Last year, country band River Town Saints had such a good time playing Old Flame Brewing Co. that they’re coming back on Dec. 8 to play the venue once again.
The band from Arnprior, Ontario said the party last year was memorable and they’d love to do it all again while playing a few of their Billboard Canada Country chart-topping tracks.
“It was such a great show last time and very intimate,” said lead singer Chase Kasner. “There’s a great atmosphere and we don’t stray away from a party.”
The band started in 2013, but has gone through trials and tribulations that could have made them call it quits. In 2019 original lead singer Chris Labelle left to pursue a solo career and then bass player Dan Di Giacomo died unexpectedly.
When the band was finally ready to get back on the stage with Kasner’s vocals and new bass player Joe Patrois, the pandemic got in the way.
“It was almost scary not knowing what would happen,” Kasner said. “We never knew if we’d get our jobs back."
The band did a bit of “rebuilding” and released a few singles to test the waters throughout the pandemic and Kasner said they were lucky enough to play drive-ins for a few years.
“It was pretty cool, but it was difficult,” he said. “We released a song called ‘Long Time Coming’ around the time the end (of the pandemic) was near, so we’re fortune tellers! But it’s been a good journey since then.”
Kasner and Patrois joined founding members Chris McComb and Jeremy Bortot in the band and the quartet has meshed well together with the songwriting process being team-oriented.
“You just throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks,” said Kasner. “There’s never any sure recipe to make sure your song is successful, all you can really do is take your time and work together.”
Working together has worked for the four of them, having released four singles since 2021 including “Long Time Coming” and “What Ya Doin’ Tonight,” both of which have charted on the Billboard Canada Country charts.
For the band though, it’s not about making hits, it’s about those live performances where they can feel the synergy between them and the crowd that’s come out to see them.
“It’s always nice to see the people who spend their hard-earned money to come watch you do what you’ve dreamed of doing since you were a kid,” said Kasner. “I remember back in the day thinking nobody would ever pay money to watch me sing.”
Having made it through the pandemic to get to play live shows again has made that experience even more special to the band, said Kasner.
“There’s a different energy after people being stuck inside for so long,” he said. “It’s almost like they were freed and the shows are all so fun.”
River Town Saints are playing Old Flame Brewing Co. Friday, Dec. 8 with doors at 7 p.m. You can get tickets here.
