If you could nail a characteristic that separates average musicians from true artists, it's that the latter never rest on their laurels. They're always building and experimenting even if it means a dud every once in a while.
Altameda fits the label of true artist. It was inevitable since the release of Dirty Rain and the subsequent double nomination at the Edmonton Music Awards as Album of the Year and Rock Album of the Year.
But the four-piece was gobsmacked to receive an unsolicited invitation to perform at the Edmonton Folk Festival, one of the most coveted performance arenas on the national summer circuit.
"It's really exciting. I've gone in past years. It's a staple of summer in Edmonton and to be part of it is extremely flattering," said lead singer-songwriter Troy Snaterse.
"The big help for us was reaching No. 1 on the CKUA charts. That was good exposure Alberta-wide. It helped us get bigger gigs, and I feel CKUA was integral in getting us in the folk fest."
Composed completely of hometown boys, the St. Albert rock band also features Matthew Kraus (keyboard), Todd Andrews (bass) and Erik Grice (drums).
Although Altameda falls under the rock 'n' roll umbrella, it reflects the musicians mixed interests merging rock, country and folk with Snaterse's original punk influence and approach.
Snaterse first gained media attention more than a decade ago after his punk rock band, Pyromaniacs, won the 2006 Futures Fest Battle of the Bands.
A Grade 8 Lorne Akins student, Snaterse realized he might have a career in the music industry after fans rushed the stage and the fearless, high-octane band won both the top prize and fan choice.
After the teenage garage band dissolved, Snaterse assembled various groups including the hardcore punk band Breakaway and Stepmothers.
By 2014, Stepmothers had done a slow fade and Snaterse had a clear path to recording leftover songs from that punk period that he'd written with a country feel.
Recording solo with producer-sound engineer Jeff Kynoch of Sound Extractor, Snaterse brought in several musicians for support. What started as a few short gigs morphed into Altameda.
To date they've opened for well-known artists such as Sam Roberts Band and performed on Stampede City Sessions, a one-hour TV series that features live music. It is staged at Calgary's Webber Academy Performing Arts Centre and airs on KSPS-TV.
To date their most exciting gig was a five-stop May tour of the United Kingdom. They performed at Liverpool, Wales, Brighton and the Canadian Embassy.
Invited by Alberta Music and hosted by Breakout West, Altameda performed an acoustic show on the embassy rooftop overlooking London.
However the Brighton Festival was the trip's highlight.
"We played at the Harper Hotel right on the water. We had no expectations. We were an unknown band from Canada and we thought nobody would care. It was totally packed and we made industry contacts.
The next day there was a barbecue at 11 a.m. We thought nobody would show up so early, but it was just packed. It was a great way to end our tour."
Keeping the momentum high, the band is flying out to Toronto in October to record a second album with Aaron Goldstein at Baldwin Street Sound.
"We're not going to stray too far from what we've done, but our vision is more realized. The songwriting is more mature and musically we've grown together and learned from each other."
Altameda performs at Folk Fest three times: Stage 3 on Friday, Aug. 11 at 7:35, Stage 3 Saturday, Aug. 12 at 3:10 p.m., and Stage 6 on Saturday at 11 a.m.
Preview
Altameda<br />Edmonton Folk Festival<br />Aug. 10 to 13<br />Gallagher Park
