Getting to know Brent Staeben

Brent Staeben is Director of Smart Grid Atlantic, an initiative to create a cleaner, more efficient power grid in Atlantic Canada. But he’s without question best known for his many volunteer gigs. The most prominent is as director of music programming for the past 24 of his 28 years with the Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival in Fredericton, NB. He’s booked acts like Robert Plant, Dr. John and the Allman Brothers, among others. For contributing “significantly to the social and cultural vibrancy of Fredericton and New Brunswick,” he was recently named to the Order of New Brunswick. Saltscapes spoke with Brent Staeben about growing up in Newfoundland, falling in love with music and living up to his own legacy.

 

Do you consider yourself a Newfoundlander or a New Brunswicker?

I came here at 17 and couldn’t be prouder to work each day serving New Brunswickers, but my roots and the things that have helped define me—culture and music—are in Newfoundland. I’m proud to be from there. My family is still there, making a difference every day.

 

So, community mindedness is a family tradition?

My dad is on his fourth term on city council. He’s 80. My mother was always involved. Just incredibly great examples to me of community spirit and involvement. Something we are trying to pass on to our kids is that if we don’t get involved making our communities better, then who will?

 

Did your interest in music originate in Corner Brook?

I came out of a very rich school band program at the all-boys Regina High School run by the Christian Brothers. Mine was the first grade 12 class in Newfoundland history. I sang in the choir and played trombone and clarinet in band.

 

How did you get interested in rock ‘n’ roll and blues?

We were lucky to have OZ-FM, a classic rock radio station. I also had uncles who were five and six years older than me. They had tremendous record collections. I lived with them when training for swimming in St. John’s. We saw Roger Howse and the Scott Goudie Band on New Year’s Eve, 1983 in a little pub called The Fishing Admiral. Don’t do the math. I wasn’t old enough to be in the place. I can still picture myself leaning against a column in the middle of the room and just being mesmerized. I literally fell in love with blues. Years later I got the chance to present Roger at Harvest. It felt full circle-ish.

 

Did your two sons get involved in Harvest?

Yes. The youngest started volunteering when he was four. In 2019 when he was 15, he became the youngest-ever life member of Harvest because of his volunteer commitment.

 

What has the festival done for Fredericton?

It has driven and mirrored the changes in Fredericton, a much more multicultural and progressive city than it was 20 years ago. We have a young, incredible First Nations woman as the only Green MP east of British Columbia. Volunteering has become much cooler in the city, creating capacity that’s making a difference in other organizations.

 

What was it like to be named to the Order of New Brunswick?

Kind of crazy. I spent 18 years as Director of Communications with the government. I was on the floor of the legislature the day Bernard Lord introduced the Order of New Brunswick. I remember thinking, wouldn’t it be super cool if my adopted home invested me into that order someday. It feels like a legacy piece, but I’m still in the game. I have some things to live up to now.