[Cover photo credit to Ava Wild]
JUNO and CCMA Award-winning artist Jake Vaadeland has released his new solo album, This Is Jake Vaadeland. The 17-track album is a dive into the songs, stories, and sounds that shaped Jake’s early years growing up in rural Saskatchewan.
Blending traditional songs with original songwriting, it offers “a reverent nod” to the music that raised him.
Fully self-curated, This Is Jake Vaadeland was recorded at Calgary’s National Music Centre and co-produced with longtime collaborator Joel Rohs.
Vaadeland shares:
These are not just ordinary old folk songs. They are the harmonies and notes that are deeply embedded within the strong roots of my childhood. I can hear them distantly, behind every memory that lives on from my life growing up in the Canadian wilderness, in an old white home, along the Sturgeon River.
Lead single “The Homesteader’s Song” is a personal narrative that traces Vaadeland’s family’s journey across the ocean to build a new life in Canada. It was inspired by his great-grandfather, Severin Vaadeland, and pays tribute to his great-grandmother Karen, who is referenced in the lyrics as the family’s wife and mother. Karen was born on May 22, 1901, the same date as the album’s release, and passed away in 2000 at the age of 99, singing hymns in her bed.
Vaadeland dedicated the record to his grandparents: Darlene and Ruben Vaadeland, and Gail and Bill Churchman, whose influence and stories are embedded throughout the album.
Vaadeland will support the album with an international tour this summer with his band The Sturgeon River Boys. The run includes dates across Canada and festival appearances throughout Europe.
2026 TOUR DATES
June 3 – George Layh Theatre, Langenburg, SK
June 4 – Community Legion Hall, Wadena, SK
June 5 – Lyric Theatre, Swift Current, SK
June 7 – Vic Juba Theatre, Lloydminster, AB
June 10 – Community Centre, Leader, SK
June 11 – Norman Ritchie Centre, Kindersley, SK
June 12 – Orpheum Theatre, Estevan, SK
June 13 – Mae Wilson Theatre, Moose Jaw, SK
June 14 – Opera House, Wolseley, SK
June 15 – Bounty Theatre, Outlook, SK
June 16 – Maclab Centre, Leduc, AB
June 17 – Palace Theatre, Daysland, AB
June 18 – Monarch Theatre, Medicine Hat, AB
June 20 – Cowichan Lake Bluegrass Festival, Lake Cowichan, BC
June 26 – German Canadian Club, Lethbridge, AB
June 27 – Community Centre, Biggar, SK
July 1 – Osler, SK – Memorial Field
July 3 – Johnny’s Beach, Crystal Lake, SK
July 5 – Mariposa Folk Festival, Orillia, ON
July 9 – Cavendish Beach Music Festival, Cavendish, PEI
July 12 – Sjock Festival, Gierle, BE
July 16 – Zwarte Cross Festival, Lichtenvoorde, NL
July 18 – Melfort Exhibition, Melfort, SK
August 8 – Badlands Amphitheatre, Drumheller, AB
August 13 – Fusion Credit Union Stage, Brandon, MB
August 14–15 – Northern Lights Bluegrass Festival, Ness Creek, SK
August 21 – Fred Fest, Fort St. John, BC
September 12 – Barnside Festival, Ladner, BC
October 12 – The Grace, London, UK
October 13 – Liverpool Philharmonic Hall , Liverpool, UK
October 14 – The Parish, Huddersfield, UK
October 15 – National Centre for Early Music, York, UK
October 16 – The Cluny, Newcastle, UK
October 17 – The Rum Shack, Glasgow, UK
October 19 – Hare and Hounds, Birmingham, UK
October 20 – Norwich Arts Centre, Norwich, UK
October 21 – Thekla, Bristol, UK
October 22 – Concorde, Brighton, UK
October 23 – Wedgewood Room, Portsmouth, UK
