Singer-songwriter Tim Neufeld has lived in Nashville and played the big arenas.
But he鈥檇 rather be doing what he is now - getting into Canadian culture and hanging with small town folks in places like Humboldt.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been so rewarding, more than I ever thought it would be and the more we get to it, the more it鈥檚 all we want to do,鈥� he said.
The Juno Award winning artist says he is turning down offers in the United States to continue touring in Canada and playing small gigs like the one at the Humboldt Bible Church on Oct. 15 with his band, the Glory Boys.
鈥淭here is an allure for Canadian artists to always flee south and take the big money gigs and to hope for the massive exposure,鈥� he said.
Neufeld says that that life is rather isolating and as a family man, that lost its appeal. Halfway through his career, Neufeld says he made the decision to move back to Canada and raise his family.
Melding his career with his home life has been amazing, he said.
鈥淚鈥檝e realized through that process that my job as a father is always more important than my job as a musician or a rock star or any聽 of those other identities that I could put on myself,鈥� he said.
He said that fatherhood is also more satisfying.
Around this time is when he went back to his roots and switched聽 genres to bluegrass and formed the Glory Boys with his bandmates.
鈥淪ome of them were into bluegrass instruments and others we just bought a banjo and put in their hands and were just, 鈥楬ey, learn this, it鈥檚 what we鈥檙e doing now.鈥櫬� We grew together in the understanding of genre,鈥� he said.
Trees 2 is their second original album to be released by the group which led him on his new tour that includes the stop in Humboldt.
Neufeld and his Glory Boys are a tight knit group. When Neufeld plays with his group every night, he enjoys forming that same connection with his audience.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a weird concept but every performer seen or known, there is that connect between them and the people,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think back to Garth Brooks or Michael Buble, those artists that feel like you鈥檙e in his family even though you鈥檙e in an arena of 45,000 people.鈥�
