Peter Katis

Peter Katis
Katis at Tarquin Studios
Background information
Born	April 1966 (age 52) New York City, New York
Genres	Alternative rock, indie rock
Occupation(s)	Record producer, audio engineer, mixer, musician
Years active	1990–present
Associated acts	Happiest Guys in the World James Kochalka The Philistines Jr. The Zambonis
Website	Tarquin Studios

Peter Katis is a Grammy Award-winning American record producer, audio engineer, mixer, and musician.

Katis is best known for working with alternative and indie rock bands. He works primarily out of his own residential studio, Tarquin Studios, in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Personal life

Peter Katis was born in New York City in April 1966. He is the eldest son of Dr. Lauma Katis and Dr. James Katis, both psychiatrists. His brothers are Tom Katis and Tarquin Katis.

Katis attended New Canaan Country School and Greenwich High School, both in Connecticut. He graduated from the University of Vermont having majored in Visual Arts and minored in English. He also attended and then taught studio production classes at SUNY Purchase in New York.

Katis lives in Fairfield, Connecticut with his wife, Ann Risen Katis, and their son, Will.

Music career

Katis's music career began in the late 1980s with The Philistines Jr., an experimental pop band composed of Katis (vocals, guitar, keyboards), his brother Tarquin (bass), and their friend Adam Pierce (drums). The band's first gig was an opening spot for Phish in front of a sparse crowd on the campus of the University of Vermont.^[1]

The Philistines Jr.'s early albums - Greenwich, CT (1991) and The Continuing Struggle of The Philistines Jr. (1993) - received critical acclaim and charted on college radio stations across North America. The band also received frequent airplay from John Peel on his BBC Radio 1 program. Upon hearing their first album, Peel telephoned the band "just to say how much he liked the record" and invited them to record a Peel Session in London. The band completed three Peel Sessions and concurrent UK tours.^[2]

Later albums include The Sinking of the S.S. Danehower (1995), Analog vs. Digital -or- We Don't Get The Respect We Deserve in Today's Scientific Community (2000), If A Band Plays in the Woods...? (2010), and If a Lot of Bands Play in the Woods...? (2011).

Over time, the band's members have participated in numerous musical side projects, including The Zambonis, The Happiest Guys in the World, James Kochalka Superstar, The Pants, and The Pork Guys.

The Philistines Jr. continue to perform live and release new music.

In 2017, to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Katis-produced Interpol album Turn On the Bright Lights, the band released a cover of the song NYC. Guest vocalists on the song were Tarquin's children, Henry and Helen.^[3]

Music production career

While recording songs for his own band in an ad-hoc studio set up in his parents' basement, Katis realized he had an affinity for production. "My favorite part of being a musician was producing a record", said Katis.^[4]

In 1989 he began taking continuing education classes at SUNY Purchase in studio production, which further developed his recording skills. Katis then worked as an intern, an assistant, and then as an engineer in various recording studios in New York City. As his career progressed, Katis began being asked by his friends in other bands — including Mommyheads, Oneida, Guster, and Mercury Rev — to help record their albums.

By 1998, Katis's demand as a producer, audio engineer, and mixer had grown to the point where he needed a dedicated production space. He bought a 7,000 square foot Victorian home in Bridgeport, Connecticut and transformed it into Tarquin Studios, a residence and recording studio for musicians. Katis has since worked with dozens of artists (see Associated Acts and Discography) at Tarquin Studios.

In 2017, Katis and Chris Frantz of Talking Heads launched a concert series for emerging artists at The Fairfield Theater Company.^[5]

Discography

Credits adapted from Allmusic.

References

External links

• Tarquin Studios website