In the typical spirit of the small town Prairie boy, Codie Prevost knows it takes community and connections to be successful.
The personable and chatty country musician is playing at the Party in the Park on June 29, as Woodlawn Regional Park celebrates its grand re-opening.
Prevost is very cognizant of his fan base, and as a young musician, he is very in tune with what it means to be connected with those people who love his music and fill his show venues.
"For me, it's about getting out there, and the people who come to see you, appreciate those people," said Prevost in an interview with the Mercury last week. "Make sure they're acknowledged because those are the people who let me be able to do what I do, which is music. It's what I love to do."
He added that coming from humble roots in rural Saskatchewan, it's a dream come true to sling a guitar on his back and go from place to place performing for people. The native of Archerwill has collected Saskatchewan Country Music Awards for top male vocalist and entertainer of the year.
Prevost is a regular on Twitter, using his handle @codieprevost to speak directly to his community of fans. Each Tuesday evening he takes questions over the social media platform.
"The fans have almost become friends, and it just keeps growing and growing," he said. "Every Tuesday we log in on Twitter, and we've got people from all over the world. It's really neat to see that you can connect with people and grow friendships and make new fans. It's a very cool way to be able to interact with people."
The platform is a new tool for musicians and others to use, and Prevost embraces it with ease as a forum that allows him to reach his fans on a very individual and personal level.
In the spring he worked on his next release, an album that is scheduled to drop early next year. They are now preparing for the release of a single to start getting new material on the airwaves, something he hasn't done since releasing the single Last Night All Day last summer. His previous album Get Loud was released in 2010.
"That'll be exciting to get some new stuff out there again. I really feel with this album it's another new angle, a new direction in the sound. It's a lot more edgy. It has taken a new step all together, and I'm looking forward to people hearing it," said Prevost.
"You're always trying to evolve and do something new, and find that sound that makes you, you. I feel like from the first few albums I've just been trying to find that all along."
Prior to Get Loud, Prevost released Spin, a six-track EP and follow-up to his debut album, 2005's Rolling Back to You. He expects his newest single will be released in August or September, and he will be playing new material when he hits the stage in Estevan.
He thinks his previous closest stop to the Energy City would have been a two-man show he played in Arcola. What Prevost remembers most is the support of the audience that came out for the show.
"There's so much support that came out, and I'm sure the regional park is going to have just as much, if not more support," said Prevost. "I'm really looking forward to meeting everybody. It's going to be a lot of fun."
The park is getting back on its feet after flooding in 2011 submerged most of the land around the winding Souris River. Prevost noted that a lot of people across the Prairies, unfortunately, have similar stories.
"There have been a lot of scenarios like that around Saskatchewan, and it's just been devastating for so many people," he said, calling the re-opening something that should really be celebrated by everyone who loves the park. "There's just a lot of things going on, it's Canada Day weekend, and there's just so many things to celebrate it's going to be hard not to have a good time."
Prevost and his band have a summer tour, with Estevan being an early stop, and it will take them from Alberta across Saskatchewan to Manitoba, with more shows in Ontario in the fall.
Along with Prevost on stage will be his full band, with members on drums, bass, lead guitar and mandolin.
