Pat Wictor plays "heart-felt blues-based roots music like the only begotten son of Bonnie Raitt and Chris Smither," says Jim Motavalli of WPKN Bridgeport. Blues Revue magazine calls him "daring and unusual." With flowing red hair and zen-like calm, he brings a hush over an audience, weaving several parts on his guitar and reaching into each listener's heart. People consistently delight in his wry observations and anecdotes, and in the generous spirit of his performances. Steeped in American "roots" music, Pat is a contemporary songwriter and interpreter drawing on the rural country, gospel, and blues traditions of our nation. Echoing Dave Carter and Bruce Cockburn, he has a penchant for symbolic and spiritual imagery. His singing voice makes one imagine a clean-living, hope-filled Townes Van Zandt. And his intricate lap slide guitar picking reminds one of Kelly Joe Phelps. The mountain music of Dock Boggs and the Stanley Brothers, and the Delta blues of Son House and Fred McDowell provide material for Pat's performances, and inspiration for the melodies and language of Pat's original songs. In the last year Pat has garnered increasing attention on the acoustic music circuit, with bookings at the Philadelphia Folk Festival, Forksville (PA) Folk Festival, Folk Project (NJ) Spring Festival, Avalon Music and Arts Festival, Long Island Fiddle & Folk Festival, Cape Cod Folk Festival, and numerous festivals and fairs in CT, NY, and PA. He has recently opened for Richie Havens, Chris Smither, Ellis Paul, Eliza Gilkyson, Steve Forbert, and Tracy Grammer. Pat's fourth CD, "Waiting for the Water," has received wide radio play, reaching #4 on the FolkDJ charts in February 2005, and remaining on the charts for months afterward. Original songs like "Where Did You Go," the country lullaby "Sleep Easy," and the gospel-tinged testimonial "Love Is the Water" have won accolades (Blues Revue called them "stunning" and "especially memorable"). The disc also features a revelatory version of Rich Deans' haunting Civil War soldier's lament, "Don't Dig My Grave Too Deep," along with standout covers of songs by Skip James, Fred McDowell, and Son House. As a finalist in the Solarfest song contest, and a semi-finalist at the Mountain Stage New Song Contest, Pat is also gaining recognition for his songwriting. He is a music educator of note, teaching workshops on writing, interpreting, and rearranging songs, on slide guitar and other guitar techniques, and various topics of music history. He is also a sought-after sideman and session musician, with numerous recording credits to date. | |||||
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Other artists from Earth Mark Schlitz David Wolfenberger Bill Passalacqua | |||||
Uncommon Ground Past Show Dates | |||||
| 2006-12-03 (678 days) | Pat Wictor | ||||
| Butterfly Sky | |||||
