Kat Harlton
Multiple CCMA, SOCAN and CMAO Award winner, Jason Blaine, recently released his new single ‘Drink Too Much’ on January 24 via all streaming services. ‘Drink Too Much’ features Blaine’s signature vocals and encourages you to let your hair down and embrace your wild side!
With over a decade in the country music scene, Jason Blaine has amassed over 10 million combined streams, has over 6 full length albums, 12 top 10 singles and has toured with country legends like Deric Ruttan, Tebey and Chad Brownlee. Blaine has also started his annual Jason Blaine Celebrity Charity Golf Classic which has attracted names like Dallas Smith, Gord Bamford and Tim Hicks and has raised over $500,000.
Originally from Pembroke, ON, Blaine moved to Nashville in 2006 before bursting onto the scene in 2007 with his first number 1 single ‘Rock in My Boot’, which led to multiple CCMA nominations.
We had the opportunity to chat with Blaine about what he does best, new single “Drink Too Much” and his Celebrity Charity Golf Classic.
Kat: Can you share what inspired your new single “Drink Too Much”?
Jason: Drink Too Much was actually a song that was pitched to me this past year. When it came time to start choosing songs to cut, I realized I actually didn’t have anything like it. I had been writing so many deep songs, emotional songs, lovey-songs, that when I first heard it, I thought, YES! This is just fun! It’s also lyrically exactly how my wife & I both get to feeling sometimes. Juggling careers and our four kids, sometimes we just need to take a night to call a sitter and hit the town with some friends and yes, maybe Drink Too Much! Anyone know what I mean?!
Kat: What were you listening to growing up? What kind of music or artists would you say have influenced you and/or your career?
Jason: Growing up, I listened to music older than my generation. I hardly ever listened to the music my friends were listening to at the time, except for hearing it and being aware of it, it just wasn’t my thing. My father is a musician, a bassist. He had a vinyl collection that included The Eagles, Alabama, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Boston, Chicago, Kenny Rogers, and my mother loved everything 90s country and always had the radio tuned into the local country station that played Garth, Brooks & Dunn, Paul Brandt, Faith Hill , Shania Twain, and Vince Gill, to name a few. I became a huge fan of Bryan Adams in the 90s, myself, and still am to this day. I’m sure that little bits of all of those things somehow found there way into my songwriting, although I’m still chasing my heroes.
Kat: How do you feel your sound, or yourself as an artist has evolved over time?
Jason: I think it has evolved in part from a natural place of growth as a songwriter, singer and musician and also from growing as a person, becoming a husband and father and getting a little older. I also think it’s evolved out of necessity as well, in a conscious effort to keep up with the times and trends and stay in the game.
Kat: You’ve toured with country legends like Deric Ruttan, Tebey and Chad Brownlee, and have multiple ‘Top 10’ singles, what advice do you have for emerging artists?
Jason: Oh gosh, yes, I’ve been fortunate to be a part of some successful tours and shows and have enough hits to continue to headline shows of my own as well. I think I would say, to an emerging artist or to myself back then, that you should just strive to be great, not to be famous. I stole that from a Ray Charles quote :) Just get as good as you possible can. Learn to record yourself with ProTools or Logic and find your own voice, find your own identity and from there just start releasing music and playing shows and if you’re good and if you’re lucky, people will come.
Kat: Can you share what inspired you to start the annual Jason Blaine Celebrity Charity Golf Classic?
Jason: Thanks for asking! This event has been a true labour of love for the past 7 years. I was invited years ago by my pal Gord Bamford to attend his Celebrity Charity Golf & Concert event in his hometown of Lacombe, AB and I had never been to anything like it. It planted the seed for me to want to start something similar in my hometown and I talked to him about it. He gave me some great advice and even came in year one, as my guest, to help us kick it off. I just wanted to use music to give back to a town and area that has cheered me on my whole career. I’m proud that to date, we’ve raised $500,000 and helped out some 40 wonderful organizations like the Boys & Girls Club, The Algonquin College Pembroke Campus, The Robbie Dean Mental Health Crisis Centre, The United Way, The Pembroke Hospital MRI Fund and many more. The support from our sponsors and the community has been amazing and I’m looking forward to hosting our 7th Annual this June 16th & 17th.
For more on Jason Blaine, please visit: https://www.jasonblaine.ca