VICKI ARNDT – GAZETTE CONTRIBUTOR
Canadian contemporary folk artist and CBC Galaxie Rising Star Award winner Peter Katz is performing at the Empress Theatre after receiving a personal request from Fort Macleod resident and musician Matthew Bullock.
Thompson and Thompson, Matthew Bullock’s two-man band, will open for Peter Katz on Friday, April 26 at 7:30 p.m.
“I first saw Peter Katz at the Slice in Lethbridge,” Bullock said. “He’s kind of affected my music.”
Katz is a 2012 Juno Award nominee and a nominee of the Rising Star of the Year 2012 Canadian Folk Music Awards.
Katz not only caught Bullock’s attention but also caught the attention of folk fans everywhere with his unique sound and contemporary style.
Katz plays more than 150 shows a year throughout the world and has shared the stage with such notable artists as The Good Lovelies, Bahamas, The Swell Season, and Garth Hudson of The Band.
“It’s a good family show,” Bullock said. “You’ll come away feeling very uplifted.”
In 2011 Katz released a live CD and DVD titled Peter Katz and Friends: Live at the Music Gallery. Katz is featured on the album performing in front of a sold-out crowd while connecting with his audience through his music.
Katz has released five albums: More Night (2007), The Camp Song (2008), First of the Last to Know (2010), Peter Katz and Friends: Live at the Music Gallery (2011) and Still Mind Still (2012).
First of the Last to Know debuted at No. 1 on the iTunes singer-songwriter charts. The album features an appearance by Academy Award winner Glen Hansard (The Swell Season, Once).
Katz’s most recent album Still Mind Still is considered his best writing yet. The album was recorded in a cabin surrounded by woods, mostly live off the floor.
Matthew Bullock’s band features two guitar players who sing about whatever inspires them at the moment with a special focus on love songs.
“I enjoyed Peter Katz so much,” Bullock said. “I wanted to get him out to Fort Macleod.”