Belle Plaine and Blake Berglund are hoping for lucky number 15, or a 29 hand, in between croonin’ for cowboys and playing in hi-fi on their tour that takes them from the Calgary Stampede to Vernon this week.
The Grant MacEwan alumna jazz singer and university drop-out cowboy songwriter, who play Spinners Sound Centre in Vernon Wednesday, started collaborating during a game of afternoon cribbage.
“We continue to play morning games of cribbage, and aside from occasional skunkings, my pegging continues to improve,” said Bergland.
Plaine and Berglund have individually released numerous studio albums, toured nationally and developed a sound recognized industry wide, while always staying true to their Saskatchewan roots.
Raised in the farming community of Fosston, Sask., Plaine’s distinctive sound draws from her musical background: classical vocal training, jazz/contemporary music study and a history of live performance reaching back to her country upbringing. Her singular and textured voice lends itself to various styles of music, from outlaw country to 1940s swing.
Plaine was named emerging artist at the 2014 Regina Mayor’s Arts and Business Awards, was the recipient of the Rawlco 10K20 award in the spring of 2016, and also named one of CBC Saskatchewan’s Future 40 in 2016.
Raised in the Moose Mountains, deep in Saskatchewan’s southeast corner, Berglund confidently launched his career as a teenager by drawing on the defining experiences of his youth: classical piano training, a fervent love of the Seattle grunge rock movement and the responsibility of tending 200 horses on his family ranch. It was all the education he needed, realizing at a young age that a musician’s career is based around hard work.
Berglund was named Roots Artist of the Year at the 2013 Saskatchewan Country Music Awards.
Plaine and Berglund represented Saskatchewan alongside Rah Rah and The Sheepdogs at the PEI 2014 Celebration Zone festival, completed a joint tour of the Canadian East Coast and wrapped up the endeavour on VIA Rail’s Artists On Board series.
Last year saw them travel to Australia, and individually complete tours across Canada.
They debuted their take on two Zachary Lucky-penned tracks in Sept., 2015. The production of their ‘70s-inspired 7” vinyl was overseen by Jason Plumb and recorded at CBC Studio One in Regina.
It was supported by a month-long Western Canadian tour, featuring showcases at BreakOut West 2015, and again at BreakOut West in 2016.
The duo gives a show on the floor at Spinners Sound Centre, 3107 30th Ave., downtown Vernon, Wednesday. Doors open at 7 p.m. Music starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 at Spinners.