Ethan Brentnell last preformed in Moose Jaw for the release of his debut album in June, and he’s finally returning for another show just before the holidays.
Brentnell will take the stage at the Moose Jaw Museum & Art Gallery theatre on Dec. 22, backed by a full band to fill the venue to the brim with music.
The show will feature both Brentnell’s original music, alongside some classic holiday tunes and Christmas songs to commemorate the season, including three new Christmas covers to fill out the setlist.
Brentnell’s rendition of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” was released earlier in November, and the singles “Silent Night” and “Edelweiss” — from the beloved musical, The Sound of Music — will follow on Dec. 20.
His previous appearance was at the Mae Wilson Theatre, but the smaller venue this time around is exactly what Brentnell was hoping to do.
“I really wanted to go for more of like a cool little club feel for the show,” said Brentnell. “I haven't been home in around six, seven months because I moved away from home to pursue music, so I wanted to do a little bit of a show.”
Brentnell has been in Windsor, Ont. for the last few months, preparing for the next step in his music career.
“I've been really, really working on starting a little bit of a career,” said Brentnell. “I haven't gotten to do much work in [Ontario] yet, but I will next year because I'm planning to do a tour for the album I'm going to be putting out next year.”
The new album is in the works, set to release sometime in the summer, and will feature 17 tracks. Brentnell will once again be playing a number of instruments on the tracks himself, including guitar, bass, drums, and piano — and, of course, vocals.
He’s also got an impressive brass selection lineup up to accompany, including trumpets, trombones, saxophones and the like.
“The new album, it's still unnamed. I have all the songs written and arranged,” said Brentnell. “And it's something that I've been wanting to put out for most of my life.”
The new album is a milestone for Brentnell, one that he’s put a lot of himself into.
“I wasn't disappointed [with my last album], but I just didn't go for it, you know. I just recorded some stuff and put it out, and that's basically all I did and it wasn't exactly what I wanted to do,” said Brentnell. “So this album, even if it costs lots of money, I don't really care. I'm going to really go for it.”
The upcoming show at the MJMAG will preface the exciting year lined up for Brentnell, and also serve as a homecoming for the musician.
“I'm very excited to come home and see my family. I'm excited to see Moose Jaw again, that's for sure,” said Brentnell.
Brentnell’s debut album “This Much I Know” is available to stream on Apple Music and Spotify, and his new singles are available on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.
Tickets for the upcoming show on Dec. 22 are $20 for adults and $12 for children and will be available at the door on the night of the concert, which begins at 7:30 p.m.
