Flying in Friday from a music video shoot in Nashville, playing in Rockyford Saturday, and sitting down with The Mail Sunday before playing at the Sunshine Lodge, Jaydee Bixby has the same question on his mind as everyone else in Drumheller.
Bixby, 20, was raised in North Drumheller and got his shot at the big-time as runner-up on the now defunct Canadian Idol television show.
That’s behind him now.
“This is the first time I’ve talked about that show in a while,” Bixby said of his 2007 run. “It’s 2010 now, I write my own songs.”
His latest album Easy to Love has brought him fame in the Canadian country music scene, being nominated for three British Columbia Country Music Awards (he calls Langley, B.C. home now), a Canadian Country Music Association Rising Star nomination in July, and two music videos.
“Things are going great,” said Bixby, “each album you do teaches you and I have a better understanding of what’s going on.”
A rare show in Rockyford on Saturday evening brought him right where he wanted to be for Christmas: with his family here in Alberta. “I’ll be relaxing with my family and waiting for Santa.”
“My mom says when I stop believing in Santa, the presents stop coming. I’ll be 45 and still believe,” Bixby laughs.
Bixby won’t be static for long, after returning to B.C. this Sunday he’ll be jetting off to Winnipeg to play to a crowd of 1,500 at Cowboys bar there. The key to success, he says, is a dance floor.
“I don’t know about you, but when I hear good country music it really gets my feet going,” he says while tapping his boots on the office floor.
“I’m a pretty good dancer, but it has to be the right person you’re dancing with for it to be smooth. It doesn’t flow if it isn’t.”
Bixby suddenly remembers his excitement about Timmies coming to town. “I’m glad it’s not Starbucks, man, I can just imagine my grandpa coming down into the valley after farming and being asked if he wants a ‘venti’ coffee. He’d say, ‘no, I want it large and black.’”
“I try to keep my music simple: I look at it like I’m owning a coffee shop– it should be easy to get and easy to access.”
This mantra has allowed him to write new songs eight times a week at his home in British Columbia. He says he’s got over 40 songs done now, more than enough for his next album which he says is almost a certainty.
“The best thing about being out of my parents house is that I’ve found my niche for writing. My old frustration that everything had to be perfect is gone– I see with a different pair of eyes now. It has allowed me to do so much more writing.”
“I’m in this for the long haul.”
