Biography
The music of Peter La Grand is both familiar and unique. Though his songs echo the heritage of such musical luminaries as Crosby, Stills, and Nash and Cat Stevens, and bear comparison with such contemporary artists as Sam Beam (Iron & Wine) and Sufjan Stevens, La Grand's music is set apart by a deep and passionate lyricism, unique instrumentation, and a straight-forward style of performance. Peter's music is all based on the footing of well-grounded songs crafted with layers of instrumentation. It is the sort of music that seeps into your life and pops into your head early in the morning, with phrases that stick to your day and ring through with honest questions and ideas about the life that we live. It is music that is equally good heard in a room or at home on the stereo.
A native of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Peter La Grand grew up listening not to the music of the his youth the music that he found in his brother's record collections: The Beatles, Dire Straits, Cat Stevens, and Van Morrison. Following his parents career's during his youth La Grand lived in Halifax, Switzerland, and in various places in the Midwest U.S. continuing all the while to listen to music and to pick up influences. After College, traveling the Continental U.S. in a van, and playing music in Nigeria, La Grand wound up in Vancouver, B.C. where he began to write and perform music, releasing his first full length, Falling Down in Place in 2005, an album of Christmas music In the Town of David in 2006, and his second full length Duende in 2007.
Apart from guitar La Grand plays dobro, lap steel, banjo, and an eclectic mix of percussion instruments. With his former band Bunkbed Nights La Grand shared a stage with Broken Social Scene and Crooked Fingers (Eric Bachmann) among others. On his own Peter has shared a stage with Jason Harrod and Over the Rhine, among others.
