When I first saw Jake Vaadeland perform at the 2022 Saskatoon Jazz Fest I felt Canada’s country music scene would be in for a shake-up as the electrifying young performer brought elements of the past to modern audiences. When I saw him for a second time on Sept. 9 at Saskatoon’s The Bassment, my sentiments were solidified.

Dressed in a checkered 1960s suit, kentucky colonel tie, and slicked back hair reminiscent of entertainers from the golden age of rock-and-roll, the self-taught multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter rocked the stage, uniquely blending the sounds of bluegrass, rockabilly, country and Americana to a sold-out crowd for his second night in a row.

I caught up with Jake earlier this week, interviewing him over the phone as he travels across Western Canada, touring the launch of his second album, Everybody But Me. Here are some of the things I learned about the debonaire prairie boy.

The suave Mr. Vaadeland was born a performer, “My family tells me that I’ve been singing since the age of three.” Jake recalled, “I used to hop up on the coffee table and sing Walk The Line by Johnny Cash over and over; it was probably the first song I memorized word for word.”

And as he grew up he taught himself how to sing and play the guitar and banjo by taking after his idols. “I never took well to being taught.” Jake told me, “My parents tried to get me into piano young; the lessons didn’t go over so well.”

Instead, in the eight grade he began watching bluegrass legends Earl Scruggs and Lester Flatt on YouTube, plucking away at the instruments until he refined his style as close to his inspirations as possible. “I was so flabbergasted by how he played; I had never seen someone who played like that!” Jake said, in reference to inspiration Lester Flatt.

But, it wasn’t just musicians who inspired Jake’s love for the vintage and retro styles of life, he lived it himself. “I was raised on a ranch in a part of the province that was behind the times, even to this day,” Jake told me. “My family used farm equipment that was 20 years out of its time, and I grew up in a house half-heated with a woodstove; living that way, and hearing the stories my family would tell, solidified in my mind that I had a special way of growing up.”

Although, that didn’t mean it was all easy for the Retro Man throughout middle and high school. He tried to suppress his true personality and passions, dress the way others did, and fit in. “I wore the ‘normal’ clothes other kids wore, but I felt uncomfortable in the way I was.” Jake lamented, “I didn’t feel like me.”

And so, to mend this issue of personal turmoil, he did the same thing he’d done in learning music: he took charge of himself. “I got old enough, decided that I’ll never be what people want, and I went back full-fledged to the way I was, and even further; I went so far that I started buying clothes from the 50s and wearing them every day.” He said, his voice ringing with pride.

With his confidence mustered, and talents mastered, the young musician formed Jake Vaadeland and The Sturgeon River Boys shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic. Making sure to not let the project collect dust while the world was shut down, he recruited musicians from Saskatoon and Prince Albert to his band to begin writing and rehearsing original songs inspired by the bluegrass music he grew up on.

Now, at 19 years old, and already with four Saskatchewan Country Music Awards under his belt, it’s safe to say that the smooth, slick, and stylish Jake Vaadeland made the right choice. With shows full of personality, hilarious banter and music that will have you stomping your feet, Jake Vaadeland and The Sturgeon River Boys are looking to build an audience everywhere. “We’re shooting for the whole country, maybe also other countries; I think that would be lovely.” Jake said, on his big plans for the future.

In the meantime, Jake and his troupe are making their way through Alberta and British Columbia with a final stop at the Breakout West music festival in Calgary on Sept. 28 and 29, before returning to Saskatchewan for more shows in mid-October.

It’s not too often you get to see such a fantastic performer spring to life from what is often deemed “small-town Saskatchewan”, and it’s even less often when the performer seems to be a reincarnation of legends blasting back from the past.