Why you could spot Kiefer Sutherland busking in Calgary during the Stampede

Calgarians might be able to catch Kiefer Sutherland busking on a street corner when the Canadian musician is in town for the Stampede.

Sutherland, the grandson of renowned former Saskatchewan premier Tommy Douglas, came out with his second studio album Reckless & Me earlier this year.

His band is scheduled to perform on the Nashville North stage on July 8.

And Sutherland told CBC's Homestretch "there's a very good chance" that might not be his only performance in Calgary.

Busking started as a fun way to warm up for tour stops in Europe earlier this year and has since led to Sutherland and his band-mates doing regular spontaneous performances.

Sutherland also chose to make busking the premise for his new music video for Something You Love one of the 10 songs on the latest album.

"I really was looking for songs that were going to give us a really great live show or at least, in my opinion, a really great live show," he said. "And the record just kind of came together like that."

He describes his latest album as a collection of songs with more tempo than his first

Sutherland's first country album Down in a Hole, which was written by himself and American singer-songwriter Jude Cole, came out in 2016.

The first album was filled with personal stories and "the response from the audience was so generous," he said, adding that's when he realized he should lean in to his personal experiences when writing songs.

'The common denominator is storytelling'

"Whatever preconceived notion the audience might have of me and whatever preconceived notion I might have of them, if we walk away realizing we have a lot more common than we thought, than that's a really good night," Sutherland said.

"I think that's why we tell stories, to help each other realize we're not alone in trying to get through this thing called life."

Up until his music debut, Sutherland was known for the long list of movies and shows he's starred in including his roles as David in The Lost Boys and Jack Bauer in 24.

He said he's grateful for the opportunities he's been given as an actor, but that there's always been a character standing between him and an audience. With his music, Sutherland said he makes personal connections with fans.

"The common denominator is storytelling and I love doing that more than anything, whether I'm sitting with a group of friends at a bar or on a set making a movie or with a band, playing a song," he said.

Douglas-Sutherland family legacy

Sutherland is no stranger to the rodeo, he used to compete in team roping.

But the last, and the only time, he attended the Stampede he was actually in town to shoot a Western film with his dad who was named a companion of the Order of Canada Thursday.

Actor Donald Sutherland was recently awarded the highest of the three levels of the honour, a promotion within the order for him.

Sutherland called his dad's latest achievement "a huge honour."

"The pride my family has for our country is vast," he said. "My mother, my grandfather and my father all possess the Order of Canada."

Sutherland made headlines earlier this year when he asked Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Ottawa MPP Lisa MacLeod to stop using his grandfather's name for their own political ends.

"You Sir, are no Tommy Douglas," Sutherland tweeted to Ford, in response to the premier tweeting that he thought Douglas would approve of his government's policies.

Sutherland told CBC he was "a little humbled" by the public's response.

"My grandfather's legacy is very important to our family and whether you agree with premier Ford's political views or not, that's a separate issue," he said.

"The fact is, for him to say his policies are mirroring policies that my grandfather implemented is just incorrect."

With files fromCBC's Homestretch.