Photo by Kevin Lamb

 

Kayt and the Hard Folks is a music group, based in Toronto, Canada.  As they enter their seventh year, Kayt Lucas’s unmistakable, expressive voice is anchored by the Hard Folks band, she calls her “emotional security team”; a relationship built upon a recipe of rock-solid trust, and a wide-open, creative collaboration.  The evolution of “Hard Folk” can be traced from the band’s 2015 album, Tornado Nursery, through to their new work, The Company of Kings, (June 2018).

K&HF concerts feature new music for those who enjoy the classics from the 1970s, as well as new indie folk-rock.  Since the band formed in January, 2012, they have developed an exhilarating performance experience that is diverse in style and cohesive in sound.  K&HF is thrilled to regularly present resident writers, Kayt Lucas, Michael Menegon and Jp Merzetti, as well as musical guests and dance artists in concert.

Kayt is a poet and singer with hundreds of tunes in her catalog.  Her songwriting style alludes to rock, blues, folk, and sometimes country.  She plays mandolin and octave mandolin.

As a former dancer and aerialist, Kayt’s musicality originates in dance and choreography.  Kayt also works as a rigging technician in the live concert industry, a job which gives her insight into the special theatrical world of the greatest performing artists in the world.

The Band Of Kayt and the Hard Folks:

 

Kayt Lucas – Mandolin and Vocals

Michael Menegon (original member) – Percussion, Vocals and Guitar

Paul Chalmers – Electric Guitar

Richard Begley – Bass

Donn Dixon – Drums

Joel Merzetti – Acoustic Guitar, Keys and Vocals (recorded material & guest appearances)

Guest artists and former members have included Roy Buna (original member), Bill Galloway (original member), Paul Kehayas, Mark Galloway, Harriet Hume, Keary Scanlon, Loren Hicks, Nick Yaksich, Minas Hatzigiannatzoglou, Bill Coleman, Angela MacDonald Petkovic, Chris Stephen, Paul Smith, Monica Serodio, Frank Patrick, Gus Apostolous, Jennifer Noble and others.

Manager – Hard Folks Community Management.

Jeremy Trites – Technical Producer from 2017 – present.  Owner of JetTek Studios and Production.

John Preketes – Technical Producer from 2012-2017.  Owner/operator of JPC Post.

Bob Dunkin – Resident Technical Advisor

Geeta Dixon – Assistant to the artists of K&HF