Barrie, ON-based country singer-songwriter John Anderson initially grew up with a passion for baseball, until one day he picked up a guitar and learned the song, “Thinking Out Loud”. He sent it to his mother, an elementary school teacher, who listened to it with her students, and they loved it. John then started entering and winning contests, including Magna Hoedown Showdown in Aurora.
John has now released his first single, “Grew Up On It”, and it’s garnering great reviews so far. I, for one, cannot wait to see what else he has up his sleeve.
Check out the single below and find out more about this up and coming country artist in our Five Questions With segment.
Care to introduce yourself to our readers?
I’m a singer-songwriter from Barrie Ontario. I grew up playing hockey in the winter and baseball in the summer. One day I picked up a guitar and taught myself to play. The first tune I learned, despite my love of country music, was Thinking Out Loud. My mom, an elementary school teacher, played it for her kids and they loved it! I spent the next few months learning the guitar. I decided to check out a local open mic and they wanted me to play. When I finished, the owner of the place actually wanted me to play a gig there. At the time I only knew a few songs. So I went back week by week learning new songs each time. I got that gig he initially offered and it’s been a crazy ride ever since. Started playing gigs, doing shows, then on to winning contests and awards. Now I’m opening up for some big acts such as; Tebey, Alan Doyle, Blue Rodeo, and James Barker Band to name a few. I’ve had some of the best times of my life playing music!
Tell us a bit about your music and writing style.
I’ve always loved country music. Grew up listening to John Denver, Brad Paisley, and other guys like that. I think this comes through in my writing with the more traditional aspects. But I love the rock side of country as well, so I’m able to write a good variety of songs. My method of writing usually starts with a title for a song. I hear little phrases in day-to-day life and think “Oh, I could write a song about that”. I am pretty good at taking lines and fitting them into the melody I’m working with to make it flow. I love to co-write as well, it’s nice to have someone to work with, bounce ideas off each other, that sort of thing.
Do you have any upcoming shows? For someone who has yet to see you live, how would you explain your live performance?
I am currently on a Canadian radio tour right now. I will have close to 40 festivals/shows this summer across Ontario. The best place to look for upcoming shows is my website www.johnandersonmusic.com/events. We are always adding new events, so make sure to look into my social media from the website. I strive to improve my live performances and I see a noticeable improvement year over year. You will get a powerful upbeat vocal performance with great musicians filling out the sound.
If you were asked to suggest only one of your songs for someone to hear, which one would it be?
I couldn’t. I love all the songs I’ve recorded so far and they all show something different about me. And each song can be relatable in a different way to different people. I love to hear feedback on the songs. It’s interesting to see when someone interprets a lyric differently than what I was thinking.
Canadian Beats is all about Canadian Music, so who are your current favourite Canadian bands/ artists?
There are so many great Canadian Country Artists that I like, here it goes:
James Barker Band, Tim Hicks, Dean Brody, JoJo Mason, Tebey, Meghan Patrick, Gord Bamford, The Road Hammers, Jamie Warren and Beverley Mahood to just name a few…I could go on. I think Canadian artists bring a certain style to country music which is great to hear!