A road trip with Dean Brody and Paul Brandt might not be as rowdy as fans think – at least, not until they get onstage.
“We’ll holler at each other and yell at each other and I can’t even really explain it, but it’s a lot of angst and excitement and you’re ready to go,” said Brody.
The two Canadian country musicians have passed the halfway mark of their co-headlining 22-city Road Trip Tour and play the MTS Centre Friday night.
So far, the road trip has been without pranks.
“Nobody’s actually done anything yet, it usually happens at the halfway point so we’re overdue,” said Brandt.
“You kind of wait until toward the end because if you do it right away, it’s the elevation – every prank elevates until the real craziness happens,” said Brody.
The two were energetic while speaking with CTV Oct. 9, despite a robust schedule as they travel from Victoria to Halifax in 30 days.
“You can see the whole country in a few days and it’s really special,” said Brody.
Manitoba has a special connection to the tour – Brandt Paul Trucking out of Morris is transporting the show across the country.
“It’s exciting for me to see that a couple of guys who had a big dream to go to Nashville from Canada (and) now getting the chance to go across country in arenas…it feels like a lot of big dreams coming true,” and Brandt.
The idea of a good old-fashioned road trip came about when the two first met at an awards show.
“When we first thought of this over a year ago, it was hard to imagine it would come together like this,” said Brody.
The timing for the tour is just right, as Brody and Brandt both enjoy success on the country charts with respective singles.
“I was checking it out on iTunes, and Dean’s got “Bring Down the House” and I’ve got “I’m an Open Road” and it’s just going up,” said Brandt.
Adding to the country music star power is Saskatchewan artist – and two-time consecutive CCMA female artist of the year – Jess Moskaluke, who joins the co-headliners with her own set and added vocals on “I’m an Open Road.”
“I’ve had fans actually say on social media it feels like they’re getting three headliners,” said Brandt. “I think she brought that song to a level it wouldn’t be able to get to without her being a part of it.”
Fans will enjoy hits and many favourites, but the artists admit it was a juggle to create set lists for such a compact show.
“It’s tough, you have to ditch some of your favourite songs, some of your hits, but we got most of them in there,” said Brody. “Fans can expect a really cool show. It’s diverse. Paul’s got his own thing going on. Jess does (too)… and that’s why I think the evening goes really quickly for us."
The pair did have one last question to answer – favourite snacks for the road.
“The disappointing thing about touring is we have amazing catering all the time, but because we’re on the road, we’re trying to maintain our figures,” said Brody, laughing. “So you don’t have to suck your gut in, as much, at night.”
“Isn’t it what happens on the road, stays on the road?” said Brandt.
