Sheri Marie Ptolemy joins Archie Peters and Austin Ross at the Point

A relative newcomer is slated to join two veterans of the Sea to Sky music scene at the next installment of the Point Artist-Run Centre (PARC) Sunday Concert Series. 

Sheri Marie Ptolemy will make her PARC debut on July 21, with Archie Peters and Austin Ross coming back to a stage they've graced before. 

"I'm looking forward to that night because it showcases three diverse singer-songwriters that are local to the Sea to Sky area," comments PARC artistic director Stephen Vogler. "It's a really good variety of musicians that are all talented and quite distinct." 

'A fresh face'

Ptolemy is a country singer who blends quality piano work with her vocals and the guitar, her main instrument. She recently dropped her second EP, Hometown: a batch of six tracks about life in her beloved Pemberton. Thematically, it runs the gamut from love and grief to resilience and dream-chasing. 

"I think everything in life can be inspiring," says Ptolemy. I write a lot of my music outdoors. I love writing by nature, which is always inspiring. I like to write about my friends' lives, my own experience, just everything." 

The Spud Valley native began teaching herself music at 12 years of age and completed her first original song two years after that. Knowing she wanted to pursue a career on stage, Ptolemy then convinced her parents to take her to a gig at Nashville's famed Bluebird Cafe.

Despite its status as an innocent-looking 90-seat venue, the Bluebird has been graced by musical icons from Taylor Swift and Keith Urban to Faith Hill, Garth Brooks and many more. Ptolemy was 16 when she played there: a nerve-wracking experience by her own admission, but one that lit a fire in her creative soul. 

Ptolemy ended up graduating from the University of British Columbia (UBC) with a bachelor's degree in creative writing to go with her certificate from Berklee College of Music. She has also dabbled in acting and is a gifted filmmaker who produces and edits all of her own music videos. 

"I get to bring my visions to life and represent my songs the way that they feel to me," says Ptolemy. "I get to show the world what my life looks like." 

Vogler appreciates what he's seen so far.

"I listened to Sheri's music online and I liked it," he remarks. "The lyrics were really good and [her university background] showed through in her writing. She's a fresh face, someone that we haven't had playing at the Point before." 

'A really unique entertainer' 

On June 8, 1967, nearly three decades before Ptolemy was born, Peters received two electric guitars and an amp. The Mount Currie lifer grew up in a highly musical family, and the only piece of normal furniture in his old living room was an armchair. Drums, microphones, guitars and amps occupied the rest of the space in lieu of sofas and coffee tables. 

"[What I enjoy most about musical instruments] is their ability to make anybody from a one-year-old child to a 101-year-old person dance and tap their feet," Peters says. 

Peters is known mainly as a slide blues guitarist and a classic rock aficionado. His creative impulses do not always take place in waking hours, for he tends to dream about people from his past (like an ex-girlfriend). At times, he wakes up to find a set of chords and words imprinted into his mind, ready to be brought to life.

"Archie performed for the first time at the Point for the opening of an Indigenous art show last July, and he's a really unique entertainer," comments Vogler. "He delves into blues and folk styles, but brings his own flavour to everything." 

In turn, Peters praised the PARC's staff for taking care of their artists, maintaining a welcoming environment and being "totally awesome." 

Alas, he hasn't necessarily had the same experience elsewhere. 

"It's really hard for Indigenous musicians to get noticed in Whistler or Squamish," Peters says candidly. "I've been playing for 57 years, and people look at me like I've only been playing for two or three years. They don't want to listen to me at all, whereas someone I taught to play guitar who's not Indigenous can go [to a venue] and get invited to jam right away." 

'Accomplished and smooth' 

Ross' competitive freestyle skiing days are behind him, but the Pembertonian has since built his brand as a fashion model, digital content creator and backcountry ace. His social media platforms feature gorgeous images of lakes, mountains and forests interspersed with skiing and paragliding action shots…and the occasional jam night. 

Much like Peters, Ross inherited a passion for music from his family. He spent years hauling a guitar around to various ski hotbeds around the world and played his first show in 2018 at the Big Sky Golf Course. The man's got a solid cover repertoire based on the work of classic Texan singer-songwriters, as well as a drive to expand his own portfolio. 

"I don't play a lot of the typical cover songs that you hear bands play on patios," Ross said in a 2019 interview with Pique Newsmagazine. "I just have a huge desire to play more original music. I go to a lot of concerts and writing is a huge passion."

Recalls Vogler: "Austin has been at the Point many times for different types of events. He's really accomplished and smooth. You can count on him every time to play some really nice tunes. Good songwriter, nice guy…I love listening to him, as do the audiences." 

Catch Ptolemy, Peters and Ross on Sunday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. PARC's Sunday Concert Series events take place rain or shine, with food and drinks available to buy. Tickets and details are found at https://www.thepointartists.com/events/event-one-nx658-h9bs8-m2z3w-5p9rp-cpj29-6wltc.