Sudbury man yodels in tunnels and hopes his YouTube videos will make people smile

Sudbury -

A Sudbury man who is originally from Europe is getting national attention for his yodeling. He is known for performing in tunnels around the city, while trying to bring happiness to those struggling during the pandemic.

Christian Howald, also known as The Lonesome Yodeler, has been yodeling for roughly 20 years. He said it’s a way for him to pass on his heritage to his children.

“I was born in Switzerland. I’m the youngest of six children. Moved to a farm in Verner and my mother always used to sing and yodel," Howald said.

"But it’s when I had my own children that I started to want to pass on the heritage … I travelled a lot and then sometimes they missed me so my wife would play a song to help them go to sleep. So, we used to sing to them every single night.”

Howald said he yodels in tunnels and valleys because that’s where it sounds the best.

“The sounds in there (are) so beautiful," he said.

"It started off just going kayaking with friends and then being in valleys they said, 'the sound here is really cool, you should sing.' And then being invited to then go do urban kayaking where there are tunnels. That’s when we discovered that that’s really cool.

He likes the echoes from steel, but said echoes from cement have the nicest sound.

Howald recently began uploading his videos to YouTube to spread happiness to those who are suffering during the pandemic. He said yodeling has helped him cope in the past two years.

“When I started having difficulties with my mental health, I wasn’t singing anymore my wife and children noticed," he said. "The last two years have been really hard on everybody and with all this tension, it’s really hard to breathe. That’s what I found with yodeling, it forces you to breathe differently … When I yodel or listen to yodeling, it makes me happy.”

Howald said he plans on exploring other areas in northern Ontario where he can yodel -- and continue to spread happiness.