[advertising]

By MELISSA WISEMAN
Staff Writer

Julian Petti’s sound is described as “a powerful dose of soul and conviction. A unique twist on acoustic folk/blues that is coarse, calm, and cool. His songs cut like a knife and caress like a vodka martini.” In other words, this guy is good.

I had the opportunity to correspond with Julian through email and he was more than willing to answer a few questions for his fans. I started off with some simple questions. Let’s see what his answers were.

Q: Could you tell me a bit about your background such as where you grew up, how things were as a child, or anything else you would like to add?

Julian: I was born in the mid eighties and grew up in suburban Toronto. My childhood was not unlike that of any other middle-class Torontonian child. I had some good friends, went to school, got decent grades, got in trouble once in a while... I got an electric guitar from my uncle when I was twelve. I played in a band while in high school. I was twenty years old when I began my current musical endeavour.

Q. Is music something you always pictured yourself doing?

Julian: In a way... I always knew that I would need to be doing something inventive or creative. Only recently did I discover the merits of creating music and the broad strength of it as an art form.

Q: Who were your biggest influences in music? In life?

Julian: In music, without question my greatest influence is Bob Dylan. I can only dream of writing for as long as he has while keeping it fresh and current as if unable to do the opposite. As for a life influence, I can’t think of any one person who has influenced the way I live it. It’s the wise, the humble, and the teacher that collectively have formed my ideals.

These were great answers. But what really got Julian involved in the world of music and how does he feel doing these performances and about the fans? How did he create his own sound?

Q: Describe your sound in three words:

Julian: Coarse, Calm & Cool

Q: What got your started playing music for public audiences and how long have you been doing so?

Julian: I played in a band with some friends while I was in high school but music wasn’t really a serious thing for me back then. The real thing started about three years back. It was ignited by a sudden shift in my own personal priorities. Around the same time, I was learning about the American folk music revival in the fifties and sixties and its consequence on the civil rights struggle. Those old songs didn’t feel dated to me; they felt as contemporary as anything on the radio. I‘ve found myself leaning on music ever since. I’ve been gigging solo for only about a year and I consider myself an infant in that regard but I do believe that the best is yet to come.

Q: Do you write your own songs and if so, where/what give you the inspiration for them?

Julian: Inspiration is a funny thing for me. The creative process is not really anything to depend on. I could never just sit down and tell myself to write a song. It comes from hazy corners and strange directions. When it’s with you, you’re just glad it is. No time for questions.

Q: All musicians, no matter how well they are known, have fans. Have you had any encounters with fans that stick out in your mind?

Julian: The ones who listen hard. They’re the people who stick out. And it’s great talking to them because they usually have a strong conviction of music and the English language in general. Meeting them is always rewarding.

From there I decided to get a little more specific with the questions. From the following questions we learn more about the creation of his CD and what his views were on the subject.

Q: I was reading in the mini biography that you have on both myspace and facebook how you have released your debut cd. Describe the experience creating it and launching it. How did you feel during this process?

Julian: The record is called ‘Remember Where You Are’ and it was released in September of 2008. The album archives the very beginning stages of myself as a songwriter. Looking back, I can now see that recording and releasing it, putting it together in a tangible form was something that needed to be done in order for me to evolve. Technically speaking, the recording process itself was not something new to me; I had previously worked as a producer and an engineer for about four years. What I did find to be foreign and challenging was trying to listen to the songs as if I had never heard them. Trying to be a producer and effectively arrange with an outsider’s perspective. Overall, it was a rewarding experience and I look forward to doing it again. Now that it’s out there, a new chapter of writing has begun. My newer songs are less introverted and more about the outside world. I find them to be more advanced for lack of a better word than anything I’ve written in the past.

Q: On your cd, which song would you choose as your favorite? (Whether it be to play live, to listen to, to write....)

Julian: ‘Lay Down Your Spoon’ or ‘Mother Nature’

One never knows what the future holds. But Julian has an idea of what he would like to see.

Q: Can you see yourself experimenting with a different sound in the future?

Julian: Yea, I think it’s inevitable. Lately, I’ve been fantasizing about a raunchy blues band with bluegrass instrumentation. Fiddle, upright bass, cello, harmonica, a little percussion, maybe another guitarist… That sorta thing would go over well I think.

Q: Where do you see yourself in the future?

Julian: Assuming steady growth as both a writer and player, I see myself doing what I do now on a larger scale in front of more people. Solid recognition is really all I’m after. I also look forward to writing music for others, something that would be new to me.

This just goes to show that he doesn’t plan on leaving the music scene anytime soon. We should expect to hear more from him in the future.

Good luck, follow your dreams and keep on rockin’.

For more information on Julian or his music, visit his website at www.myspace.com/julianpettimusic