Hometown
Vancouver, Canada

Music Style
Hot-rod rockabilly crossed with country blues and spiced up with bebop jazz.

Fun Facts

• Known as the “Motorhead of Rockabilly” in Europe.
• Pigat is a very versatile musician who is influenced by a wide-range of music, and performs in several bands to capture the essence of each genre. He amps it up in hot-rod rockabilly band Cousin Harley, winds down with mainly acoustic country blues and roots band Boxcar Campfire, and expresses his vintage jazz and bebop stylings in the Paul Pigat Trio.
• His band called Cousin Harley also doubles as Pigat’s onstage alter ego, which is used to describe the wild persona he embodies during his live performances.

Influenced By
Les Paul, Jimmie Rivers, Danny Gatton, Blind Blake

Quotable
“Being a well-rounded guitar player also means that you can sit in on almost any kind of gig. Up until a few years ago I had a jazz trio, a rock band, a cowpunk band, and all sorts of other things. If I had a chance to play everything I like, I’d be playing in 50 different bands.” – Pigat to Guitar Player magazine

“I think it is unlikely that I’ll review a better CD than “Jukin’” this year. It’s simply terrific and virtually every track is a highlight. Pigat is a ballsy, confident vocalist, at home equally with the forceful rockabilly that accounts for half of the CD, a trio of more laid back Western Swing tunes, a couple of unusual covers and the collection’s only slow ballad, “Louisa”. His lead guitar is stunning and the generous breaks bristle with invention and at times are lightning fast.”
Harry Dodds, Now Dig This magazine (UK)

“Cousin Harley plays a mean guitar”
Michael Kissinger, Pier magazine

“This collection could fit into any of Quentin Tarantino’s films… if you get a chance to hear Cousin Harley, you will dig it!”
Monte Nordstrom, Cosmic Debris

“Cousin Harley holds court … belting out warp-speed rockabilly sounds with occasional surf and klesmer overtones… likely to awaken the sleeping reptile within us all.”
Ron Forbes Roberts, Monday Magazine

“You’d think I would have heard of somebody as good as Cousin Harley before this but this is my first encounter with his music and it couldn’t be more of a pleasure! …Top notch… a straight 10 out of 10.”
Gaby Maag-Bristol – Blue Suede News (USA)

“Paul Pigat and his rockabilly trio, Cousin Harley, play hot enough to raise sweat on a chunk of granite!”
Ron Forbes Roberts, Monday Magazine

“Kids, put those hypodermic needles away before mom gets home. Strap yourself to your chair and get ready to rock because Cousin Harley is here and Waahoo!!!… they blow my socks off!”
David P. Smith, CFUV Hillbilly Heaven