The Reklaws steal day two with an emotional, heart filled performance in Quebec

Rain, rain and more rain was the story of the day on Saturday at Festival Country Lotbinière. Of course much of the area near the front of the stage, including our media pit, had turned into mud by the end of the show on Friday…by yesterday it was more like quick sand that fed on an endless supply of shoes, boots and the occasional small child (just kidding no children were eaten by the mud monster at this festival). Did anyone care? No because the music made us all forget that we were slowly sinking up to our knees in mud.

Newcomer to the scene, but not to Lotbinière (he performed as part of the Reklaws band in 2019), Nate Haller kicked off the show with his upbeat pop country style. Nate and I spoke before the show, I wanted to get an idea as to what went into his, almost, meteoric rise into the mainstream music scene. While it may seem quick Nate has been in the music scene for a long time having been part of bands backing Kira Isabella and, more recently, The Reklaws. All of the years he spent behind the scenes he wasn’t just playing guitar, he was watching and learning and working on himself. Then just before the pandemic he made his move. To most it may seem like he became an overnight success when in reality he put in the same amount of work that most new artists do only from the inside. There have been a few notable artists who got their start in similar ways: Whitehorse, for example, is a Hamilton band made up of the husband wife duo Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland. When Luke Doucet was only 19 years old, he moved to Vancouver and was the long time lead guitarist of Sarah McLachlan’s band. Glenn Frey and Don Henley backed up Linda Ronstadt before becoming The Eagles and Sheryl Crow was a backup singer for Eric Clapton before she became famous. The odds are definitely in Nate’s favour to make some serious waves in this business and being part of the Starseed Entertainment team is definitely going to be a huge bonus.

Jenna and Stuart Walker, aka the Reklaws, took to the stage next. The last 2 years have been tough for every artist, without question, but for The Reklaws it’s been nothing short of tragic. On March 14, 2022 Jenna and Stu lost their mother, Florence Walker, to mental illness. To most human beings a loss like this would be unsurmountable and make it difficult, if not impossible, to continue entertaining and bringing joy to others. But to Jenna and Stu not only did they continue they walked out on that stage and did something that took far more courage than I think I would even have….they openly spoke about their loss and the circumstances surrounding that loss on stage, and off stage. I first met Jenna and Stu at this festival in 2019 and immediately fell in love with the two of them. They’re the most genuine people I’ve ever met but let me tell you, being in the audience last night as they stood on stage telling their story only THREE months, almost to the day, after their mother’s passing took my level of respect for these two to a whole new level. Mental health is a serious issue, especially after the last two years. But it’s a subject that, for some reason, is taboo…something you don’t talk about…until we talk about it in past tense. Jenna and Stuart lost their matriarch, as Ashley and Wynonna Judd lost their mother, Naomi. Just like Jenna and Stu Wynonna is also getting strength from her fans to cope with her loss and both are using their platform to raise awareness that mental health, particularly women’s mental health, is important and needs attention.

One of the greatest and tear inducing parts of The Reklaws set last night was when they spotted a young girl in the crowd with a sign that said “I Love The Reklaws”…without missing a beat the two of them went over to her and plucked her out of the crowd and brought her to centre stage to face the roaring crowd…but it wasn’t the girl that caught my attention it was her mother. Her mother was a few feet away from me and was completely overwhelmed with emotion, to her it was the greatest moment in her life…even though it was happening to her daughter. This was the ultimate testament of how strong a mother’s love is for their children. It’s the same reason that Jenna and Stu continue to perform, as Stu himself said if they didn’t “she’d probably come after us”.  I know this is father’s day weekend, Happy Fathers Day to papa Walker Todd, but last night was all about mom. Even Flo herself made an appearance, in spirit, as the rain that had been falling steadily all day, stopped and the sun came out from behind the clouds for the first time since Friday afternoon. I’m lucky to have both of my parents but I hope that when the time comes I have half the strength that Jenna and Stu showed last night. There are plans to create a foundation to honour their mother and create some support for Women’s Mental Health, at this time they’re hoping they’ll have more details by the fall but until then they’re taking their mothers advice and are going outside to play…the show must go on! There is a GoFundMe in support of Florence Walker you can visit it and donate here!

Dean Brody had the impossible task of following that performance but his mountain country sound with relatable lyrics was the perfect medicine to close out the night. Although seemingly plagued with monitor issues for much of his set Dean’s years of experience kept the show going without missing a beat. Cranking out all of his hits the show was basically a giant sing along with thousands in attendance signing karaoke with Dean Brody leading the way. Dean is a giant in this business, having been at the top of his game for many years he recanted the first time he met Jenna and Stu, many years ago at a meet and greet. He said he saw something magical about them then and that it’s great to see them finally getting into the groove and seeing their own success. Dean’s a class act and it’s great to see him acknowledging and supporting the future artists of Canadian Country Music.

I’ve been a fan of Dean Brody for many years but his anthemic single “Bring Down The House” is one of my all time favourite country songs because it’s just so much fun. What better way to end the night than with a high energy encore like that.

That’s a wrap for day 2. As I write this I look out of the hotel window to blue skies and sunshine which is the perfect way to kick off the third and final day at Festival Country Lotbinière. Up today we’ve got a stacked lineup featuring Shawn Austin, Tim & The Glory Boys and James Barker Band will cap off the weekend with what’s sure to be an incredible set.