“If you want to make something that’s like nothing you’ve made before, then you have to shake yourself up, go beyond what’s comfortable and known and let yourself feel disoriented, overwhelmed, even intimidated. Those moments, where you lose your bearings, where you’re forced to sink or swim, are the moments where you have an opportunity to rise to the occasion, to surprise yourself, to do the things you didn’t know you could do. That’s what making this album was for me, I’m so proud of the process, and I’m so proud of the result.” – Peter Katz
=JUNO nominated singer-songwriter Peter Katz, who recently signed a label deal with Maple Music Recordings/Fontana North, announced today the March 31st release of his brand new album “We Are The Reckoning”. Katz announced the release in addition to the premiere of the albums lead single and video “Brother”. Featuring long-time friend and multi-talented Canadian artist Royal Wood, the track is a heartfelt, uplifting tribute to relationships built and bonds forged. “We Are The Reckoning” is available now to pre-order on iTunes with an instant download of the single “Brother” (ft. Royal Wood).
Three years in the making “We Are The Reckoning” follows 2012’s “Still Mind Still” which paved the way for three successful national and international tours. The new album, documents the evolution of Katz’s artistic vision and the realization that he needed to make a change and progress creatively in order to be heard with fresh ears, for the ‘first time’ – again.
“With this record, I took my time; I shook myself up, threw myself into unfamiliar territory and took some big risks,” says Katz. I had to make better art and I had to stop being so good at answering emails and updating my website and get better at writing songs and push myself creatively. I kind of abandoned my email for months on end, slowed down my touring, and worked on music. I wrote songs like a maniac, I put myself in rooms to write with all kinds of people that intimidated me, I studied the masters, and I put the music first, with no deadline.”
Katz spent more than two years writing well over 50 new songs – some with an impressive list of co-writers – all the more remarkable since Katz typically writes alone. His profound determination paid off, attracting the attention of co-producers Royal Wood (Meesha Brueggergosman) and Bill Lefler (Ingrid Michaelson, Cary Brothers), who signed on to help Katz create his most sonically-rich album to date – unlike anything he’s produced before.
“I’m in a different place than I was when I started ten years ago,” says Katz. “Now I know what this thing is, I know the relentlessness that’s required, I know it’s not a race, and I know that the music has to come first. Now that I’m on the other side of it, I can see why it was the right thing to do and I’m more excited than ever to share what we made.”
“We Are The Reckoning is a striking 11-song collection that boasts an impressive guest list of collaborators including rising Scottish star Rachel Sermanni, legendary lap steel player Ben Peeler (Fleet Foxes, Jimmy Cliff, Wallflowers) and Felicity Williams (Bahamas) to name a few.
Katz is no stranger to the music business, a business he’s called home for the last decade. He’s celebrated #1 album debuts on the iTunes Singer-Songwriter Charts, toured all over the world, often playing to capacity crowds and has shared the stage and studio with notable artists including Academy Award winner Glen Hansard (Once, The Swell Season), The Good Lovelies, Melissa McCelland (Whitehorse), Joel Plaskett, Dan Mangan, Royal Wood and the legendary Garth Hudson (The Band).
Named “Best Male Vocalist” in the popular NOW Magazine “Best Of Toronto” 2014 reader’s poll, nominated for a 2012 JUNO Award for Music DVD of the Year and Emerging Artist of the Year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards, and the recipient of the CBC Galaxie Rising Star Award, Katz has built an impressive fan-base of loyal listeners and industry tastemakers alike. With the release of “We Are The Reckoning” and the promise of a full band national Canadian and international tour, 2015 is shaping up to be a big year for the artist whose work Chart Attack called “lyric and vocal virtuosity”.
For more information on Peter Katz visit:
@peterkatzmusic
www.facebook.com/peterkatzmusic
WE ARE THE RECKONING Track Listing:
1. We Are The Reckoning (Katz/Glasco)
2. Lay It On Me (Katz/Kosowski/Delila)
3. Brother (ft. Royal Wood) (Katz/Wood)
4. When The Day Is Done (Katz/Orso)
5. Dark (ft. Rachel Sermanni) (Katz)
6. Follow The Way (Katz/Wood/Lefler)
7. Driving A Dream (Katz/Wood/Lefler)
8. We Won’t Mind (Katz/Ray)
9. No Natural (Katz/Rollo)
10. Beacon (Katz)
11. Story You Forgot (Katz/Bursk)
