Just who is this Pete guy?
is it just me or doesn't it seem like we need some change around here?
songwriting is a personal expression rooted in exploring subjects which move me and interpret life events. writing provides an opportunity to delve into a relationship or a silly lyrical idea and express the concept in a three minute story, where you squish words around to get some inexplicably appealing phrasing. sometimes the outcome is focused on that lyrical phrasing rather than the meaning, but once in a while a truth is exposed and the result could not have been achieved in any other way.
with that piece of wood in my hand, I have played gigs from Tokyo to Beijing to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico to Key West and across the US, with my brother-in-arms and friend, bassist John David Coppola.
my fourth album, A Lone Voice, was recorded in Nashville and released in Cleveland during the Republican National Convention at a protest charity event I organized. we had a gospel choir, a poet, 3 singer/songwriters and 2 bands. two days before the event, 5 people were shot outside the venue putting a horrific fine point on my ‘Got Guns?’ song.
for the last several years, i've felt we need have better conversations with one another. music can sometimes help us create a sense of belonging. so i tried to pen a few tunes that addressed issues affecting many of us. Billy Bragg says songwriters can't change the world, the audience does. Billy always had a keen sense of truth.
I wrote songs for about 10 years before stepping into a recording studio in Arlington, VA. that studio was run by John Alagia. John's brilliant production can be heard on my freshman album, Phases. John is best known for his work with the Dave Matthews Band, Jon Mayer, Jason Mraz, Ben Folds Five and many others. then I moved to Los Angeles and worked with Pete Snell, who toured with Lyle Lovett. Pete Snell did an outstanding job producing my second album, Threads, and also produced my third acoustic and sparse "elements" albums.
hope to see you at a show.