CALGARY -- During a year when the pandemic has brought an end to live performances, Lethbridge singer-songwriter Trevor Panczak is celebrating success with his recent hit Where I Go To Come Back, which has cracked the Top 40 on the Mediabase Canadian Country Music Chart.

“Being Top 40 means the world to me,” said Panczak. “It’s a milestone. A dream come true.”

Panczak had received 15 Country Music Alberta nominations during his career and has had four songs reach the Top 50 in Canada — but this is his first song to reach Top 40.

Panczak describes the tune as “a slow burner” because it was released on Aug. 31, 2020, and gradually grew in popularity over the next seven months.

That’s somewhat unusual in a business where songs often have an eight to 12-week life cycle. 

Written by Steve Bogard, Dustin Lynch and Jason Sever, the song’s message may be part of the reason for its success, with lyrics that people can relate to right now.

 “That’s the beauty of this song,” said Panczak. “It was recorded pre-COVID but the messaging just seemed to fit with what was going on in the world today.”

Panczak’s world was turned upside down over the past year. His band was playing up north at a cabaret for a bull sale when COVID-19 restrictions were announced.

“We came home and the whole calendar got annihilated," he said.

He normally plays between 75 and 100 events during the course of a year. The group had already been scheduled to play in Florida, Montana, Washington, and in Haines, Alaska, where Panczak was booked to headline at the Southeast Alaska State Fair.

“So it was a real gut shot to have all that get cancelled on us," he said.

To make matters worse, with the pandemic Panczak was laid off from his day job at a Lethbridge auto dealership. It forced him to find other ways to fill the calendar, so he went back to farming.

“Fortunately we had that opportunity to keep the wolves away from the door, but we’ve missed music so much," he said.

Panczak also spent part of the year getting their house ready for a new addition to the family. Colter Panczak was born on Dec. 14, 2020, and is now 14-weeks-old. Their other son, Nash, is two years old.

“Those two boys have actually helped us keep our sanity here at the house," said Panczak.

Somehow, he also managed to find time to shoot a music video for the song, a process that began in August and was completed in October.

The opening scene, featuring a four-year-old boy and a fishing rod, was shot in the mountains. Other scenes in Lethbridge and Magrath were completed after the harvest began, and just before the first snowfall of the season.

“The message of the song is basically me,” added Panczak. “I’m a country guy living in the city moving forward. I always try to remember my roots and where I came from.”

He decided the video should include the old ’59 Chevy Apache pick up truck he got from his dad. He gathered up some friends and headed back to his hometown, where he got the Magrath football team together, and shot off some fireworks.

“Maybe cause a ruckus in my home town a little bit, and have some fun and just bring it back to where I grew up," he said.  

Even before the song was released as a single, Panczak says they had been using the title Where I Go To Come Back for their tour name.

“Because whether we’re in southern Alberta or Nashville Tennessee it seems like we are fortunate to find these places and venues where people get on to our music and enjoy the show," he said.

It’s not known when the band will be returning to live performances again but Panczak said they were fortunate that 95 per cent of the events they had previously booked have only been postponed until things open up.

“So we’ll be busy when it opens up”, he added. “It’s just a matter of when.”

Panczak’s music is available on all digital platforms, including iTunes, Apple Music and Spotify.