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Making a Scene Presents An Interview with Ross Neilsen

Here’s a rewritten and expanded version that keeps the facts, adds context, and smooths the story into a clear, compelling narrative.

Ross Neilsen didn’t build his career in a straight line. In 2007, he quit his job, gave up his home, and moved into his car so he could follow music full-time. For the next two years he couch-surfed, slept wherever he could, and stayed on the road almost constantly. That choice shaped everything that followed. The highway became his classroom, his stage, and his home.

Those early years took him across Canada and deep into the heart of roots music culture. He played everywhere he could, from small-town bars to major international events like the Olympics and the Pan Am Games. He traveled through the Mississippi Hill Country, the swamps of Louisiana, and into Macon, Georgia, where he had the rare honor of playing Duane Allman’s 1957 Les Paul Gold Top. Each place added something to his sound and his sense of what the blues could be.

Since then, Neilsen has released ten recordings, performed thousands of shows, driven well over a million kilometers, and toured Canada dozens of times from coast to coast. Along the way he’s earned recognition from the Maple Blues Awards, CBC, the East Coast Music Awards, and MusicNB. His album Redemption won Best Blues Recording in 2010, followed by another win for The Shack Up Sessions in 2013. He has twice reached the semi-finals at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis and deepened his songwriting craft at Camp Copperhead under the guidance of Steve Earle.

After years of relentless touring, Neilsen stepped back to focus on family life in Saskatoon. That pause didn’t slow his creativity for long. A trip to Ireland in 2023 reignited his writing and sent him back into the studio with a new sense of purpose. That momentum led to his 2024 win at the Saskatoon Blues Society’s “Road to Memphis” competition, earning him another return to Beale Street.

With the full support of his hometown behind him, Neilsen headed to Sam Phillips Recording Services in Memphis. In just four intense days, he recorded a new album alongside legendary Memphis session players. The result is a raw, emotional record that blends deep tradition with his own lived experience on the road.

Today, Ross Neilsen continues to tour throughout Canada, both solo and with his band. His shows are built on honest storytelling, soulful vocals, and blistering fingerstyle blues guitar. What started as a risky leap into the unknown has become a life shaped by music, movement, and a deep connection to the roots that still drive him forward.

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