy returns to host the CMAO Awards Show for the third year in a row. Along with hosting, he'll take to the stage with his band The Road Hammers and the one and only Tim Hicks for a special collaboration!  This year's performers include Autumn Hill, Cold Creek County, Runaway Angel, Leah Daniels and Meghan Patrick. And, once again, the house band is the always incredible The Western Swing Authority. Jason chats with me on the show about two of his songs - Ten Million Teardrops & I Lie - plus he reflects on the great talent in Ontario, appearing on the Opry, the influence of Merle Haggard, how he aproaches songwriting & much more. Visit the CMAO atwww.cmaontario.com

Madelyn Victoria grew up in Texas, performing in public for the first time, during a local Christmas Pageant, at age 5. She continued performing and singing throughout her youth, at local competitions and pageants, earning awards and recognition as one of the area’s top young performers. Her passion for songwriting began at age 13. In 2007, Madelyn competed in the Modeling Association of America International Competition and Convention in New York, where she won the vocal competition, singing Sara Evans’ hit “Real Fine Place to Start.” That same year, Madelyn auditioned to perform with the Radio Disney Superstars of Dallas, was selected, and opened for pop boy band sensation, The Jonas Brothers. In high school, Madelyn studied both Opera and Mariachi, winning accolades in both categories, all the while honing her guitar skills. In December of 2012, Madelyn performed in Las Vegas (Planet Hollywood and at the NFR Rodeo) as the Shania Twain Sing-Off Contest Winner.        Madelyn’s latest single release with St

Country artist Stevie Jewel is back at Country radio with her latest single Off The Market. Her sound is described as Katy Perry meets Country with a twist of Southern rock. She's equally comfortable on stage as she is comfortable writing a hit song. Stevie is finishing her last year of school at Belmont University in Nashville from which Brad Paisley, Florida Georgia Line and many others have graduated. Tune in and get to know this talented singer-songwriter and hear a couple of her songs. Get more episodes of In The Country at www.inthecountryinterviews.com and at iTunes.      

A little serendipity mixed with an abundance of talent has played a profoundly significant role in the rapid rise of British Columbia-based country band Me And Mae! Shawn Meehan, Colette Trudeau, Adam Reid, Ben Parker and Joe Fazio, together under the moniker ME AND MAE, have forged a reputation as the band to watch on the Canadian country music scene. It all started with the single Love Me Leave Me Lonely, which Meehan co-wrote with Carly Rae Jepsen, who at the time was his guitar student. The release of the band’s debut album Off The Rails (Cordova Bay Records) on May 13th, 2014 was quickly followed by a Nashville tour and a nomination for Top Country Best New Artist (2014) and winning the BC Country Music Awards - Ray McAuley Horizon Award (2014)! Me And Mae has been touring extensively across Canada, playing festivals such as Craven Country Jamboree, Havelock Country Fest and working on new music with prominent producers to help take their sound to the next level. Me and Mae has worked with Jeff Johnso

Ontario Country artist Tianna Woods has three nominations for the 2016 CMAO Awards - Female Artist of the Year, Single of the Year & Album of the Year. She has an EP coming out soon called Bring Your Own Sunshine featuring the title track single and Right Now. You'll hear these songs on this episode. This summer she'll release an album called I've Got You Covered which will feature her favourite cover songs (hint: Reba & Merle Haggard may be two artists she'll cover.) Tianna is trained in voice, acting, and dance (tap, hip hop, jazz, ballet and modern). She also plays 7 instruments: piano, guitar, saxophone, drums, clarinet, North American flute and fiddle. She auditioned for and got the part of Anne for the musical Anne of Green Gables. She performed the show in Canada and then travelled to Japan to perform the show again for ten days in the Budokan Theatre, the same threatre the Beatles performed in. Tianna also toured the schools with her band, meeting and performing for the children of Japan.

Kipling, Saskatchewan's Alex Runions recently won the Saskatchewan Country Music Association awards for Male Vocalist of the Year and Fan's Choice Entertainer!  HIs latest single is called If I Won The Lotto. The video for the song was shot in Nashville. Also on the show, you'll hear a great song Alex wrote called South Of The City. He wrote this song with Ontario's David Leask. Performing across the province and throughout the country for over a decade, Alex has taken the stages at Big Valley Jamboree, Craven Country Jamboree, Dauphin Countryfest and is a regular on the Canadian Country club circuit including Eldorado Country Rock Bar (Regina), Ralph's (Medicine Hat) and Ranchman's (Calgary). He's opened for many prominent country acts including Gord Bamford, Aaron Pritchett and Rodney Atkins while also closing out performances from Dallas Smith, The Road Hammers and Neal McCoy. Charitable heart and minded, Alex was also involved in the Yorkton, Saskatchewan floods relief concerts.