Jesse Mast is all about country.
So it’s fitting the talented singer/songwriter will join Canadian Country Music Award winner Gord Bamford and four-time Grammy nominee Joe Nichols on The Certified Country Tour.
Mast, who is signed to Bamford’s Cache Entertainment, will perform Bad Blood, his latest single that dropped on Feb. 9.
The song, written by Matt Rogers of Ole Music Publishing in Nashville, was pitched to Mast about a year-and-a-half ago and recorded in Calgary.
One of several under consideration, Bad Blood, the far-from-mournful break-up song, was elected to be the first single of what might eventually become an album.
“It takes me back to old ’80s rock, but with a pretty distinct country flair. It marries the two genres really well,” says Mast of the single. “On top of that, it’s a lot of fun to play – to let loose and rock out with a song that is right up my alley.”
Mast says there will be another single for sure, but the follow-up single won’t be coming out for months yet – probably not until August or September.
That’s due, in part, to the cross-Canada, 20-date tour that runs from the beginning of April until the end of May.
Recently, the 19-year-old talent concluded a radio tour of all the major Canadian country stations and a small-theatre tour where he opened for Bamford.
“Gord did it to set himself apart, to put a face and personality to the name as well,” says Mast, grateful to Bamford’s introductions in Ontario, Alberta and B.C. “He has excellent rapport with radio personalities across the country, not just the DJs but with the top brass as well.”
The small-theatre tour in Ontario provided a change of pace and an opportunity to play in a more intimate setting – just him and his acoustic guitar.
Mast, who picked up the guitar only four years ago, says there are upsides to performing both on big-concert stages and in small venues.
“It was awesome and I absolutely loved it ,” he says. “A small acoustic show is where the music really gets to shine; it’s a lot more about the clarity and the impact of the song.”
Ah, but then there are the big shows with “lots of energy; people getting into it and rocking out.”
Intimate spaces or large, boisterous concert venues, the likeable, humble Mast is loving it all.
“Between Gord throwing his weight behind me, the team at Cache and the distribution team, it’s just fantastic.”
