Peter Broderick’s creative muse knows no boundaries.
“Creating is almost more like a necessity than an obsession,” said the thirty year old musician, discussing the wide range of creative pursuits that have taken him from his Oregon home to venues and stages across the US, Canada and Europe. “I’ve kind of always been this way,”
His artistic output spans photography, short fiction writing and poetry, but it’s the limitless possibilities of lyrics and melody that remain at the forefront of his art.
Brought up on Bruce Cockburn records and his love for the violin, Broderick quickly discovered the wide world of creative expression that exists, first by ordering records and connecting with likeminded musicians online, to a later six year residency in Europe that immersed him in the vibrant music scenes of Copenhagen and Berlin, an exploration of sound and creative influence that would eventually shape his career and life direction.
“Several years ago I was more into dispersing my creativity into many different art forms. I feel these days more focused on writing music, but somehow also tying in all these other elements into a musical project,” he explains. “It seems to lead the music. A story or a poem may lead into a song, and a photograph will spark ideas about album covers and inserted booklets and things like that. I’d say music kind of leads it all and the other stuff is more supplemental to that.”
So it comes as no surprise that some of his current fixations involve artists who seek to incorporate a similar vision to his own wide-ranging influences.
“I tend to follow people who do a really diverse mix of things,” he said. “Some of my favourite artists are ones that work in a lot of different mediums. I especially love Miranda July’s work. She’s a filmmaker who also puts out records of weird music and spoken word stuff. She also does a lot of modern dance choreography and sometimes, just plain goofy entertainment. I’m really into what she does.”
“Another artist I’ve been following for some time is a woman in France named Felicia Atkinson. She makes paintings and photographs and writes a lot and also makes music. When I look at her visual work or read a poem or hear her music, I can see a thread running through all of it that represents her creative approach. I love looking for those patterns.”
This distillation of influence has shaped Broderick’s prolific musical output spanning over a dozen solo releases and numerous collaborations ranging from choral groups to modern dance and orchestral arrangements.
His upcoming appearance at the 2015 Shivering Songs festival marks his performance first journey east of Montreal. It’s going to be a good night.
Peter Broderick w/ Olympic Symphonium and Motion2 | Charlotte Street Arts Centre | Doors 6:00pm | Show 7:00pm | FREE
Peter Broderick at the Shivering Songs Songwriter’s & Storytellers Event | Wilmot United Church | Doors 1:00pm | Show 2:00pm | Tickets
Peter Broderick w/ Owen Pallett | Wilmot United Church | Doors 7:00pm | Show 8:00pm | Tickets
www.peterbroderick.net
