Call it traditional country with a tip of the hat to the Christmas season.
Steve Piticco is expecting a high-octane show as his band, South Mountain, rolls into Maryhill’s Commercial Tavern for “A Christmas Gathering of Friends” a week before the big day.
“It’s going to be straight-ahead country music. There’ll be a wide variety of traditional music – lots of fiddle tunes,” he said from the road near his Brighton, Ont. home this week.
South Mountain, formed in 1989, received the 1991 Canadian Country Music Association Vista Rising Star Award. Their 1995 single Radioland reached the Top 20 of the RPM Country Tracks chart. In that time, that band has released 16 albums since 1989, with a 17th in the works.
The band holds the title of “International Band Of The Year” in Europe, beating out The Dixie Chicks, The Mavericks and Alabama. Their latest European tour – an annual tradition – had them playing in front of tens of thousands of people in Lithuania, Spain, Holland, Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium and Denmark, headlining many of the festivals.
Piticco has been the band’s one constant, plucking out the signature sound of Texas-swing-meets-electric-bluegrass. Born in Toronto, he began playing guitar at age 11, acquiring the Fender Telecaster at age 15 that he uses to this day. In the late 1970s, he arrived on the Ottawa-area scene, playing with The Prescott Brothers band and also working with many of the region’s top groups. Piticco has been recognized many times by the CCMA as Guitar Player of the Year and Instrumentalist of the Year. In addition, he played guitar in Tommy Hunter’s concert tour band and appeared as a guest on countless recording sessions, as well as recording several of his own albums.
With his new version of South Mountain, Piticco travels extensively throughout Canada and Europe. The Dutch Country Music Association has honoured him with five Gram Awards for International Instrumentalist (winning over such players as Chet Atkins, Mark O’Connor, Vince Gill and Mark Knopfler) and the group with International Group of the Year twice.
Raised on a diet of Hank Snow, Hank Williams and the like, he naturally gravitated to the music.
“My dad played a little guitar – he still does from time to time – and there were always pickers over at the house every weekend, with a kitchen party going,” said Piticco.
“I just absorbed it all when I was 10 or 11. I started playing the guitar at 1; I picked up a lot of things very quickly – it got right into my blood.”
Through all kinds of session gigs and a host of other projects, he’s kept South Mountain active for almost 25 years now. Even if the members are sometimes scattered, they manage to get together for performances, including the European tour.
The incarnation of South Mountain that will take to the stage in Maryhill includes Kurk Bernard on bass, Jay Riehl on drums and Linsey Beckett on fiddle. The guys have been with him for the better part of 15 years, while Beckett is the youngster, having first played with the band four years ago. Original member Donnie Reed still sits in from time to time.
“It’s a pretty tight band,” said Piticco, noting the audience can expect some standards such as Bob Wills’ Time Changes Everything, the title of the band’s 2011 album.
On the Christmas front, he’ll probably go to Pretty Paper and an instrumental version of Silent Night.
“I think Jay knows Santa Looked a Lot Like Daddy. And there’s White Christmas …,” he laughed. “Usually, we wing the whole thing – it’s authentically-done country music, from our hearts.
“It’s fun. And it makes the audience feel like part of the band: they know what we’re going through up there.”
South Mountain takes to the stage December 18 at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $10, available at the Commercial Tavern, 1303 Maryhill Rd., or by calling 519-648-3644. Steve Piticco will be sitting in with the Western Swing Authority when it plays the night before.
