Aaron Pritchett: A Real Canadian Boy
Maybe it’s the fresh air, the ability to see the mountains from the city center or the relaxed vibe from the strangers that pass you on the street. Whatever it is, Vancouver’s essence creates an environment that seems to be cultivating some of the country’s biggest acts in music; notable bands who may love to party and play a big live show, but who at the core are as wholesome as the boys you knew next door.
Sitting in the Gibson Showroom I am introduced to Aaron Pritchett, Vancouver native and Juno nominee for Country Recording of the Year ("Thankful" is his second nomination - he was up in the same category for 2007's "Big Wheel.") If you didn’t know that Pritchett was currently one of the biggest names in Canadian country, there isn’t much about his demeanor that says "hey, I’m a rockstar". What it does say is, “I’m here for a good time and thankful to be here.”
“Here” is having the JUNOs in his hometown; “here” is with accolades, “here” is the quick stop before this Canadian boy heads over to the JUNO Cup Hockey game. As this is my first time in Vancouver Pritchett seems saddened, because instead of seeing rays of sun reflect off the mountains or dance off the coast, I am greeted with overcast sky and wet drizzle. “I bet you haven’t seen the sun yet have you?” he asks. “Vancouver is really beautiful. I promise it’s not usually like this.” It is obvious that he is proud to call this city home. “This weekend is going to be a great opportunity for Vancouver to showcase what our music scene is really like” he says. So it’s safe to say that there’s a distinct Vancouver energy that works its way into your music?
“Totally. We’re relaxed but we really know how to have fun. That’s also something that everyone from the east will see this weekend. I was born and raised in a small town near Vancouver, listening to April Wine and Burton Cummings, and then got into the country scene later. But there are inflections of where I’ve been and grown up in my music for sure. That small town B.C. feel comes out.”
You’re nominated for best country recording of the year. Where were you when you found out? How did it make you feel?
“I was on the road, out east and got the word that the nomination came up. I hoped for it and had tried to will it. I'm pretty ecstatic that it came. This is my second nomination, but I feel that this one is worth more; the players that played on it, the songs that were written for it, and the way it was recorded makes it really worthy of the nomination. It’s pretty awesome to just have the nomination. Listed with people as being one of the top artists of that year, that means a lot to me.”
What starts to become apparent as we continue to chat is how genuine Pritchett is. His warm smile and bright blue eyes confirm that his answers are not rehearsed or canned, and that not only is the nomination important to him, but that he has been recognized alongside a group of his friends and peers who “all deserve the accolades for recording their albums as well as they did.” With this genuine nature it’s easy to assume that making friends comes easily to Pritchett. His warmth and openness no doubt play into his ability to write music that connects with both fans and critics.
Do you think there’s anything particular about your music that connects with your fans while earning recognition from critics?
“I wrote this album from a lot of my stories and personal experiences. It was definitely a change for me from my fans perspective. But the fans surprised me and really got behind this album. I’ve been doing cross-country sold-out shows. The fans are singing along and that to me is the most important aspect of what I do in this industry.”
Up to this point, Pritchett is probably best known for his “party songs” - Hold My Beer and Let’s Get Rowdy to name a few. But on this, his fifth album, he lets his fans in a little more. He assures me that as his shows get bigger, the music and the party vibe will too. Yet, even his party lyrics allow you to learn a little more about the guy in the cowboy boots. Lyrics from one of his most popular party anthems go a little something like this: “hold my beer while I kiss you're girlfriend, ‘cause she needs a real man…” I can’t resist asking Pritchett what makes him a real man. Looking me straight in the eyes and taking a more serious tone, Pritchett says that he is a “real Canadian man and as a real Canadian man, he would defend the honour of a beautiful Canadian lady at any risk, at any cost.”
I’m going to wager that it is this realness that has won him many female fans, some of his first being the wives and girlfriends of the Nickelback men. “At my first JUNOs in Edmonton, I went to an after party. Avril Lavigne was there, Chad Kroeger, a lot of people. I met Ryan Peake who plays in Nickelback, and his wife said she and her friends came to see me every Sunday at this local bar I used to play at. That was a great night. We ended up meeting some of the Edmonton Oilers, one who even became a good friend of mine. That’s also probably my best JUNO memory.”
The best part about Aaron? Is that he truly is genuine and thankful. When asking the obvious question of what he’s thankful for this year, he reflects briefly. “I’m thankful to still be doing this for a living, I’m incredibly thankful for my fans, the industry that supports me, and that I still see a future with my music.”
What fans of Canadian country music should be thankful for is that Pritchett never got to the point so many musicians have. “I’m lucky that I didn’t get to that point, the point where you feel like you can’t handle it anymore, it gets very tiring and I’ve been there, but not in the last few years.”
