Canadian country music-maker Tebey, eager to bring good vibes to Medicine Hat

By Erika Mathieu
Sunny South News

“There’s just something about Alberta that screams country,” chuckled Tebey. Even though he feels support from fans across the country, he said, “Alberta is sort of the epicentre for country music in Canada.”

With live music events continually postponed or cancelled over the past two years, artists and fans alike are looking forward to seeing their favourite artists return to the stage. Ontario-born country artist Tebey is set to play the Medicine Hat’s Esplanade Arts And Heritage Centre on Feb. 20, 2022.

The 2022 tour, titled the Shotgun Rider tour, “is going to be incredible,” he said. “I’m excited to get back out there and play. The last tour that I did we wrapped up in early February of 2020.”

Tebey said it has been, “a long time coming. I’m excited to get out there and just play songs for people. There’s a lot of songs that we’ve had on the radio over the last two years that people have never heard live, so for me that’s going to make it extra special.”

Known for his high-energy shows, country hits, and cross-genre songwriting, Tebey was ecstatic to get back out playing live shows.

“The music business has definitely changed since COVID,” he explained. “It’s been really tough. I know a lot of people are dealing with mental health issues over this because there’s a lot of folks who aren’t able to make a living because they can’t play.”

He added he and his team had to try to adapt to new creative processes in light of the ongoing pandemic, and drastically altered how he wrote music.

“I wasn’t able to be in the room with my co-writers and they were wanting to do these zoom-writes which doesn’t really work for me because I’m a vibe guy. I like to be in the room with the people I’m writing with.”

The upcoming tour will allow Tebey to showcase his ever-growing collection of country hits in front of a live audience again.

”I’m at the point now where I can almost play an entire set of just songs that people are going to recognize from hearing on their radio, over the last seven or eight years,” he said.

Despite his music reaching the mainstream, Tebey has grown as a musician and is more sure of his sound.

“I just think I’m really starting to come into my own as an artist and my niche in the market and what I represent.”

He continued, “I think the first couple years of my career were definitely a soul-searching endeavour, just trying to figure out who I am as an artist, but I think we’ve kind of got it locked in now.”

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