Fire It Up, the winning album, is the seventh studio album for Johnny. After being released last spring, the album reached number two on the Canadian Albums Chart and was also certified platinum. It includes duets from Canadians Serena Ryder and Carolyn Dawn Johnson.

You can check out the full JUNO Awards at CTV.ca/Junos.

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Aaron Pritchett most definitely knows how to get rowdy! Donning his signature cowboy hat, Aaron started off the show with a bang with his hit “Let’s Get Rowdy.” A few energetic struts across the stage was all it took for the predominantly college-aged crowd to chant along to the anthem. Aaron followed up with a few of his memorable hits, including “New Frontier” and “Big Wheel.” Fans were lucky enough to hear the artist’s brand new song, “Suntan City,” a song that will surely be received well with the warmer months right around the corner. The set was closed out with a crowd favourite, “Hold My Beer,” a song that had everyone up on their feet singing and dancing alongside the upbeat Pritchett. Without a doubt, this man’s intensity and drive alone are enough to bring fans together for one heck of a good time.

Next to take the stage were the talented men of Doc Walker. The crowd was eager to sing along to a cover of Genesis’ “That’s All,” followed by the band’s latest single, a powerful song called “Put It Into Drive.” The guys slowed things down with their hit “Driving With The Brakes On,” but were quick to lift spirits with a notable singalong, “Beautiful Life.” Fans were happy to hear some of the band’s biggest songs, including “Rocket Girl” and “North Dakota Boy.” One of the highlights of their set was a mashup of songs that started with their single “Get Up” that blended into “Crazy In Love” by Beyonce and the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song. With the crowd singing and laughing along, the band finished off the set with “The Show Is Free.” Ironically enough, I would pay any amount of money to see these boys do what they do best again in the future. Perhaps it was due to the one thing that was overwhelmingly noticeable during the entire performance – Chris Thorsteinson’s unwavering smile. Coupled with the band’s talent and energy, it was refreshing to see an artist fully enjoy the experience just as much as their fans.

Last but not least, Emerson Drive came out to a screaming crowd that was eager to chime in to some of the band’s biggest hits. The five-piece band graced the stage with their huge grins exposing ample amounts of energy and passion. The band opened up their set with one of their past hits, “That Kind of Beautiful,” a song that set the mood for the rest of the show. Next, they hammered out several great performances of songs such as their first single “I Should Be Sleeping” and “The Extra Mile.” A memorable moment was lead singer Brad Mates pausing mid-song during “Fall Into Me” to have guitar player Danick Dupelle and drummer Mike Melancon battle it out to see who the crowd thought had the better vocals. With family from Montreal attending the show, Danick was probably quite happy to have garnered the crowd’s support. The band slowed things down with their number one hit “Moments,” a song that saw Mates keeping his eyes closed almost the entire time, clearly indicating the passion with which he was singing. It was in this “moment” that any concert-goer who perhaps did not know about this Canadian talent could not help but come to admire and respect the band. Moreover, it was this performance that showcased Brad’s incredible vocal talent. The remainder of the set undoubtedly highlighted the dance moves and charisma of the singer, especially during songs such as, “A Good Man” and “Countrified”. Fans were also lucky enough to hear a song off the band’s latest album, Roll, called “She Always Gets What She Wants,” a song that took on an edgier tone than the rest of the set. Finally, the band finished off with their first single off of the new album, “She’s My Kind of Crazy.” Without a doubt, Emerson Drive left their fans crazy for them and wanting to hear more.

Luckily, the band heard the “encore” chants and came back out to give fans what they wanted. Drummer Mike Melancon and Steve Broadhurst, touring drummer for Doc Walker, were first to come out to engage in a battle-of-the-drummers. This showcased their undeniable talent while also serving as a transition into the first song of the encore, “Let It Roll.” It was at this point when both bands came back out on stage to perform their popular duet that the crowd erupted. Perhaps the best part of the show was when the boys performed renditions of two popular songs, one of which was Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida”, the other being “The Weight.” Finally, it was time for the artists to take a bow and call it quits for the night. While the show could have easily gone on all night, it is safe to say that the memories of the concert will last for quite some time.

For more information about the remaining tour stops, visit http://www.cmt.ca/show/cmthitlisttour.

For pictures from the show, visit our Facebook page.

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Roll, the band’s latest album, was released late last year and yet the first single, “She’s My Kind of Crazy,” has already been certified gold in Canada. The album features songs written almost entirely by the boys, all of which represent the lyrical, vocal, and instrumental talent that is Emerson Drive.

The band is currently in the middle of the CMT Hitlist Tour, which has seen stops in cities all across the country with fellow Canadians Doc Walker and Aaron Pritchett. We were lucky enough to sit down with lead singer Brad Mates after a terribly long bus ride from Winnipeg to Ottawa. That didn’t seem to matter, however, when we began to chat and Brad’s charming and caring personality shone through.

You’re currently on the road for the CMT Hitlist tour. How has it been so far?

Great so far. Exciting, cause we’re actually out here with a bunch of friends, so it’s not like you’re meeting a new act for the first time and over the course of three weeks trying to get to know who they are. Everyone’s known each other for seventeen years now. So it’s a pretty easy process to get everything loaded up on the buses and travel down the road. I think people are seeing that night after night now. It’s really cool to see reactions from fans that have seen both bands throughout the years and to now see all three of us collaborating on stage and sharing something a little bit different than you would normally see at a concert, so that’s been great.

Do you have a favourite memory from the tour you would like to share?

I love the encore of what we do. You’re taking the show from the start right through to the finish, but you’re getting that big impact at the very end where each night you can tell people are very happy that they bought a ticket. And to me, that’s where it all makes sense.

You released your fifth studio album, Roll, late last year. How has the reception been on the road so far?

Great so far. I love playing the new stuff, like stuff that hasn’t been a single and maybe never will be a single. We have two songs in the show that are brand new off the album that most people haven’t heard yet unless they’ve bought the album. To me, I love gauging crowd reaction when it comes to that kind of stuff. You know, it’s a bit of a departure from anything we’ve done in the past. Kind of like the new step forward of where our sound and direction are going. So I’m always curious to see what the crowd’s reaction will be, but so far so good.

Tell us the story behind your brand new single, “With You.” Why did you want to release it as your next single?

Singles are always a crazy thing. It’s like a chess game. Sometimes you really have to see what else is out there at the time and what makes sense, if it should be an uptempo, a mid, or a ballad. We haven’t had a ballad off this album yet, so going into early spring, it feels like a good time for it. We’re getting good reaction already from stations that are playing it. We just haven’t had that slower song in a while. It represents everything that we’re doing obviously on the new album and it’s kind of a universal message, too, for anyone that’s out there. We’re in the first week of people hearing it on the radio. We’ll see what happens, but obviously we’re looking for big things out of it.

In which ways does this album differ from your last album, Believe?

Direction-wise, I think that we’ve all talked about this over the past couple of years … tweaking the sound to a point where our hardcore fans are definitely going to hear a bit of a difference in the sound. And when I say that, I mean it’s a bit harder of a sound, it’s a bit more organic, it’s not overproduced by any means. It kind of represents a timeline of like ’95-’01 for us when we played a lot of bars and pubs. Those were the days where every genre of music, you seemed to play in the last two sets in a bar. The bar owner would come to you and be like, “We don’t want any more country. We want alternative or rock stuff.” It made an impact on our sound back then. I really feel like those six years represent this album very well. And stuff that’s not foreign to us, obviously, but stuff that maybe we just didn’t push to the edge throughout the last ten or eleven years. So it’s exciting. It feels new and fresh.

What is the writing process typically like? How do you choose songs that everyone in the band can connect with?

That’s a good question. When it comes to lyrics, for the most part, it’s probably more or less about anything that I’ve gone through in my life. As a singer, it’s just easier to sing about stuff like that. Musically, I think that’s where we differ from a lot of other groups. Everybody in the band plays every instrument that is recorded in the studio. So for Mikey playing the drums, his part in that song is obviously what he puts into it. And that’s where you’re always going to get that unique sound as a band. But yeah, lyrically, I’ve always felt like I have to sing about stuff I either know or I can represent well.

You’ve had great success in both Canada and the U.S. Have you noticed any differences between how Canadian and American fans embrace your music and country music as a whole?

We’re very lucky to have had a good run in the States in the early 2000s. Everything back home here in the last few years has just stepped up to another level, too. We’ve talked about this over the years … there are a lot of acts that are from the States that never break through in Canada and vice versa. So I’ve always felt that we’re very lucky that way. We can hop across the border whenever we need to and there’s a fan base on both sides, which helps a lot. We don’t get over-saturated in each country and we’re able to play throughout the year and see fans that have been there from the start

Have you personally had any regrets in the past seventeen years with the band?

(Laughs). No, I don’t think I have any regrets. But I know there will be old pictures and songs … I have a son that is three. I know in a few more years when he gets old enough to look at some old pictures, he’s just gonna be laughing, which I think is hilarious. But I don’t know if I have any regrets. I think that we’ve all gone through different ups and downs in this business, as well as personal stuff. But I have to say, at the end of the day, I think it’s made us better in the long run. We’re more respectful and understand things a little better having gone through some of the ups and downs that you do. So I don’t know that I’d ever change anything if I could go back. It’s all been just a great experience so far, even the bad stuff. It helps you build character.

What is it about country music that you’re drawn to?

For me, personally, it’s definitely the live aspect. I love seeing any empty room right now knowing in a few hours it’s going to be full. That fuel that the crowd gives you on stage – I’ve enjoyed that for the seventeen years that we’ve been doing this. It’s never wavered. It’s always been very consistent, which is cool.

What has been the highlight of your career thus far?

I think the GRAMMY nomination was a pretty big highlight, just ’cause it was a first in Canadian country music as a band. No one else has ever been able to do that before. I love knowing that we were first in our own country to break a boundary. It was incredible. Obviously different genres have been able to do the same thing, but as a country band getting a nomination – it just sets the bar. You can look back on your career and realize that you were first at something. I think that’s great.

Is there anything in particular you want to accomplish that you haven’t yet?

I think just growing as a band and expanding more and more and building new fans is always the goal at the end of the day. The longevity thing has always been a goal from the start. And now knowing that there are seventeen years underneath the belt, I think and I believe that there are more to come. So again, just building the fan base and having our music reach out to more people is definitely going to help with anything from this point forward.

How do you boys keep busy on long trips between shows?

(Laughs). Well, we had a long trip last night from Winnipeg to here (Ottawa). There are satellites on the bus, so lots of watching T.V. The guys usually have their laptops out, either doing emails or trying to find something to pass the time. It’s one of those things – you get used to the road over the years. And for those people who don’t really understand it, it’s difficult just being confined in a 45-foot bus for many hours at a time, but you do get used to it. You just kind of find your own space and make the time go by.

Be sure to watch Emerson Drive’s BRAND NEW music video for “With You.”

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Canadian group Emerson Drive announces the release of a brand new single, “She’s My Kind of Crazy,” the lead single from ROLL, the band’s much anticipated new studio album. The song has had over 20,000 iTunes downloads, in just under three months, and sees over 40 spins per week on Sirius XM’s “The Highway.” The flurry of activity forced an earlier release date of ROLL to January 22nd.

“Our fans have been wonderfully loud in asking us for new music here in the U.S.,” said lead singer Brad Mates. “We knew ‘Crazy’ needed to be heard and we’ve worked hard the last few months to make it available digitally and now to ask our friends at radio to give us a shot.”

On YouTube, the video (directed Emerson Drive’s David Pichette) is closing in on half a million views!

Emerson Drive makes hit music, period. “I Should Be Sleeping,” “Fall Into Me,” and their emotional, chart-topping ballad, “Moments,” have all racked up nominations and awards in both the U.S. and Canada.

After taking some time off following their 2009 release, BELIEVE, Emerson Drive have propelled themselves back into the spotlight with a new album and a brand new single that is gaining notoriety in both the United States and Canada.

ROLL, contains 11 songs penned mostly by the members of Emerson Drive, was co-produced by Emerson Drive and David Kamulsky. The new release showcases the band’s growth and maturity with its lyrical content, vocal range and instrumentation, which has made them one of country music’s most loved bands.

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Farm Aid Ottawa, put on by DNA Presents, featured performances by great Canadian country talent to raise money that would go directly to farmers to assist them with inflated feed prices and buying seeds for next year’s crop.

Early in the afternoon, Jordan McIntosh, Gail Gavan and Ambush took to the stage to perform a few of their songs. Shortly after, Jason Blaine‘s presence became well known as several female fans spotted him beside the stage asking for pictures. A group of girls immediately assembled to wait for pictures with the country star who took the time to talk to and take pictures with each one of them.

Jason, who won Single of the Year for his song “They Don’t Make ‘Em Like That Anymore” just last week at the CCMA awards, performed several of his hits, including this latest one. Songs like “Run With Me”, “Good Day to Get Gone” and “Flirtin’ With Me” were just some of the songs Jason entertained the upbeat crowd with. The artist spoke positively of the area and being from Pembroke, just a short drive from Ottawa. While talking to the crowd on stage, Jason spontaneously decided to give all of the proceeds of his album “Life So Far” sold at the event to the farmers, which got a great reaction from the audience.

Next to take the stage was Michelle Wright, one of the Canada’s most famous female singers from the 90s. The Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame inductee danced around on stage, obviously enjoying performing to her fans, as well as the great cause at hand. Michelle spoke about being a farmer’s daughter and thus wanting to raise awareness about the issues farmers are facing. The cheerful singer performed several of her number one hits, including “Take It Like a Man”, “Nobody’s Girl”, as well as her crowd-pleasing song “The Answer Is Yes”. Michelle slowed things down with her song “Your Love”, which showcased the apparent beauty of her voice. Her performance was highly entertaining due to the combination of her raw vocal talent and great stage presence.

Emerson Drive came onto the stage to a very eager and excited crowd as the sun started to set. But nobody looked as excited to be there as the band’s lead singer Brad Mates, who danced around the stage with such intensity and enthusiasm. The band, originally from Alberta,  performed a set that featured many hits and every possible song an Emerson Drive fan would want to hear. From some of their older songs, such as “Fall Into Me”, “I Should Be Sleeping” and “If You Were My Girl” to some of their newer ones, like “That Kind of Beautiful”, “I Love This Road” and their latest single “My Kind of Crazy”, the boys definitely did not disappoint. Brad, backed by the band, showed a softer side when the set slowed down to feature “When I See You Again” and “Moments”, two songs that resonate personally with the band and the fans. Their repertoire of songs indicated just the level of success and talent the band has had in their almost two-decades together. Emerson Drive most definitely put on a show that gave the fans everything they could have wanted and more.

Last but not least, Paul Brandt, the most anticipated performer of the night, was welcomed onto the stage by several screaming fans. The multiple Juno and CCMA award winner came out donning his cowboy hat with his guitar slung around his neck. The fans, who were quick to sing along to the music, enjoyed performances of songs such as “Rich Man” and “When You Call My Name”. Paul, who has been recognized as the artist with the most country awards in Canada, did not disappoint due to his great vocals and charismatic demeanour.

In sum, Farm Aid Ottawa was an event that should have brought out more fans than it did – if not for the great talent, but for the even greater cause. But to enjoy some of the best Canadian country music in our own backyard – hey, it couldn’t get much better than that.

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Dean Brody opened the show with his hit “Canadian Girls,” kicking off a show that would see him win two awards: Best Male Artist and Album of the Year.

Other country faves taking home hardware at this year’s show included Carolyn Dawn Johnson, who won Female Artist of the Year and Hey Romeo, this year’s Group or Duo of the Year. Ottawa’s sweetest and brightest new talent, Kira Isabella, took home the Rising Star award. The Stellas, who have been out on the road with Johnny Reid, took home the award for CMT Video of the Year for their song “In This House.” Johnny, who had a whopping eight nominations tonight, was the recipient of the Fans’ Choice award.

This was the fourth year Reid has taken home the acclaimed Fans’ Choice Award:

“This has been a wonderful year. I have had an opportunity to cross this beautiful country and sing for so many people,” the Scottish-born Nova Scotia-based singer said . “Too many people to thank, but Saskatoon you have always had a special place in my heart. Thank you very much for this honour.”

The stage welcomed countless great performances, including Paul Brandt and a collaboration between Emerson Drive and Doc Walker. American faves, including Pistol Annies, Eric Church, and Jason Aldean made their way up north to rock the stage in addition to a solo performance by Miranda Lambert.

Also of note, the very lovely Taylor Swift made an appearance to both present an award and accept one herself. Taylor was the recipient of the New Generation award, which was introduced by Deric Rutan and Bryan Adams:

“I’m so happy to be in Saskatoon right now I can’t even tell you,” she said. “To country radio in Canada and the country music fans in Canada, you guys are the ones who choose to play my songs, you guys are the ones who choose to buy the albums and sell out the concerts and you’re the ones who make me so at home, I can’t wait to come back and see you every single time.”

Check out our recap of tonight’s winners:

Fans’ Choice Award
Johnny Reid

Single of the Year
They Don’t Make Em’ Like That Anymore – Jason Blaine

Album of the Year
DIRT – Dean Brody

Songwriter(s) of the Year
Is It Friday Yet? (written by Gord Bamford/Roger Brown/Byron Hill; performed by Gord Bamford)

CMT Video of the Year
In This House – The Stellas

Female Artist of the Year
Carolyn Dawn Johnson

Male Artist of the Year 
Dean Brody

Group or Duo of the Year 
Hey Romeo

Roots Artist or Group of the Year
Jimmy Rankin

Rising Star
Kira Isabella

Top Selling Canadian Album of the Year
Fire It Up – Johnny Reid

Top Selling International Album of the Year
Own The Night – Lady Antebellum

Image credit (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Liam Richards)

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“All of today’s nominees deserve ample recognition for their excellence as well as their tremendous contribution to Canadian country music,” said Don Green, Executive Director, CCMA. “This year’s nominees reflect the depth of musical talent in Canada, and we’re so proud to be able to recognize those artists – both established and emerging – who have impacted Canadians with their music.”

A personal fave, Johnny Reid, leads the nominations with a total of eight. Country cutie Dean Brody follows close behind with seven of his own.

Performers expected to light up the stage at the Awards include Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert, Pistol Annies, Eric Church, Paul Brandt, Dean Brody, George Canyon, Johnny Reid, Deric Ruttan, Gord Bamford, Terri Clark, Chad Brownlee and High Valley.

Check out the list of nominees below!

FANS’ CHOICE AWARD
Gord Bamford
Dean Brody
Terri Clark
Hey Romeo
Johnny Reid

SINGLE OF THE YEAR

Canadian Girls – Dean Brody
Fire It Up – Johnny Reid
Is It Friday Yet? – Gord Bamford
Somebody Somewhere – Dallas Smith
They Don’t Make Em’ Like That Anymore – Jason Blaine

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
16 & 1 – Doc Walker
DIRT – Dean Brody
Fire It Up – Johnny Reid
Give It Away – Paul Brandt
Roots And Wings – Terri Clark

SONGWRITER(S) OF THE YEAR
Canadian Girls (written by Dean Brody; performed by Dean Brody)
Fire It Up (written by Marty Dodson/Alan Frew/Johnny Reid; performed by Johnny Reid)
Is It Friday Yet? (written by Gord Bamford/Roger Brown/Byron Hill; performed by Gord Bamford)
Mainstreet, 1979 (written by Deric Ruttan; performed by Deric Ruttan)
They Don’t Make Em’ Like That Anymore (written by Jason Blaine/Deric Ruttan; performed by Jason Blaine

CMT VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Canadian Girls – Dean Brody
Fire It Up – Johnny Reid
Give It Away – Paul Brandt
I’m Your Man – Ryan Laird
In This House – The Stellas

FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Victoria Banks
Terri Clark
Carolyn Dawn Johnson
Tara Oram
Michelle Wright

MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Gord Bamford
Jason Blaine
Dean Brody
Chad Brownlee
Johnny Reid

GROUP OR DUO OF THE YEAR
Doc Walker
Emerson Drive
Hey Romeo
High Valley
The Stellas

ROOTS ARTIST OR GROUP OF THE YEAR
Ridley Bent
Shane Chisholm
Sean Hogan
Corb Lund
Jimmy Rankin

RISING STAR
Kira Isabella
Ryan Laird
Codie Prevost
Dallas Smith
The Stellas

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Monday night’s line-up includes Bob Corbett (Australia), Emerson Drive (Canada), Morgan Evans (Australia), Vickie Evans (New Zealand), Adam Harvey (Australia), High Valley (Canada), Lisa McHugh (Ireland) with the legendary Gene Watson (U.S.), Craig Morrison (Australia), Jess Moskaluke (Canada), Gary Quinn (UK), and Joe Robinson (Australia). Australian husband and wife duo O’Shea return as hosts from last year’s event.

Tuesday afternoon’s line-up will feature Baylou (Australia), Clayton Bellamy (Canada), Rick Caballo (Australia), Adam Gregory (Canada), Pete Kennedy (Ireland), Colm Kirwan (Ireland), Josh Macumber (Canada), Raintown (UK), Jessica Ridley (Canada), and Travellin Rose (UK).  Australian artist Adam Harvey is hosting the Aristo Global Show. A free lunch will be offered for attendees.

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