Take a listen: Jake Vaadeland and the Sturgeon River Boys in Baker City

Published 7:00 am Sunday, July 27, 2025

Desirae Bronson opens the show Aug. 3

BAKER CITY — Jake Vaadeland’s year has included winning a Juno award — Canada’s equivalent of a Grammy — and now he’s coming to Baker City.

Jake Vaadeland and the Sturgeon River Boys play Sunday, Aug. 3, at Churchill School, 3451 Broadway St. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the music starts at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance at churchillbaker.com or $28 at the door.

Desirae Bronson opens the show. She made her way to Nashville in 2016 as a finalist in the Music City Songwriting Competition. She’s opened for Cody Johnson, Clint Black, Joe Nicols, Trace Adkins and The Band Perry, and played at festivals and venues all over the Northwest. She lives in Baker City.

Jake Vaadeland

Vaadeland, 22, lives in Saskatchewan, Canada. He grew up with musical parents, and it was during their show’s intermission that he first took the stage at age 4 with a fake guitar and sang a song.

Afterward, someone gave him a “toonie” — a $2 coin.

“That was my first paying gig,” he said.

He learned music at the family table, where neighbors would stop by for impromptu jams.

“Sometimes until midnight,” he said.

But no one seemed to play music for a living.

“I thought I was going to be a cattle farmer,” he said.

He’s not a cattle farmer — he’s toured for more than four years with the Sturgeon River Boys around Canada, the United States and several times in Europe, logging up to 150 annual shows.

In addition to the 2025 Juno award, he was the youngest artist to earn a “Road Gold” Certification by selling 25,000 tickets in 12 months across Canada.

He writes the songs and composes the show that includes banter and old-time ads in addition to the music.

“There’s gotta be a show, real entertainment,” he said. “The live show is the biggest part of it — we put a lot of work into that.”

Each band member has a different musical background, so their sound is a combination of bluegrass, country and rockabilly.

“We came up with this unique sound,” he said. “We’re not stuck in one genre.”