Peter Elkas Takes A Team Approach These Days

Peter Elkas isn't exactly a fresh face on the scene, having gotten his start in the '90s with Montreal rockers The Local Rabbits, but his solo career is building up speed. And his second effort, Wall Of Fire, sees him quite literally finding his groove.

His 2004 Party Of One debut sowed the seeds of his soul-based rock direction, but Wall Of Fire is a full realization of Elkas' solo sound.

"I think a while I ago I just tried to start writing songs that really suited my voice and [soul music] seemed to be the kind of thing that worked for me," says Elkas. "Whereas in the past I might have been really focused on someone like [Bruce] Springsteen, where that seemed to suit me a little less.

"What I think is great about this kind of approach is that I can still be a lyricist with it, but have fun with the instrumental side as well."

Since the release of Party Of One, Elkas achieved two important elements that can boost a musician's career. First, he found a backing band of talented musicians and co-collaborators (Doug Friesen, Gavin Mauire, Jeff Heisholt) who are jokingly referred to as "The Elkaholics." Second, he signed with veteran manager Larry Wanagas.

This was a pretty big departure from the aptly named Party Of One, which saw Elkas working alone more than he would have liked. But sometimes that's what has to be done in order to determine a new course of action.

"I really enjoy working with other people, and I think there are some great people around, and to be able to bring them in and pick their brains and have a proper manager who's been around the block a million times, I mean, who wouldn't want that?" says Elkas. "I love it.

"It's way more thrilling to get out there with people you trust and people you love, so I'm definitely trying to get there again and I'm very happy about it. It's one of the things I'm most proud of, too, is the group I've assembled — from the musicians to the management, and the label and everyone."

In terms of production, Elkas was originally slated to work with his old friend, Ian McGettigan (Thrush Hermit, Joel Plaskett Emergency, Camouflage Nights), who worked on Party Of One. But when an opportunity came up to work with famed Texas musician/producer Charlie Sexton, Elkas had to make a tough choice.

"It was actually not an easy decision to pursue the thing with Charlie because I already had a direction and mission with Ian," admits Elkas. "But Ian was awesome, he was great. That's what friends are about, he was super supportive that we'd been given a shot."

Sexton had so much fun playing with the band during recording in Toronto that he's planning to join them on stage for their upcoming South By Southwest Music Festival showcase in Austin, Texas. And with this solid team behind him, Elkas has soared.

Wall Of Fire layers heartfelt, raw lyrics over smoothly rockin' soul grooves that pay homage to some of his heroes, such as Otis Redding, Steve Cropper and Bill Withers. A solitary troubadour he's not. Elkas is a band guy.

"It's way, way more fun to make records with people," he enthuses. "The bulk of my message about the last record is that it was too solitary, lacking the camaraderie, and to have that backing is kind of awesome because that's the reason I've continued to play music over the years."

Elkas plays Chart's Canadian Music Week showcase at Toronto's Horseshoe Tavern on March 9.