Moose Jaw is only one stop on the prairie-wide party that Tim Neufeld & the Glory Boys are calling The Buffalo Roadshow tour, which is promoting their third studio album and bracketing the 2019 JUNO Awards — which Tim & the Glory Boys have been nominated for, actually.
The boys are a bluegrass country band, featuring all the classic hillbilly instruments: an upright bass, banjo, dobro, fiddle, and of course, foot-stomping.
“We're always super ambitious with our production; some would say over-ambitious, but we stuff our trailer as much as we can with production: lights, and set pieces, and stuff,” said Neufeld. “It's a bit of a gong show, honestly, but it's a fun one.”
The group visited Moose Jaw on their last tour and had only good things to say about the city. Neufeld said he had driven by so many times and was glad to finally have a chance to stop in. They’re looking forward to returning to the Friendly City, and had a few things on the agenda that they’re hoping to do.
“Well, we hope to go to the Boston Pizza, I hear its the best Boston Pizza in the country,” said Neufeld first, adding, “We kind of fell in love with Moose Jaw last time we were there.”
The nature of their music lends itself to a real connection with small towns and cities like Moose Jaw, one that Neufeld appreciates.
“We just have a special connection with any little prairie town, whether it's Moose Jaw or like the place we're from, Winnipeg,” said Neufeld. “We dig the plains, and always look forward to getting back to places like Moose Jaw.”
The group’s most recent album, The Buffalo Roadshow, has been nominated for Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the Year at this year’s JUNO Awards, the group’s fourth nomination in that category and Neufeld’s ninth nomination overall.
Neufeld is grateful to be nominated and recognized by fans, and the industry, in such a way.
“It's always an honor to get nominated, and it feels extra great because it's your peers in the industry who are behind the nomination,” said Neufeld. “It's a massive confidence boost too, when you can win something like a Juno and know that there's at least some people that are into what you're doing, and you should keep on keeping on.”
Currently, they will be attending the awards on Mar. 17, and they’re excited to be a part of the non-stop events planned.
“For four guys who really probably should be swinging hammers and fixing faucets, or whatever other blue-collar thing that we would be doing, it's like this dream that just keeps on going, and we get to do it together, and we're so grateful for the opportunities,” said Neufeld.
The tour, of course, will go on after the JUNO interlude, and Tim & the Glory Boys will be performing at the Hillcrest Apostolic Church in Moose Jaw on Apr. 4. Tickets for the event can be purchased through the tour’s website, and it sounds as though the group hopes to spend some time in the city while they’re able — so, if you see them or their beards wandering downtown, stop and say hi.
In the end, Neufeld just hopes that their music can convey to its audience a kind of perspective on their lives, one rooted in the benefits of gratitude.
“Gratitude is the secret sauce to really enjoying life. And enjoying life is pretty much everybody's pursuit, and whether it’s the album or the live show, it’s just a bunch of songs that are about taking stock of the little things in life, the little blessings, and knowing where they're coming from and from that place of gratitude, just living your life,” said Neufeld. “And then whether it's good or bad, or you're going through trials or your living your best life, gratitude still works, and that's what we hope they take from [the album].
The Buffalo Roadshow is available to stream on Apple Music and Spotify, and will be on tour across the prairies until early May, ending in Ontario.
