“Honestly, I think almost all music created in the 20th and now the 21st century has a lot to thank the blues for. It’s hard to find any music that isn’t somehow influenced by blues music.“

Paul Pigat: Cousin Harley Plays the Blues

Vancouver’s Paul Pigat, an accomplished vocalist and virtuoso guitarist who has been a key contributor to Canada’s West Coast music scene for nearly thirty years, is one such musician. Whether it is with “Daily Special” (named for the sandwich board that is often placed in front of clubs listing selections both musical and gastronomical), “The Smoking Jackets” (the Victoria-based jump blues band Pigat formed in 1994), his rock n’ roll and rockabilly work with “Cousin Harley” (with whom he has released ten fine recordings), or on new 8-tracks album “Cousin Harley Plays the Blues Volume 1” (2025), the blues seems to permeate everything Pigat does musically. This exciting style, presented here with an accomplished amalgamated septet featuring the original trio of “Cousin Harley” fleshed out with some of Vancouver’s finest musicians on keyboards and horns, makes for an exciting album (it’s best played loud!) that drinks deeply from the jump blues tradition for satisfying and always musical results. And while there is indeed something anachronistic about this live off the floor capture—complete with Side A and Side B demarcations in anticipation of its accompanying vinyl release—it is no backwards looking period piece but seems to take the best of a style and half-century old repertoire and imbue it with a present-day dynamism.  

(Photo: Paul Pigat with Cousin Harley, premier Canada’s hillbilly rockers)

Liberties or not, whether it is the 1950s or the twenty-twenties, it is hard to quibble over the finer points of an orthodoxy of style when such terrific music sprung from the pens of B.B. King, Johnny “Guitar” Watson, and T-Bone Walker, among others, is performed so beautifully by a top shelf cast of blue-chip Vancouver musicians captured in pristine fidelity. And, once Pigat’s soulful vocals and burning guitar playing is layered on top (listen, for example, to the stinging sound of his 1949 Gibson ES 350—an instrument chosen for its association with one of Pigat’s instrumental heroes: Tal Farlow—that sets up the groove to King’s “You Upset Me Baby”) the whole package crackles mightily through the speakers of your Hi-Fi for good result. Cousin Harley is the musical persona of multi-talented guitar slinger, songwriter, and vocalist Paul Pigat. Along with Keith Picot on upright bass and Jesse Cahill on drums, this high-octane Canadian trio has earned the reputation for delivering everything from hot rod rockabilly to foot-stomping honky tonk, vintage country, and western swing music.

Interview by Michael Limnios             Archive: Paul Pigat, 2014 Interview @ blues.gr

Special Thanks: Sarah French Publicity 

How has the Blues and Jazz music influenced your views of the world? What moment changed your music life the most?

Wow! I have had so many seminal moments in my life that have shaped the musician I am today it would be hard to choose. One that comes directly to mind was seeing Gatemouth brown perform in Whistler BC almost 30 years ago. It was a midweek show and I must admit the attendance wasn’t great. That didn’t stop Gatemouth. He put on one of the most world class shows I’ve ever seen all the while smoking his pipe! His guitar playing was outstanding, and he knew that there was a few of us fellow pickers in the audience. He invited us all up to the front of the stage when he played flying home just to blow our minds. I learned a lot from that show not only as a guitar player, but as an entertainer.

How do you think that you have grown as an artist since you first started making music? What has remained the same about your music-making process?

I grew up as a teenager in the 80s so it’s no surprise that I played a lot of hard rock as a kid. But then I played a lot of other stuff as well, from blues to classical music I would just devour it all. I think that’s what keeps me going. I’m always looking for new things. That being said, I don’t forget the old things that I’ve learned. I’m constantly adding to my musical bag of tricks and trying to expand my vocabulary. If anything has been consistent, it’s my curiosity.               (Paul Pigat with Cousin Harley / Photo by David Jacklin)

“My music seems to be constantly changing because of all the varied influences I have. I try and find new combinations of things that please me I think that’s the most important part. If I can, please myself with what I’m doing hopefully other people will get the vibe as well.”

Currently you’ve one release with West Coast sound. How did that idea come about? Do you have any interesting stories about the making of the new album Cousin Harley Plays The Blues?

There’s actually a little bit of a West-coast vibe on every cousin Harley recording but this is the first time we’ve done a whole record with that theme and with the expanded lineup. The label originally wanted me to do a jazz record. I love jazz and I love being a jazz singer, but i’m a crooner and I wanted to do something a little hotter, so I suggested we do a little big band style record. The first band I ever started in Victoria British Columbia was called the smoking jackets and it was a mixture of jump, blues and swing. It was a Quartet and I always dreamed of expanding it to a larger ensemble. The core trio of cousin Harley is amazing so I just figured I’d add to that lineup with some of the best players here in Vancouver. This town has got some amazing musicians and I was lucky enough to get some of them for this record.

Why is it important to we preserve and spread the blues? What's the balance in music between technique (skills) and soul/emotions?

Honestly, I think almost all music created in the 20th and now the 21st century has a lot to thank the blues for. It’s hard to find any music that isn’t somehow influenced by blues music. You might not be able to hear it at first, but it’s in there. When it comes to performance, I think you can have all the chops in the world, but if you can’t express an emotion, then it doesn’t really mean much. I’ve always tried to be a virtuosic player but emotion is really the key to everything. There’s a lot of fantastic technicians out there right now. It’s the ones that have a emotion that I like to listen to.

What is the impact of the Blues and Jazz on the racial and socio-cultural implications? How do you want it to affect people? How do you want the music to affect people?

That’s a very tough question. I will never be able to know the emotions or experiences of the people that started the blues, but I do understand how the blues feel. That doesn’t mean I will ever be able to imagine where it came from.   I’m not sure that’s possible especially from this generation. However, I have a deep appreciation of the art form that grew from them. As for my style of blues, I want people to listen tap their feet and have a good time. If I sing something sad, I hope it touches them, if I sing something hot I hope it gets the moving.

“I grew up as a teenager in the 80s so it’s no surprise that I played a lot of hard rock as a kid. But then I played a lot of other stuff as well, from blues to classical music I would just devour it all. I think that’s what keeps me going. I’m always looking for new things.” (Photo: Paul Pigat)

What are some of the most important lessons you have learned from your experience in the music paths?

I’ve done this all my life. I learned a lesson from a school teacher many years ago that although at the time seemed very harsh his words were very helpful. He said Paul you will never be the best, but the only competition you should ever have is with yourself. That is really stuck with me. Being competitive in music is completely counterproductive. The only person you need to get better than is yourself.

What are you doing to keep your music relevant today, to develop it and present it to the new generation?

My music seems to be constantly changing because of all the varied influences I have. I try and find new combinations of things that please me I think that’s the most important part. If I can, please myself with what I’m doing hopefully other people will get the vibe as well.

As an indie musician, how do you navigate the balance between creative freedom and commercial appeal?

I’m not sure, I’ve ever really looked for commercial appeal. Every record I’ve done is because I’ve wanted to do it. Not because I thought someone would wanna hear it. I just wanted to musically explore a sound, don’t get me wrong, I’m really glad that people do (at least I hope they do)! There’s nothing better than getting on stage and playing something of your own or an arrangement that you’ve written and see an audience feed off it. That’s the real reason I play music.

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(Paul Pigat / Photo by Bob Hanham)