GUELPH – Mohawk musician Logan Staats will debut new songs when he performs at Royal City Mission for Hillside Inside on Jan. 31.
Staats, who grew up in Brantford, has no formal musical training, but “just a good ear and raw lyrical talent – and always a guitar in hand,” states the description on his website.
He played the local circuit for years before his 2015 debut release, Goodbye Goldia, a solo acoustic album. He went on to win CTV’s The Launch in 2018, gaining commercial success and touring across North America.
He describes being influenced by the town where he grew up as well as the history of the Mohawk nation.
“It all serves as inspiration,” Staats stated in a Hillside news release. “Being a native kid growing up in town, I never really felt like I totally fit in, but then when I went to the rez I didn’t fit in either since I was from town. The only place I felt like I really belonged was in music, inside of a song.”
He cites his father’s love of The Band as a major factor in his musical upbringing.
“Robbie Robertson has been a huge influence on me,” Staats stated. “He’s from Six Nations, too. He made me feel like it’s possible for someone like me to make it.”
In 2023, Staats released his sophomore album, A Light in the Attic, which has a common theme throughout of overcoming personal struggles and reconnecting with culture, the release stated.
Lately, he has been splitting his time between Six Nations and Nashville, Tennessee, so he can focus on his songwriting and recording aspirations, it said.
He’ll be performing new songs at Hillside Inside, accompanied by his sister and a pianist.
“I’m releasing a new album soon and it’s honestly my best work,” Staats states. “I”ll literally be in the studio days before the show.”
The show, which also features Kate Tupper starts at 8pm on Jan. 31 at Royal City Mission, 50 Quebec St.
For the full Hillside Inside schedule and ticket information visit hillsidefestival.ca/hillside-inside-2025.