Peter Katz

* * * * After catching the eye of a beautiful woman on the street, my guy friend turned to me and said, "Wow--did you see her? She almost took me with her." That's the beauty of the Mile man's music. It captures you and invites you to a place you'll want to go back to again and again.

- Hour.ca

Peter Katz
Reporter: Aaron Foster
OVERALL GRADE: 91

Toronto's own Peter Katz is a troubadour in every sense of the word.

Assets lie in Katz's lyric and vocal virtuosity, and he has no problem lighting it up on the guitar as well. He has a very soothing voice and knows the perfect moment to bring in the tear-jerking ballad or an upbeat jazzy ditty. Either way, the crowd appreciated anything he had to say musically or between songs.

Katz was able to pull-off the harmonica-while-playing-guitar trick quite easily, which goes to show that he's not just a weekend warrior. His band were a solid back-up for his material, which can sometimes sounds like the kind of music John Mayer SHOULD be writing.

for complete report card please go to http://www.chartattack.com/DAMN/2004/06/1234.cfm
- CHART ATTACK.com

"Katz’s touchstones hail from the early ’70s folk-pop movement, and it’s easy to note the influences of Cat Stevens, James Taylor, Paul Simon, and even a dash of Neil Diamond in his songs. A gifted guitar player blessed with a gorgeous, warm voice, Katz sounds like he could have stepped out of an AM-tuned radio circa 1973. And maybe he did–he was born in the ’80s, and if you believe in reincarnation, it could be a remote possibility".
Christa O'Keefe, See Magazine

- See Magazine (Edmonton)

"He’s a great musician who knows the sound(s) he’s listening for, maintaining a uniqueness throughout the release".
Antoine Tedesco - Scene and Heard
- sceneandheard.ca

Differentiating oneself from the hoards of singer songwriters in search of the proverbial pot of gold in today’s industry is
extremely difficult. A man, or woman for that matter, with a guitar can only do so much, as their ends are inherently restricted by their means. Yet someone has to be a big fish in a pond overrun by smaller schools, and of all the brilliant, pro–active, marketable crooners out there, no one has a better chance of becoming the big fish than Toronto’s Peter Katz. Not only is he a gifted, eloquent songwriter with a penchant for everything from downtrodden, inebriated folk to high–strung, apocalyptic cabaret, but the former theatre student is a tenacious, highly motivated soul who understands that in order to avoid delusions of grandeur, one must never be concerned with it in the first place. “There are hoards of singer/songwriters out there, and a lot of talented ones at that. I guess it’s up to the listener to say what makes me different, or ‘worth listening to’ is probably the better word, but if I had to answer, I’d say that I don’t exactly stay in one place as a writer, or as a performer.I am committed to a lifelong effort of ‘getting it right’ and I’m confident I never will. That might seem like a weird thing to say, but that’s what keeps me going,” explains Katz.

By employing a strictly DIY ethos that embodies the term independent to its core, Katz has slowly built up a steady stream of admirers through eclectic, fiery performances, endearing solo demos and a dedication to constant improvement through personal constructive criticism. “I am proud of my work so far, but that doesn’t elicit any feelings of ‘patting myself on the back’ or taking a break. I don’t want to put out material that’s any less essential than the greatest artists of all time: that’s the bar that I’ve set for myself. That’s definitely a lifetime of work if you ask me,” responds Katz. After two self–proclaimed amateur EPs that were produced, recorded and released completely independently, Katz has been holing himself up in Toronto’s Metalworks studio, preparing what he calls his debut, the eagerly awaited More Nights, due out in early 2007. Based on a theme that stresses achieving a sense balance in an imbalanced world, Katz is finally making an album he stands feverishly behind, abetted by professional production and guidance. “This has to be as good as Buckley’s Grace, as good as Paul Simon’s Paul Simon as good as any of those first records,” affirms Katz. “That’s my goal, I just can’t have anything
less than that.

“Basically the two albums that I’ve put out so far were big learning processes for me. The first one was really a glamorized demo that I made for the group of friends I had that followed the music and really wanted something to take home. It was done very quickly, with no knowledge of what I was doing and I guess when I listen to it, that’s what it sounds like. The material was also early material that I think I’ve left behind to make way for much more solid songwriting. The second release, my EP Split was definitely a step–up from the first album, but still it was a basement job, done without a producer or any outside professional to help with some guidance,” continues Katz. “While I am really proud of a few of the tracks on the disc, and people seem to react well to it, I know that it’s nowhere near the level of quality and attention to detail that I like to work at. So with this record, I am pulling out all the stops. We’re taking six months to do it, we’ve hired a great producer who’s ready to record until it is right and I’ve finally got the right group of people together to make it happen. This record, for me, will hopefully be the record that I can hand to someone without any excuses.”

By uniquely reinterpreting classic styles like ’60s folk, ’50s cabaret, Tin Pan Alley and golden croon and mixing them with modern pop, rock, soul and acid–folk, Katz’ songs are as good as they get, eliciting everything from sorrow to jubilance, buoyancy and despair in each note. A man who truly knows his way around the emotional realm that engenders songs about love, loss, scorn and pain, Katz’s songs, from the painstaking “It’s Only Wood” to the sand–swamped “Seaside Café” are weighty, memorable and entrancing. In addition, his live show, which ranges from using four–eight piece accompaniment mixes improvisation into the fold, creating even more passion, fire and sweat into his swansongs. “I really believe in the power of a room full of people, connecting with an artist and his/her music. That’s what gets me up in the morning, the thought of that. I see every show as an opportunity, and also as a responsibility: these people have gone out of their way to come out to my show, to listen to my music, I must never take that for granted. Every show counts, every person matters and I want a connection that is intense, alive and hopefully improves that person’s life. Maybe that’s lofty or dramatic, but I base those expectations on my experiences at shows I’ve been to that have changed my life. I want to be a part of that,” explains Katz.

Katz will embark on a four–week residency at the Casbah Lounge, beginning September 4. While each show is billed as a solo performance, special guests may be invited along for the ride. V

[ SHAIN SHAPIRO]

PETER KATZ
Tuesday, September 5, 12 & 19
THE CASBAH LOUNGE
306 King St W
905.521.4441
- View Magazine (print and web)

This lanky wimp is hiking it out West

BRYAN BIRTLES / bryan@vueweekly.com
Although he’s released two self-produced albums and been the recipient of the Galaxie Rising Star Award and the grand prize winner of Toronto’s IndieWeek, Peter Katz insists on calling his newest album—More Nights—his true debut.

“I’m calling this my debut because I feel like I didn’t know what I was doing back then. I took stock after those two records and decided I want to make a career out of this. My record is going to be on the shelf beside other records and it has to be as good. It has to match the quality of any other record out there,” he says of the differences in production quality between his first two releases and his, ahem, debut. “To me, it’s the first product I can hand over to someone and not have a list of excuses. I’m really proud of it.”

And he should be. Having crafted an album—along with his band The Curious—of heart-tugging songs that have garnered comparisons to the work of Ron Sexsmith and Hawksley Workman, Katz is set to bring them to the masses. Unfortunately for fans out west, The Curious won’t be making the trip this time as Katz heads out on The Lanky Wimps tour with fellow songwriter Rob Szabo.

“I can’t afford to bring them this tour—we tour together in Ontario or Quebec, but I’ve never been able to bring them across Canada,” he says. “It’s definitely a different show. In a solo show there’s a real intimacy. I think of it as two different shows—it’s a different focus.”
And even though the road can be tough on emerging artists, Katz says he’s having a great time.

“I liken it to hiking—I love hiking and I love going on long hiking trips. At first it’s uncomfortable and dirty and you’re tired, but eventually you surrender and get into it,” he says. “And the shows have been amazing. It’s tougher when your shows are bad, but this tour is going really well.” V - Vue Weekly

Katz driven to catch up musically
Cam Fuller , The StarPhoenix
Published: Thursday, October 18, 2007

When Peter Katz looked at progressing from a singer-songwriter with two demos to a full-fledged recording artist, he knew he wouldn't be cutting corners.

"I needed to work with a producer, in proper studios, with real-deal musicians."

His goal was "an album that could be played over and over and would grow on you. It would warrant being listened to rather than being a token reminder of the show," Katz said this week.

Katz and his backing band The Curious (hah!) created the album More Nights with more help than you would imagine. The long list of guest performers includes Luke Doucet, Melissa McClelland, Kevin Breit (Norah Jones), Valery Gore, Alex McMaster (A Northern Chorus) and Marc Rogers (Holly Cole). Recording took place at the proper studios Metalworks and the Hive in Toronto. There's a choir, there are string sections, there are gratefully borrowed vintage guitars and amps. Not overlooked was the look of the album, for which Katz gave free reign to his graphic designer.

"I didn't want to do any less than the absolute best thing I could create."

Now, on his third national tour, Katz has an album that he's proud to sell. This is a key moment for him as he takes advantage of the new album's momentum and the success of winning CBC's Galaxy Rising Star Award.

Katz has played music all his life, switching from violin and piano to guitar when he hit his teen years because "it was cooler." He left home at 16 (actually, home left him when his parents divorced) but he kept up his schooling, graduating from university with a BFA in theatre (surprising himself along the way, since he was good in math and science and assumed an engineering career was his destiny). Songwriting was his real love, however.

"I love the immediacy of writing songs. I could write a song that morning and play it."

Although he's been dedicated to music for five years and pursuing it full-time for three, he feels like he got a late start and is driven to catch up. He attends every show he can and soaks up the experience.

"I love musicians. I love singer-songwriters. I go out to a lot of shows. I always introduce myself to people and give them a copy of my CD."

For his own shows, Katz is meticulous about having good lights and sound. If someone is taking the trouble to see him, he's going to make it worth their while.

"When people walk into the show there's a heightened sense that there's something happening here. When it comes to music and when it comes to my career I take it very, very seriously."

But not too seriously. Katz's latest road trip is mirthfully named The Lanky Wimps Tour. He and fellow singer-songwriter Rob Szabo, each performing solo, are making fun of the image of the emotional artist.

"We thought we'd play into the stereotype."

Booking the Refinery was a risk -- Katz says it's the biggest show on the tour -- but he wants to challenge himself to keep taking the next step. He's booked the venues he wants to play at, he's making sure the technical elements are first-rate and he can't wait to play for people.

"I've finally written enough songs that I can have a set that is fluid and works."

cfuller@sp.canwest.com

The Lanky Wimps Tour

Featuring Peter Katz and Rob Szabo

Friday, 8 p.m.

The Refinery

Tickets $15 (advance)

Box office: 653-3549 - Star Phoenix - Saskatoon

Long nights, full pubs and open mics


Jordyn Marcellus
Gauntlet Entertainment

October 18, 2007

Getting established in the busy music industry takes time, effort and a whole lot of cash. Living in squalid conditions, driving cars that are older than your fans and debt are all problems to expect when trying to live off playing music. In the end, there's always one shining moment when everything comes together and that labour of love is birthed to the public--sometimes to acclimation, others to tumbleweeds. Peter Katz, an Ontario- based singer-songwriter, knows all of the trials and tribulations required to deliver a little of bundle of joy to the ears of people everywhere while he recorded his debut album More Nights and now trying to support his newborn record with a cross-country tour too.

"I'm very excited [to tour]," says Katz. "This is the first record that I'm very proud of. I've had records that I've toured with before, but they were demos as far as I was concerned. My goal for this record was to make a record that could stand up to any record on the shelf."

The business of art is something that almost no musician wants to talk about. Katz, though, is quite candid in his efforts to try and create a record that stands up to the giants like U2 and Bob Dylan.

"I said to my producer from the start that I didn't want to not do anything because it was too expensive," explains Katz. "We would find a way to make it work. I was very fortunate to get money from the government and then I had to put up the rest. I got a line of credit and a couple of credit cards and used some savings that I've had since I was a kid."

The job of playing music doesn't always pay well. An artist has to sometimes shave off his beard, roll up his vintage shirt's sleeves and get his hands dirty to keep himself fed, despite the constraints it puts on touring.

"For the past while I've been playing music, but I also have a job at a student pub part-time as a bartender and waiter," laughs Katz. "I'm very fortunate that my good friend is my manager [at the pub], and a big supporter of my music. I also do songwriting workshops in high schools and elementary schools. I'm involved in a couple of arts in schools programs and those are sporadic enough to be worked around my schedule."

It's no coincidence that Katz works in a pub that allows him to tour and support his music.

"It's funny, the place where I work is actually the very first place that I played," explains Katz. "It's got an open mic night that's still running and my manager [at the pub] there is the host of the night, so that's how him and I met. I still play at the open mic night and try out new material there."

Playing for a collection of students who may not necessarily know of his work isn't daunting to Katz. Instead, he views it as a learning experience, someplace where new material goes to be judged and to tighten up his sets.

"The person that's reacting to it the most is me," admits Katz. "You can play something in your living room and you think it sounds pretty good, but you play it in front of people and you find yourself cringing at certain lines. The best part of that process is the honesty-meter that playing your songs in front of people causes."

Peter Katz's true love is with touring. Playing music, connecting with his audiences during his solo shows and improving as an artist are all reasons to fill up his car and hit the road again and again.

"That's kind of the reason why I try to stay on the road sometimes," explains Katz. "When I'm on the road I can make a living as a musician. I'm playing music all the time, singing all the time, writing all the time and hopefully getting better [as a musician]. That's a good reason to stay on the road.

The pressures of trying to play music, record music and trying to pay off the debt he has incurred in living his dream doesn't discourage Peter Katz at all. In fact, he seems poised to work his ass off in an attempt to succeed in living off a career in music.

"I'm definitely flat broke," says Katz. "But I have something that I really love [my album, More Nights] and I'm excited to get it out there. To me, that's priceless." - Gauntlet, Calgary

Spun: Peter Katz and the Curious

Singer-songwriters are dime a dozen. Songs about loss, misery and longing rarely stand out from the crowd and grip you with their voice and lyrics. Toronto-born Peter Katz’s debut album, More Nights, is a soulful blend of folk music with touches of jazz and orchestral pop. Katz’s soulful voice sings as if there’s only one person in the room—you.

Lyrically, More Nights is an album exploring love and loss in the most intimate ways. The album starts off with the introspective alt-country tune “OK.” Singing as if to remember the sorrow of some forgotten memory, Katz’s emotionality is perfect. The album takes off with the soaring song “Slate,” a cool and collected tune that breaks out into a towering string concerto that doesn’t let up. “Forgiveness” is a meditation on revenge on a grand scale—a song about a father who loses a son in a war, and realizes that the desire for vengeance is a foolish quandary and chooses forgiveness over bloodshed.

Beautiful and intimate, More Nights is an album from a young Canadian artist that shows true musical brilliance. More Nights deserves to explode onto the indie rock scene and hopefully gets Peter Katz the credit he deserves for creating such enjoyable, personal folk music. - Gauntlet, Calgary

Echo Weekly - by Bill Adams
Somehow it has become commonplace in the current musical
landscape to blindly accept the constraints (either financial or
musical) placed upon independent musicians to the point that
now, some bands play off of it; they revel in their positions and
wisely turn their shortcomings into shtick and present what could
be viewed to be weaknesses as wilful acts of “artistic integrity”.
This short sighted, limited vision is not one that Peter Katz shares
when it comes to his own music however and that ethic is
unmistakable from note one of More Nights. “I’m really trying to
call this one my debut,” says the singer-songwriter with a self-
effacing laugh. “I did put out two records before More Nights, but
they weren’t at the level of professionalism that I felt like I could
give the album to someone and say I believed in it and was really
proud of it. I can do that with this one, so I’m calling it my debut
[chuckling].
“I made a conscious decision to do whatever it took to make it
sound as good as any other record on the shelf because, to me,
the fans and general public have to notice; your album goes on
the same shelf next to bands like U2 and if it doesn’t cut the
mustard, it’s a much simpler choice. It’s fairly reasonable to
assume, I think, that in that context, they’re not necessarily
thinking about one record sounding like it does because of this or
that, it’s the simple matter of whether they like it or not.
“I’m proud of this record and I really stand behind it,”
continues Katz. “Honestly, that leaves me pretty afraid and
vulnerable too. If, in the back of your mind, you could say that
you could have done one thing or another better, you’re not quite
as invested in it as if you’re completely satisfied with it but then
someone doesn’t like it. That’s when it’s possible to get hurt.
“The cold, hard truth is that I killed myself for this record and
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what would bother me most is if it was simply dismissed. Love it
or hate it, at least you noticed it and paid attention for a minute –
you know?”
More Nights is truly worth the expense it took to make too.
The album, recorded at The Hive in Toronto and produced by Tim
Abraham, presents the purest form of Peter Katz’ music insofar as
the tracks give depth and context if you’ve only seen the singer at
one of his solo acoustic shows and tracks including “Slate”,
“Pictures” and the title track take on a magical quality with Katz’
vocals placed under the proverbial good microphones and give
them clarity and let the sweetness emote.
The stark arrangements serve perfectly the singer’s penchant
for finely crafted lyrics and Katz’ own affinity for the
singer–songwriter that he calls influences including Bob Dylan and
James Taylor.
“I’m no producer – I dedicate my time to learning how to write
and perform songs and a recording is this whole other artform
unto itself that unfortunately I don’t know a whole lot about,” says
Katz candidly of the process that yielded More Nights. “I decided
that I needed to find someone that was more adept at that
process and meet them halfway with by bringing my songs and
performances and they can bring their skills as a producer. I feel
like I found the right guy; he did a really good job. I might take
some flak because it’s a really eclectic record – much like the live
show, it goes from really delicate and heartfelt songs that would
lead people to believe that it’ll be a folk record, and then there
will be a really orchestrated rock song but that’s what interests
me; I wanted to cover the extremes of emotion and melody and
harmony. I don’t know what the reaction to that is going to be,
but I’m excited to find out.”
According to the Toronto–based singer–songwriter, now that the pressure of recording the album of his dreams has been
removed, the next logical step is to hit the road and put the
album onstage. While the album was recorded with the assistance
of his backing band, The Curious, Katz says that he has bowed to
the logistics of economy – at least for part of the tour as shows
outside of a reasonable driving distance from the GTA will find
him going it alone with a guitar. “I decided when I was making the
record that there wasn’t anything that I wouldn’t do because I
couldn’t afford it,” says the singer–songwriter flatly. “I begged,
borrowed and stole to make exactly the record that I wanted to
and I did that, but the consequence to that is that I’m out of
money [laughing]. So that’s why this tour has taken the shape it
has. For as many markets as I’m able, I’m going to bring the
band, but at the moment my line of credit and my credit cards are
absolutely beyond maxed out [laughing]. I’m paying as much in
interest, at the moment, as I pay in rent per month. I need to
make some money back and, if I take the band with me, the best
case scenario is that we break even. The more likely scenario is
that we’ll lose money and frankly, there’s no buffer zone between
losing money and losing my shirt right now.
“They say that if you have enough going on on your own, other
people will climb on board so that’s the theory that I’m banking
on.” - Echo Weekly