Step into an evening of rich storytelling and spellbinding song as the enigmatic singer-songwriter Petunia brings a rare solo performance to Medina Bookshop.
Blending elements of folk, country, ragtime and old-time roots, Petunia’s music feels both timeless and refreshingly original—like a late-night radio broadcast drifting in from another era. With a voice that can shift from tender and intimate to wild and weathered, and lyrics full of wit, longing and unexpected turns, every song is its own small world.
Expect tales of love and loss, strange journeys and beautiful misadventures, all delivered with charm, humour and a touch of the surreal. In the cosy, book-lined setting of Medina Bookshop, this promises to be a truly immersive and memorable night—part concert, part storybook, and wholly unique.
Come along, settle in, and let Petunia carry you somewhere else for a while.
Petunia is more than just an entertainer, he’s a modern musical enigma. Imagine that David Lynch and Nick Cave had a hillbilly baby, that yodeled… or Tom Waits meets Elvis at Woody Guthrie’s hobo junction. This is just one way of describing the man known simply as Petunia. He’s an adventure seeker, a poker player, and a mysterious stranger. He’s been referred to as “The Savior of Country Music”, and a man who exists in a different era, bringing the past forth as something new to be celebrated and not forgotten.
Petunia grew up in rural Quebec, in exactly the sort of surroundings that a country musician would find idyllic, with old dilapidated barns, secret forts, and acres of unspoiled land. As an adult, the wandering spirit took a firm hold on his life, so he set out on the road, playing every major street corner across Canada and throughout the NYC subway system, before graduating to full fledged touring musician. When he’s not on the road playing shows, Petunia is also involved in the theatre world; building side projects, writing scores, acting, or collaborating with theatre artists. He currently resides in Vancouver BC, and works with several sets of sidemen across Canada, the US and Europe in addition to his own Vancouver based band, The Vipers. A restless wanderer, a musical historian, and a quirky yet amazing talent, Petunia is simply a Canadian treasure joining the greats from north of the 49th.
A poem by Al Mader describing Petunia:
Razor sharp hombre
all snake eyes and boxcars
steals a kiss from a raven-haired
flapper – slips out the side window
of a 1920s speakeasy
Out fleet foots a flat foot
hops a train to
Buddy Bolden’s tombstone
wins some horseflesh playing
high stud – pitches camp
beneath a prairie sky
watched over by a full moon
and a lovesick coyote
howling for mercy…
