Amazing!
by Roth on 2/19/24LONDON MUSIC HALL - LondonLondon Music Hall concert featuring Brett Kissel was an amazing event. Brett is a crowd entertainer! His music and band are excellent.
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There must be something in the kick drum drumming, there must be something in the guitar strumming.”
It’s tempting to describe the chorus of Brett Kissel’s latest smash single, “Airwaves,” as what’s gotten him to this point, but that barely scratches the surface of the artistic growth Kissel displays on his new album, Pick Me Up. The pride of Flat Lake, Alberta has already reached a place very few other Canadian country music artists have attained, but defying the odds has been Kissel’s mission his entire life, the result of a tireless work ethic instilled while growing up on his family’s farm. Following the incredible success of his 2013 major label debut, Started With A Song, Pick Me Up shows that, like a thoroughbred just out of the gate, Kissel is hitting his stride.
For the new album, Kissel once again teamed up with CCMA Award-winner Bart McKay, as well as one of country music’s premier producers Mickey Jack Cones (Jason Aldean, Trace Adkins). The common thread was not an attempt to replicate the success of its predecessor, but to have the results reflect Kissel’s unstoppable drive to make his music bigger and better.
“There’s no other place I prefer to be than on stage,” Kissel says. “With all of the shows we did for the last album, we were totally prepared as a band when we went into the studio to cut the new material, and determined to exceed the fans’ expectations. Looking back, I might have been preparing for it even while we were finishing the last album, knowing that the next one needed to have more energy.”
It’s clear that rationale was behind the choice of “Airwaves” to be Pick Me Up’s first single, as the song established itself as a fan favourite after only a few live outings. Building on that kind of feedback from his audience has always been important to Kissel, and he takes a lot of pride in being one of the most active Canadian country artists on social media. It’s all fuelled his efforts to expand and enhance his live show, something that kicked into high gear once he hit the road in the fall of 2014 as special guest on multiple Grammy & CMA award winner Brad Paisley’s cross-Canada tour. Channeling that joyous experience into Pick Me Up became job one.
At the same time, Pick Me Up displays how far Kissel has come as a singer and songwriter, most evident on tracks such as “I Didn’t Fall In Love With Your Hair,” a tribute to his mother, a multiple cancer survivor, as well as “I Can Play Guitar,” containing playful insights of life on the Brad Paisley tour, and “Come Pick Me Up,” a poignant rumination on a failed relationship. A desire to present these varied facets of his life played a big role in choosing the material for the new album, Kissel explains.
“I really want everyone who buys one of my records to feel as if they’re getting a piece of me at that moment. I’m very fortunate to be a 25-year-old guy touring the world, but at heart I’m still the same kid who grew up in an amazing family on a cattle ranch in Alberta, and going though a lot of the same things my listeners are. To try to get all of that on to one record is always a pleasant challenge.”
After the year Kissel had in the wake of the success of Started With A Song, no one could be blamed for kicking off their boots, cracking a cold one or two, and imagining things couldn’t get any better. But coasting on his accomplishments has never been part of Kissel’s makeup.
The numbers say it all, however: His JUNO Award for Breakthrough Artist marked the first time in 17 years a country act earned the honour. That accolade seemed a lock for Kissel, despite some stiff competition, as it came on the heels of five Billboard Canada Top 10 singles from his major label debut album, Started With A Song.
It was the fulfillment of the dream Kissel has had from the moment he received his first guitar at age six. At 12, he released his first album and took his first trip to Nashville soon after. Many, many, many more trips later, Kissel and his wife settled in Music City, and suddenly the notion of being accepted by the country music establishment was within reach. Kissel’s debut on the Grand Ole Opry in the summer of 2015 brought that into even sharper focus.
“Getting a chance to spend time with Brad Paisley, George Strait and Garth Brooks—my heroes—and having them be so kind and generous, has been one of the best experiences of my life,” Kissel says. “I’m trying hard not to take it all for granted, but soak it all in and learn as much as I can. It really does feel like a big family here.”
Kissel is indeed adding his unique artistic perspective to the rich musical tradition that has inspired and sustained him for as long as he can remember. On Pick Me Up, there is no disputing he now belongs to that tradition and will continue adding to it for years to come.
Brett recently lead the 2016 CCMA nominations in London, Ontario, and took home multiple awards, including the coveted Male Artist of the Year, and Fans’ Choice Awards!
London Music Hall concert featuring Brett Kissel was an amazing event. Brett is a crowd entertainer! His music and band are excellent.
Brett always puts on the best shows, he is so audience engaging and him and his band know how to party. The atmosphere at his concerts are so welcoming everyone gets along. This concert was extra special we took our 9 year old daughter the group of women around us made sure our daughter got up to the front and ensured she was safe she had made a sign for Brett and said she is not leaving here without getting his autograph and she did. Plus two picks from the band. This is my 3rd time seeing him and I can’t wait to see him again Side note every set is was different we saw him in Orilla June 2023 for part of his compas tour and this time it was a different set! Highly recommend
He was very energetic and interactive with the audience, a humble man who left me (and others) in tears with his honesty and courage. An excellent performance from all on stage. I would definitely see him again ❤️
The concert was amazing! Kept entertained the whole time, they were so good and engaging with the crowd. Amazing vocals. Can’t wait for them to come back to Thunder Bay again soon!
Was amazing. Super interactive with the crowd. Great music, great energy
It was an amazing concert!! Brett Kissel was a very good and loving artist!
This is the second time I’ve seen Brett Kissel in 6 months and he slayed both times. He is an amazing performer and the crowd loves him. My only complaint is the seating at the Club Regent Event Centre is very narrow and I felt quite snug. But I’d definitely go see him again.
It was an excellent concert I had an awesome time .Awesome band
This was my fourth Brett Kissel concert and it just keeps getting better! Love you Brett you’re an idol to me
Brett Kissel never disappoints with his concerts. This was our 3rd time seeing him. He's just an all around great performer and very down to earth person.
Brett sings as good live as his recorded voice. Great entertainer with an awesome sense of humor. Loved that he introduced his dad. Would love to see him again. Oh yeah, the band was amazing ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Was a true performance. Played to the crowd! Venue was great.
What can I say?! Brett kissel was amazing and so were all the other groups
My wife and I absolutely loved it. He was so energetic and loving the audience. Great Entertainment.
Brett was fabulous, didn’t think I knew a whole lot of his work, soon realized I did and what a showman! Great stories along with great music. He has a fan for life now.
My husband and I had an amazing time seeing Brett Kissel. He is an incredible artist but more importantly, he is very humble and grateful for all the success he has. We have seen him before and we would love to see him again.
Brett Kissel is so amazing even though he was sick he performed his heart out. He has to be one of my favorite artists of all time. I will be going to every single show that he performs near me. It is also cool that most of his band is from Alberta you don't hear that any more. Brett is very interactive with his fans which made the show even more enjoyable.
i Love Brett Kissel, and i was expecting the conert to be amazing. It was pretty expensive considering it was at a really small venue with no set up or big production like alot of the bigger venues are able to produce. The lights were pretty basic and didn't really align with the beat of the songs in many parts. Also, the sound mixer was not very good because you could hardly hear the vocals or the fiddle, it just sounded like a wall of noise. You couldn't make out one instrument from the next it was just all really loud and not subtly or variance in the volume. It was a very amateur put together show, but the price didn't reflect that. I have loved Brett Kissel's songs, and own 2 of his CDs, so i was really expecting something great. In fact, it was so bad, that as soon as the song ended people just got up and left, and there was no encore. The band came out anyway and performed one last song but 70%of the audience had already left and when they started playing just kept walking out - so that speaks volumes that nobody even wanted to hear one last song (which was one of his popular ones that plays on the radio). The opening act was great, the performer worked the stage and was energetic and moved around quite a bit. He had a much better sound mixer who was able to create clarity and you could actually hear the song which was nice. I do not thing i will recomend anyone to attend a Brett Kissel concert because of the poor sound quality and the expensive ticket prices for the kind of performance you get.