Q&A with rising country star Jess Moskaluke

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/03/2020 (2216 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Over the last decade, Jess Moskaluke has become one of the biggest rising stars in Canada’s country music landscape.

Following the release of her debut EP “Catch Me If You Can” in 2012, Moskaluke’s music has never been far from the airwaves, with tracks like “Kiss Me Quiet” and “Cheap Wine and Cigarettes” going gold and platinum, respectively.

In terms of industry accolades, the 29-year-old has been a regular at the Canadian Country Music Association Awards, winning Female Artist of the Year three times in a row from 2014 to 2016. She even picked up a Juno Award in 2017 for her sophomore EP, “Kiss Me Quiet.”

But outside all the acceptance speeches and glamour, Moskaluke’s true passion is playing music on the road, which is why she’s ecstatic to be part of Gord Bamford’s ongoing #REDNEK Music Fest, which is dropping by Westoba Place later tonight.

In a March 3 conversation with the Sun, Moskaluke talks about how this tour has been going so far and why she’s looking forward to performing in Brandon in particular.

 

The Brandon Sun: When it comes to the #REDNEK Music Fest, you guys kicked it off with a show in Kamloops on Feb. 21. Did that show do a good job of setting the tone for the rest of the tour?

 

Jess Moskaluke: Yeah, I think it did. We had a great turnout, and the show was so much fun. Everyone on it had a blast, and I know the audience had a blast too, so I’m looking forward to seeing what the next shows have in store and how everybody can polish a little bit from the last one. So it’s going to be fun.

 

SUN: In your experience, is the second show on a tour the most nerve-wracking or is it always still the first?

 

JM: It’s always the first. … This situation is a little bit different because I’ve never actually done a tour where we do one show and then have a couple weeks off. So I’m actually kind of enjoying that, because … I’ve been able to make a few different little tweaks here and there, just saying “OK, that worked really well. Let’s do more of that, and this could have been better here.” So it’s almost like the next show, which is in Brandon, will be a “second first” show.

 

SUN: Kamloops was kind of a trial run, then?

 

JM: A little bit. Yeah.

 

SUN: How did you feel when Gord selected you to basically be the co-headliner for his latest project?

 

JM: Well, I was extremely honoured and am still a little bit in disbelief. Gord’s such a Canadian staple when it comes to country music, so I was really, really proud and excited to work alongside him for the first time, really.

Gord and I have known each other for a number of years now, both just working in the Canadian country music industry, and we’ve never had the opportunity to work together in this capacity. So I was really thankful for an awesome opportunity to get across the country in front of some, hopefully, new fans. 

 

SUN: You two also collaborated late last year on the single “To Get to You.” So what was that like?

 

JM: That was really fun.

I’ve had the good fortune of doing a decent handful of duets with a lot of musicians that I admire and respect, Gord Bamford included. And this was the very first time, out of all those duets, that we were actually in the same studio together in the same room, at the same time. So that was pretty special.

I flew in a day early for the Canadian Country Music Association Awards and was able to get in the studio with Gord and it was cool. We had the song 100 per cent completed by the time the awards were over that weekend, so it was a quick turnaround. 

 

SUN: You’ve been so successful over these last couple years with Juno and CCMA awards and stuff like that. How does the #REDNEK Music Fest fit into that?

 

JM: Honestly, all I ever wanted to do was play music, to go out there and play live. And the whole goal, for me, of having a career in music was to be able to perform every night live. And that’s exactly what touring allows you to do. There’s a lot of business aspects to this career that people really don’t realize how much goes behind the scenes, so the touring aspect of it is the reward. That’s the part we get to do. So that’s what it means to me. I’m just excited to get out and play.

 

SUN: Is this tour different from other ones you’ve undertaken in the past, in terms of the scale or the format that Gord has for each show?

 

JM: In terms of the format specifically, I’m really proud of Gord. He’s taken on a lot of up-and-coming, new emerging artists that are starting to garner a lot of buzz here in Canada, as well as in the States. He’s really amalgamated them to be a part of the show, not just (the) openers. It’s a really unique format for the show.

If I can say one thing that I really want to stress to anybody thinking about coming to this show it’s get there early, because you’re going to miss so much and there’s a really good chance that you’re going to meet your new favourite country artist.

It’s not just one person plays and then the next person plays and then the next person plays. There’s a ton of collaboration and a lot of sharing the stage, and it’s honestly a big fun musical festival party on wheels coming to your town.

 

SUN: Do you feel any extra pressure being on stage since you’re the only female performer in this lineup, or is this kind of a non-factor at this point in your career?

 

JM: It’s no surprise to anybody to hear that females in country music right now are struggling in a lot of ways, and because of that there are less of us. 

But that being said, I am quite used to being the only female on any tour. And I really applaud Gord for taking one at all because there are a lot of people who don’t or wouldn’t or would be nervous to, but Gord went in the complete opposite (direction) and was, like, ‘Hey, this girl can sell tickets, she can get up there and sing and she can perform.’ So I’m not nervous and I don’t feel added pressure. I feel really supported and encouraged by this team that is the #REDNEK Music Fest.

 

SUN: Are you going to use this tour in general to showcase any new music?

 

JM: Yes. You’ll see.

 

SUN: Do you have any music on the horizon in terms of singles or EPs? I know you just came out with “Country Girls” not too long ago.

 

JM: Yeah. “Country Girls” is still at radio right now. We are charting in the top 10, so that will give us a couple more weeks-ish and then we will be releasing a new single eventually.

But we’re not working on a new EP right now. The landscape of music has just changed so entirely that I don’t know that releasing an EP is the correct move creatively or business-wise right now. I feel if we just released singles I could get more new music out more frequently. 

 

SUN: In general, what can local country music fans look forward to for the March 12 show in Brandon?

 

JM: They can look forward to a night of a lot of music, a night of a lot of new artists they may never have heard of quite yet … and they can hear a lot of their old favourites that they probably do know. 

But I do want to mention that Brandon is a lot like a hometown show for me. I went to BU for a couple years right out of high school and some of my best friends live there and I’ll have a ton of family there as well.

I know last year, when we were in Brandon on the Journey Tour with Paul Brandt and High Valley, we did a meet-and-greet and unfortunately didn’t have time to get through everybody. It was such a crazy night. 

So if you don’t have tickets to this show yet, please get them, because it’s really a special show for me and I’m so excited to see everybody. 

 

***

 

The #REDNEK Music Fest tour is set to kick off at Westoba Place tonight around 8 p.m. To purchase tickets, visit the Keystone Centre’s official website (tickets.keystonecentre.com) or call the box office at 204-726-3555.

 

(This interview has been edited for length and clarity.)

 

» kdarbyson@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @KyleDarbyson