Who The Hell Are You? Peter Katz

It's Wednesday, and that means another installment of Who The Hell Are You?, where we profile indie bands, labels and organizations. This week, we're talking to Peter Katz of Peter Katz And The Curious.

If you'd like to see your musical entity featured in future weeks, write to chart@chartattack.com with the subject heading "Who The Hell Are You?" or something to that effect.

Who are you?
Peter Katz, singer/songwriter for Peter Katz And The Curious.

Where are you from?
Born and raised in Montreal, moved to Toronto for school; have looked back on occasion, but remain in Toronto.

How did your group start?
I had been writing songs for a long time but didn't write any that I wanted anyone to listen to until about four or five years ago. Slowly but surely I introduced myself to other musicians (or they introduced themselves to me) and eventually the band took shape. The lineup has gone through many overhauls (mostly drummers), but we've been holding steady with this group for nearly a year now. I still tour solo a lot of the time, but am hoping to get enough money together to eventually bring the whole show.

Describe your music in 100 words or less.
It's public and private, intimate and epic. I'm a pretty "up-down" guy with many moods, influences and interests. I think the music reflects that. Folk to rock to pop to old country — Jeff Buckley, Leonard Cohen, Ani DiFranco, Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon — they're all in there. I've been accused of being too eclectic; I think I'm proud of that. My goal is to capture a feeling, no matter what it may sound like, and put it out there in hopes that it will connect. I want it to be personal. I don't want any pretense cutting off that circulation.

How was your recent release recorded?
Through many, many, many hours over the course of the past year. We did all the bed tracks at Metalworks live off the floor to two-inch tape. From there we took it all back to The Hive and began the long process of adding everything else. A lot of the vocals on the record are live, recorded at the same time as the drum and bass. We wanted to get that live energy across and actual performances seemed to be the only way. My sonic goal for this record was for it to sound as good as humanly possible. That's why I decided to work with a producer (Tim Abraham). He far exceeded my expectations, and they were pretty high.

How committed are you to making music a full-time career?
Fully and completely. It's the only thing I want in life, plain and simple. I know it's dramatic, but there is no other option for me.

What are your day jobs?
Serving wings and beer at a student pub. I also teach songwriting workshops in some high schools, which I really enjoy.

Where can people find your music, either on the web or in stores?
You can get it at all the usual physical stores, but they might not have it on the shelf. It is in their catalogue and you can order it. If enough people buy it, then they start stocking it. It's also available through all the online retailers and through my website. MySpace is a good place, too. All my songs up there are free downloads.

What's something we haven't asked that you'd like our readers to know about your band?
I have big plans in my head. I'm dying to be able to get to the point where I can really put on a proper show. I want to work with a lighting designer, a visual artist, a video team, et cetera, and put on a real show in a real venue with an incredible sound system, acoustics and so on and so forth. Then I want to craft the perfect set (I need to write more songs for that), have a warm, open-minded audience walk in the door, and then go somewhere together. That to me is the whole point: really going somewhere together over the course of an evening. I want people to walk away having had an experience, one that reminds them of their humanity and makes them want to connect more with the world and the people around them. Is that too much to ask?