River Town Saints Boots & Hearts 2018 Preview and Interview

A lot has happened since we saw River Town Saints live for the first time at CMW 2015. They’ve released singles and their self-titled EP. They’ve crossed Canada to play shows and festivals. They’ve been nominated for awards and can count themselves winners of the 2017 CMAO award for Single of the Year (Cherry Bomb), and more recently, the 2018 Canadian Radio Music Award for Best New Group/Solo Artist Country during Canadian Music Week.

And this summer, River Town Saints are bringing their high energy, party vibe, good timing music back to Boots & Hearts on Friday, August 10 to show everyone what they’ve got.

We caught up with RTS lead singer Chris Labelle on the phone to talk about a whole bunch of things including their return to B&H. Labelle told us that getting back to the festival is exciting. They remember what it was like two years ago when they were still in the starting up phase of their career. They remember the fans singing along to Cherry Bomb at the tops of their lungs, and if they can replicate that in 2018, they’ll be happy. The band also knows that this is a big deal. And they know they have to bring their A game. So, fans should be ready to see a set that the band has put a lot of work into, and is built to entertain from start to finish.

While we were talking we went back a little further in the River Town Saints timeline to 2015 and asked Chris about the differences in the band between then and now. Along with the opportunities to hit the road, take the stage, release their singles and EP, Labelle said that there has been an attitude shift that he thinks has served the band well. In the beginning, he felt like the boys were always trying to impress someone, be exactly what everyone was looking for, even sucking up to try and get themselves in a position to catch a break. But now, after being fortunate enough to get to where they are so far, they know that they can be themselves.

That isn’t to say that good fortune doesn’t still play a part. Labelle acknowledged things like luck when it comes to a song hitting the way you hope it might. But more importantly is having a great team, putting in hard work, and being ready when your chance comes to you. He gives a lot of credit to the team at RGK Entertainment/ Open Road Recordings for putting them in a position to succeed and guiding them along the way.

Chris also made a specific point of giving big credit to the boys in the band (Chris McComb, Jeremy Bortot, Jordan Potvin, and Dan DiGiacomo) for putting in their work. He praised them for playing constantly, getting better, tighter, and creating the sound that River Town Saints presents to the world when they record new music and play live.

Related: River Town Saints at Boots & Hearts 2016

During our call, we also took the opportunity to ask Chris what’s coming next for the band. As we approach the one year anniversary of their self-titled debut EP, he tells me that they’re eager to get back in the studio to record more of what will be their follow-up album. There have been some great writing sessions already. And they feel like they’ve got some solid songs lined up, but they are always working on more too.

We also touched on plans for the next single, and he told us that he wasn’t sure what details he was allowed to share, but that there are tentative plans for a summer single. Some dates have been tossed around, some plans have been put down, and now it’s a work with the team and make it happen situation.

Note: At the end of our call, Labelle sang me a small part of a new song that he and Jeremy wrote recently. And while nobody knows yet if it will end up being recorded, I can tell you that my first reaction was to tell him that it sounded like a sunny summer jam that could play on afternoon radio any day of the week, and start even earlier on the weekend.

Before we wrapped things up, I asked Chris a set of questions to see what we could learn about the rest of the boys in the band…

Best Dancer: Dan DiGiacomo

Worst Dancer: Chris McComb

Note: I told Labelle that he couldn’t answer himself on these questions, but this is the one that he wanted to make a point that Best Dancer should be him.

Best Dresser: Jeremy Bortot

Worst Dresser: Chris McComb

Best Driver: Jordan Potvin

Worst Driver: Dan DiGiacomo

Note: Chris McComb gets credit for being the best parker in the band when it comes to manoeuvring Blake Shuttleton and Trailer Swift.

Best Jokes: Dan DiGiacomo

Worst Jokes: Jordan Potvin

Big thanks to Chris for taking the time to talk. Check out River Town Saints current single, You Get To Me, stay tuned to see what’s coming next, and don’t miss the boys up on stage at Boots & Hearts on Friday, August 10!

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Joshua Murray

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