Canadian country star Dean Brody is heading out to Red Deer with a different kind of show. His Dirt Road Stories tour is an acoustic tour, where he and the band strip it down, providing a more personal experience for fans.
For the past five or six years, Brody and his group have been doing big tours with big stages, but during those bigger shows, they would do a cut down scenario, where they would perform two or three songs acoustically, which got a great response from the audience.
“We thought we’d make that the whole show – a cut down, kitchen party, lodge kind of experience, where people come out to the show and it’s like being in our living room, up in the woods in a cabin with the guys,” said Brody in a recent chat with the Express.
“There’s a little bit of theatre involved too.”
Joining him throughout the tour are special guests Jessica Mitchell, Andrew Hyatt and Tenille Arts. And Brody had nothing but good things to say about them.
“The first time I heard her sing, it made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck,” said Brody of Mitchell.
He said Hyatt is a new guy on the scene, who is “really talented.”
Arts will be joining Brody at the Red Deer show Nov. 21st and on the remaining western leg of the tour.
“She’s got a couple of songs that I fell in love with about a year ago,” said Brody. One of those songs is Cold Feet.
When it comes to inspiration, Brody draws it from three places, one being from personal experiences.
“Another part of it is people that I know,” he said, adding that the third comes from just watching movies and trying to put himself in other people’s shoes.
“Inspiration can come from pretty much any angle for me. I just recently read something on Rosa Parks and wrote a song about Rosa,” he said with a laugh.
And when it comes to what Brody likes to do in his spare time, anything to do with the outdoors suits him just fine.
His latest song, Dose of Country, is about taking off for a weekend and going off into the country. He said it mirrors their stage set up on their current tour of being up at a lodge.
“I spend a lot of time in big cities and a lot of time travelling. I find I get a lot of perspective when I’m out in the woods in the calmer wilderness than in the city and travelling.”
In his spare time he likes to get outdoors as much as possible whether that be wandering through the woods or throwing rocks in the river.
“I’m very much like a little boy when I get out there – a stick in my hand,” he said with a laugh. “I love it.”
Brody is planning on releasing a new record in April and has been working hard on some new songs. He’s even taking a turn at some love songs.
“I write about love but usually it’s in the context of a rowdy song. I’ve got some love songs coming up that I just had a lot of fun writing and recording.”
Brody will be performing at the Red Deer Memorial Centre Nov. 21st.