The guys of popular country band High Valley are setting their sights northwards this summer with a Ponoka Stampede performance set for June 29.
Based in Nashville, frontman Brad Rempel grew up on a 1,400-acre farm near La Crete, Alberta, with his musical language being formed at a young age.
"I've been writing songs since I was old enough to talk apparently," he said with a laugh.
"I guess I was always making up songs, and standing on a little footstool in front of the couch, and my sisters would be the audience."
Music just came naturally, as did country music in particular.
It was part life when he was a youngster, he recalled. And to this day, that heritage is richly reflected in everything High Valley releases. Songs reflect relatable themes - those of life, love, a passion for his Christian faith, and of just taking time to reflect on what matters most in the day-to-day.
"I say to people in Nashville all the time, that where I am from - yes, it's in Canada - but it's absolutely as country as it gets. The fabric of my life as an Albertan included country music, country roads, going to churches, going to Bible camps, and gospel jamborees.
"A lot of bands cut their teeth as country bands playing cover songs in bars. We were playing cover songs at gospel jamborees in Granum, Alberta. And Calgary Stampede gospel breakfasts on Sunday morning in church parking lots. So there was an absolute connection between the gospel music that I grew up on, and the country way of life," he said.
"What I love so much about being a songwriter is you can tell a story, and when it's true, people seem to gravitate towards it, and to latch onto it. They want to hear about it. That is all that I have ever tried to do with the faith element and the country element."
High Valley itself has been going since 1997, when Rempel and a few friends started a band despite being very young at the time.
Later on, his brother Bryan joined, and a few years after that his other brother Curtis signed up.
"We have had variations of the group over 28 years that High Valley has been making music," Brad noted. And it's been something of a steady progression ever since.
"2008 was about when we started getting hits on the radio. And I would say it kind of broke wide open for us in about 2014. We'd been signed in Nashville since 2007, and it took us 10 years until we got our first gold record in Nashville. They said it's a '10-year town', and that is pretty much exactly what it was."
As they grew in their career, there were times of creating songs that didn't feel true to who they were.
Then, the guys decided to just be real - to write from their hearts and hope what they came up with would find a broader audience. That's exactly what happened.
"There was a day when we wrote a song that changed my life. It made me so excited, and it still does - it's called Make You Mine. It was a turning point, because I did not care what was on the radio at that moment.
"We wrote it, and it ended up being our second biggest song, and paved the way for She's With Me, which is the biggest song we have ever had. It really set the tone for setting High Valley apart, and it allowed me to embrace my bluegrass roots from my growing up years. It also allowed me to partner with Ricky Scaggs, which was literally a dream come true.
"From that point forward, I can't remember writing songs for the sake of being on the radio," he said. "We were able to form our own sound."
Most recently, Small Town Somethin' - released in 2024 - continues the band's trend of serving up catchy, superbly-crafted tunes that reflect life's journey in many ways.
These days, the busy father of two teenagers is relishing the opportunities to write for other artists as well.
And he's focusing more on family life. But his passion for performing hasn't wavered one bit.
"I absolutely love touring. I just love the summer shows, too. Getting out there at the Stampede, and being back in Alberta - I can tell you right now it's going to be a highlight for us. We aren't doing many shows, so we should have a tonne of energy!"
For Brad, it's about holding close a sense of gratitude. If one can do that, so much in life seems to better fall into place.
"If you can be thankful, almost every other problem can be erased - if you start and end your day with thankfulness. I'm not perfect at it by any stretch, but I am incredibly conscious of the fact when I walk up on that stage of how thankful I should be, and how thankful I need to be.
"And then when we strum the first chord of that first song, and go into that intro line, and people start singing along at the top of their lungs - I am incredibly thankful for that, too, because I have dreamt of that my whole life," he added.
"The energy from the crowd is absolutely contagious, and it makes me so thankful, too. I've probably sung some of these songs 1,000 times but I would say that the very last time I sang them is probably the most excited I've ever been singing them.
"It just keeps getting better."
For ticket information, head to www.ponokastampede.com.
