Sundilla will present the legendary Pat Wictor in concert on Friday, April 19. Showtime at the AUUF (450 E. Thach Avenue in Auburn) is 7:30. Advance tickets are just $20 and can be found at Spicer’s Music, Ross House Coffee, Foodie’s, and online at sundillamusic.com; admission at the door will be $25. Students with ID can pay just $15 at the door, and children 12 and under get in free.
Pat Wictor has played Sundilla before, as part of the trio Brother Sun. Pat was a great solo performer before, during and after Brother Sun, and getting him to Sundilla has been a priority. It has almost happened more than once: blame pandemics, injuries, illnesses and just plain bad luck for it taking this long.
Pat first burst on the folk and acoustic scene as an innovative slide guitarist known for fresh and memorable interpretations of traditional and contemporary songs. Since then he has made his mark as a singer-songwriter penning lean and poetic songs that honor – and subvert – rural blues and gospel traditions. For seven years he toured as one third of Brother Sun, the powerful harmonizing trio with Joe Jencks and Greg Greenway, garnering critical acclaim, two #1 CDs on the Folk DJ charts, and a continent-spanning tour schedule. But he doesn’t need bandmates to shine. Wictor’s newest recording, FLARE, was called “brilliant” by WFUV’s John Platt, and reached #1 on the Folk-DJ charts in 2022. His duo album titled Counterpoise was a collaboration with jazz vocalist and multi-media artist Deborah Latz. The two first sang together at a vocal improvisation workshop led by Bobby McFerrin. His previous solo release, This is Absolutely Real: Visions and Versions of Phil Ochs, reached #2 on the Folk-DJ charts and was nominated for Best Tribute Album by the Independent Music Awards.
Pat took a convoluted path to folk music, winding his way through rock, heavy metal, jazz, and free improvisation. He started with guitar, shifted to bass, moved to saxophone, and then quit music entirely before returning to guitar, and teaching himself lap slide guitar. He organized and ran a songwriters circle in New York City for 13 years, mentoring and influencing dozens of songwriters. An adept improviser and accompanist, he is sought after as a collaborator, sideman and session musician, with over 60 recording credits to date, including releases by Sloan Wainwright, Jon Vezner, Joe Crookston, and David LaMotte. His solo shows are unique performances mixing great songs, spoken word, improvisation and spontaneity.
Recognition and honors have followed Pat for years: he won the Falcon Ridge Emerging Artist Showcase, was nominated for Emerging Artist of the Year by the Folk Alliance, was nominated for Gospel Song of the Year by the Independent Music Awards, and was a finalist in the Kerrville New Folk songwriting contest. His CDs This Is Absolutely Real and Sunset Waltz both reached #2 on the Folk-DJ charts, and Heaven is so High and Waiting for the Water both reached #4. And his latest, Flare, made it to #1.
“He manages to infuse an almost playful, yet tasteful, improvisation while maintaining a beautiful sense of melody……..While he can fingerpick like the best of them, he is an absolute madman on the lapsteel. Unquestionably, anyone who has ever heard a Wictor show will permanently place him in the company of the best in the genre- Harry Manx, Kelly Joe Phelps and Ed Gerhard.” -Frank Matheis, TheCountryBlues.com
“…the clarity of his voice is an interesting juxtaposition to the glorious grit of his musicianship…..He manages to creatively absorb the work of others, leaving their musical intentions beautifully intact, while adding his own sonic signature to the mix.” -Ellen Geisel, Dirty Linen
“Pat’s Zen-like quality instantly puts the audience at ease, and I’m afraid it underestimates his skills. Like Joe Dimaggio could make a spectacular catch look rudimentary, Pat Wictor delights in sharing original and traditional songs in his unique style. His original songs are gaining a lot of attention and a number of artists are beginning to record him.” -Ron Olesko, WFDU Teaneck, NJ
“His performances are delicate, nearly evanescent—a daring and unusual approach for a blues singer who give listeners fresh perspectives on such familiar material as Son House’s “Death Letter” and Skip James’ “Hard Time Killing Floor.” Wictor’s compositions…are especially memorable.”
-Blues Revue
“If you can make it to only one concert this year, let it be a show by Brooklyn’s own Pat Wictor, who plays heart-felt blues-based roots music like the only begotten son of Bonnie Raitt (same red hair!) and Chris Smither. And unlike blues interpreters who have seen too many stormy Mondays with hellhounds on their trail, Pat is also an excellent songwriter whose new/old compositions will send you on a journey through the old Dock Boggs and Son House 78s. But these aren’t old songs, they’re originals that, to paraphrase Mr. Smither, are “still flopping around on the deck.”
-Jim Motavalli, WPKN, Bridgeport, CT
“Soft-spoken and articulate, in the 1930’s he could have been a dust bowl preacher. The sermons, accompanied by the choir of his slide guitar, would have brought comfort to many a soul.”-Richard Cuccaro, Acoustic Live
“He not only is a great guy and a great talent, but I believe he has, follicle for follicle, the best hair in folk music.” -Rob Carlson, Modern Man