Theo Katzman

Theo Katzman
Born 1986 (age 28–29)
New York City, U.S.
Genres Indie rock, indie pop, folk-rock, soul
Occupation(s) Singer, songwriter, producer
Instruments Vocals, guitar, drums
Years active 2007–present
Labels Independent
Associated acts Darren Criss, Vulfpeck
My Dear Disco / Ella Riot
Website theokatzman.com

Theo Katzman (born 1986) is an American singer, songwriter, and producer based in Brooklyn, New York. His musical style ranges from pop to indie rock, with multiple areas in between. From 2007 to 2010 he was a member of the band My Dear Disco. His first solo studio album Romance Without Finance was released in 2011. He has contributed to the works of several artists as a songwriter and producer.

Career

Katzman came from a musical home. His father was a jazz trumpet player and would take him to rehearsals at an early age.[1] Around age 12, he started playing the drums, the guitar, and writing songs.[2] In 2004 Katzman moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, and studied jazz at the University of Michigan.[3] In 2005 he joined the instrumental group Toolbox which evolved into the band My Dear Disco.[4] Katzman toured with My Dear Disco from 2007 to 2010.[1] During this period, the band released an EP titled My Dear Disco and an album titled Dancethink.

In early 2010, Katzman pursued a solo career and focused on his own singing and songwriting.[1] He formed the trio Love Massive. The group performed regularly and opened at the Ann Arbor Folk Festival in 2011.[3] Katzman released an EP titled Solo Acoustic in 2010 and released his first studio album Romance Without Finance in 2011.[5][6] In late 2011, he moved to Brooklyn and released music videos of two of his songs, "Hard For You" and "Brooklyn".[7] In 2012 he opened for several artists including Vanessa Carlton, Matisyahu and Vienna Teng.[8][9] He was the musical director and the opening act for Darren Criss on his national tour, Listen Up.[10][11] Criss is an avid fan and supporter of Katzman's career.[12] Katzman is working on his next album.[2] He released the first single of the album, "Pop Song".[6]

Katzman has worked with several artists as a songwriter and producer. He co-wrote and produced Face the Fire, a 2015 pop album by Michelle Chamuel, and he is a contributor to the upcoming album by Darren Criss.[10][13] Katzman performs with the Irish-fusion band The Olllam, the funk band Vulfpeck, and solo.[14][15]

Style

Katzman grew up listening to classic rock and soul music.[5] His influences include soul, funk, R&B, folk and rock.[3] As a songwriter, a primary focus for Katzman is a song's lyrical concept. He writes parts for guitar, bass, drums and keyboard. His favorite songwriters are those who "capture a moment in cultural time" such as Frank Ocean, Joni Mitchell and Paul Simon.[2][1]

Vulfpeck

In addition to his solo work, Katzman is a member of the funk group Vulfpeck. Formed in 2011, Vulfpeck is a four piece instrumental group made of Katzman on guitar and drums, Jack Stratton on keyboard and drums, Woody Goss on keyboard, and Joe Dart on bass. The group has released four EPs.[16][17] In 2014 Vulfpeck released a silent album on Spotify that generated $20,000 in royalty over a two months period. The album was titled Sleepify.[18][19]

Discography

Studio albums
Extended plays
Singles
With Vulfpeck
Production and writing credits
Year Artist Album Song Notes
2012 Anna Ash These Holy Days "Heartbreak Season" Drums, Bass, Co-Producer
"Shoot Me With Your Best Shot" Drums, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Vocals, Co-Producer
"These Holy Days" Drums, Percussion, Vocals, Co-Producer
2012 Hannah Winkler N/A "Hide It Away" Co-Producer, Bass, Guitar, Snare Drum
2013 Teddy Geiger The Last Fears "Ordinary Man" Drums, Additional Arranging
"Home" Drums, Co-Writer
"Figure It Out" Drums, Guitar
"Ordinary Man" Drums, Guitar
"Happier" Drums, Bass
2013 Michelle Chamuel N/A "Go Down Singing" Co-Producer, Bass, Guitar, Snare Drum, Writer
2013 Chrystian Rawk N/A "Famous" Co-Producer, Drums, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar
2014 Dylan Saunders Confluence "In The Morning Rain (I Feel It)" Co-Writer, Backing Vocals
"Shining Bright" Backing Vocals
"Holding Onto You" Co-Writer
"I Shoulda Lied" Co-Writer
"Big City Breakup" Co-Writer
"Nothin' To Do Here But Live" Co-Writer
"Say My Name" Co-Writer
"Waking Girl" Co-Writer
2014 Jason French N/A "You Just Want My Money" Co-Writer, Co-Producer, Backing Vocals, Bass, Guitar, Drums
2015 Michelle Chamuel Face the Fire "Face The Fire" Writer, Performer, Producer
"The Fall" Writer, Performer, Producer
"Golden" Writer, Performer, Producer
"Made For Me" Writer, Performer, Producer
"Lottery" Writer, Performer, Producer
"Weight of the World" Writer, Performer, Producer
"Rock It" Writer, Performer, Producer
"Wake Up" Writer, Performer, Producer
"Money" Writer, Performer, Producer
"Give You" Writer, Performer, Producer
2015 Vérité N/A "Wasteland" Bass, Guitar

Personal

Katzman's father was a jazz trumpet player playing with The Tonight Show Band. Katzman's maternal grandparents were both renowned classical musicians with the Detroit Symphony and the Philadelphia Orchestra.[2]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Former My Dear Disco guitarist finding own sound". The Herald Palladium. February 18, 2010. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Theo Katzman – Music, What Is It?". Success Circuit. January 27, 2014. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Roger LeLievre (January 25, 2011). "Local indie rocker Theo Katzman excited to be Ann Arbor Folk Festival opener Friday night". The Ann Arbor News. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Exit interview: Ella Riot's Tyler Duncan". A.V. Club. October 11, 2011. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Patrick Dunn (November 2, 2011). "Theo Katzman – Interview". A.V. Club. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Nicole Massabrook (October 9, 2013). "THEO KATZMAN ROCKS NYC". The Outlook. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  7. ↑ Rae Votta (November 13, 2013). "Theo Katzman Haunts His Ex Through Advertisements in "Hard For You" Video". VH1. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  8. ↑ Caitlyn Brody (February 27, 2012). "I'm Playing Theo Katzman on Repeat, And You Should Be, Too!". Glamour. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Theo Katzman opens for Vienna Teng at THE ARK". arts.umich.edu. September 26, 2012. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Rae Votta (June 6, 2013). "Theo Katzman Tour Diary: A Day In The Life of Darren Criss' Opening Act". Billboard Magazine. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  11. ↑ Jenn McKee (June 13, 2013). "Darren Criss and Theo Katzman thrill capacity crowd at Michigan Theater". The Ann Arbor News. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  12. ↑ Natalie Fisher (November 8, 2012). "Video: Darren Criss plays secret show with Theo Katzman at Hotel Cafe". Hypable. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  13. ↑ "'Voice' Runner-Up Michelle Chamuel Talks Reality TV Arcs and Usher's Best Lessons". Billboard Magazine. February 2, 2015. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
  14. ↑ "ATLANTIC I/O: the olllam, michelle chamuel, padraig rynne, jeremy kittel". journalofmusic.com. April 25, 2014. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
  15. ↑ "Sonic Lunch announces 2 more artists: Michelle Chamuel and Theo Katzman". mlive.com. May 15, 2014. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  16. ↑ Tim Specce (January 12, 2014). "Vulfpeck Keeps It Beastly". jambands.com. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  17. ↑ Wib Schneider. "Vulfpeck's 'My First Car' – EP Review". blog.ourvinyl.tv. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  18. ↑ Andy Gensler (April 4, 2014). "Vulfpeck Stands to Earn More Than $18K From Spotify for Silent Album". Billboard Magazine. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  19. ↑ Paul Bonanos (July 22, 2014). "Vulfpeck's Half-Joke 'Silent Album' Made Some Serious Cash". Billboard Magazine. Retrieved August 16, 2014.

External links