The Manitou Beach Busking Festival, an attraction that’s been growing each year since its inception in 2021, has been acquainting its attendees with new Saskatchewan based artists and helping those artists reach new audiences. Some of the performers are new to the Manitou Beach streets while others are mainstays, much like those who attend to enjoy the music. There is no doubt that on each visit, there’s something and someone new to discover.  

Among the thirty performers was a blues duo that went by the moniker Rusty Intentions. Nick Thunder and Amanda Olson provided blues numbers ranging from delta-influenced Cajun to standard folk offerings. Nick’s powerful vocals and Amanda’s delicate harmonies worked in a straightforward boogie or a softer ballad format.  

rusty intentionsNick Thunder and Amanda Olson are Rusty Intentions

Elsewhere in the festival flurry, the pairing of Brooklyn and Jesse proved to be a wonderful surprise. Guitarist Jesse Sather and vocalist Brooklyn Tetzlaff are from the Viscount/Watrous area, and they provided a stunning set. Brooklyn vocals were pure and true, and she met the challenge of popular country songs and stripped-down rock classics. Without a falter or a waver, Brooklyn made her presence felt through the set, backed by Jesse’s rock-solid rhythm and fretwork. The pair hopes to continue making music into the future, and the Busking Festival offered the perfect platform for them to meet an appreciative audience.  

Brooklyn and JesseBrooklyn and Jesse

Busking Festival veteran and Manitou Beach denizen Bruce Rawling took the stage at several festival sites, including the main stage at the Little Manitou Gallery. Rawling had recently returned from Nashville where he’d done some film score recording and work on shopping songs.  

“We ended up recording six songs at two different studios. Three of the songs were more stripped down, and three were the full A-list session band – it actually blew my mind. There’s so much talent down there, and it was just a really great experience.” 

Rawling laughed that he felt like a guppy in a very large but very friendly ocean. Like many aspiring songwriters, Rawling has navigated through the industry with the support of fellow musicians and music entrepreneurs. His songs are born from what he calls “a full life” - a wealth of work experience and personal relationships. Rawling has been touring since the age of 15, so he has decades of material to draw on. His deftly crafted lyrics, with touchstones of truth and his spirituality, are brought to life by a voice that’s weathered and road tested, but always rich, comfortable and welcoming.  

“When you tour, you get to meet people and hear a lot of stories. I also write a lot of songs from my own personal stories, beliefs and faith, so I try to weave all that together. But really, I think songwriting is where songs come to you from somewhere in the heavens. I don’t know that I so much write a song as it just comes to me.” 

Rawling performed from his catalogue of songs, some from the 2021 album “The Fire Isn’t Dead.” They included the rollicking and upbeat “So Far So Good” and the touching psalm “Hope.”  

In summing up this year’s Busking Festival, organizer Sarah McKen had no end of positives to dwell on. 

“The Busking Festival is bigger and more engaged with musicians and people attending. There are more venues, so it’s been an overwhelming success.” 

Thanks go out to all the volunteers, musicians and local business proprietors for stepping up to take the event from an inkling of an idea to a Saskatchewan summer tradition. 

Listen for the music of Bruce Rawling on 107.5 Bolt FM in the coming weeks.