Welcome
After a very long time, I've finally decided to totally overhaul my website. I originally put this page together to support my work as a musician, but I've decided to put most of that information on the page I maintain on MySpace and devote this site to other aspects of my creative life. What you'll find here are rants, stories and poems that don't have any real connection to my work as a musician, but that I think are worth a moment or two. I've also put my song lyrics here, since MySpace doesn't provide the capacity to archive tons of stuff. I'm including all of the lyrics to all of my songs, every song that I've ever recorded, even the ones I didn't write (I included their composers' names, of course). At some point I'll probably include lyrics to songs that haven't been recorded yet. You'll also find easy access to complete MP3s of songs that I've released either as album tracks in collections or singles. These files are available free for download. If you'd like a CD, drop me a note. It is my intention to add more songs to this area in the future, so hit the page once in a while and see what's new.
What you won't find here are things that I think suck. I'm not posting rough drafts of my stories nor will I put up poems that I don't like. Same thing with the music. I'm not posting an MP3 for every track that I've ever recorded because, frankly, some of them are just awful. If I can't bear listening to a track, it won't show up here. If there's a song of mine you like that I can't stand any more, send me e-mail and I'll probably send you a file. Just don't ask me to listen to the damn thing.
I'm not very good at self-promoting, probably because I don't really care to do it. As I've continued to pursue my career in music, I've become less and less concerned about the business of music and more concerned with its creation and appreciation. If I were __________ (just fill in the blank with the name of any music superstar who comes to mind), having this sort of attitude wouldn't spell Impending Financial Doom, but that's hardly the case in my situation. Still, I've given up the notion of trying to squeeze every penny I can from selling CDs or individual MP3s. As I get my recording studio re-installed and begin working on new projects, I intend to put them all up here for free. I've included a 'Donate' link so you can chuck something into my PayPal account if you find anything on this site that you feel was worth your time. Think of it as an electronic tip jar, if you will. If you're sufficiently moved by a poem or a song to want to make a contribution, I'll appreciate it. Need a ballpark figure for tips? Well, most of the MP3s that I've downloaded from Amazon.com were .89 or .99 each; or you could round it up to a buck per track to make the math easy.
As of this date, I don't have the pages for the MP3s and the Stories complete, but things are progressing nicely. I lost a pile of stuff from a hard drive problem several years ago and I'm not sure that I have any copies of my stories left. If I do, what I have are print-outs that will need to be re-typed. I'm a lousy typist. It's not that I type slowly, but I have a tendency to edit as I type and I often wind up changing stuff around which means I'm really re-writing not just re-typing. I have one story posted and I've found another to add. More to come later.
The MP3 is page is a little closer to finished. I've ripped new files from This Space for Rent and I found a site to host them for free. If I've done my homework correctly, you should be able to click on a track title and have a download start automatically in the space of a few seconds. If that doesn't happen, I've either screwed up, or the site has exceeded bandwidth for that (24 hr.) day and you'll have to wait for a few hours and try again. If you're having persistent problems, tell me. I don't have copies of my first 2 tapes, Face the Flame and Twisting in the Wind but I know someone who does. When I can, I'll get some tracks from those projects posted, too.
I also have several ideas for some new rants that will make their debut here. I hope to wrap everything up in a few weeks before the weather turns and I'm back working outdoors for 8 or 14 hours a day. In the meantime, I think there's enough content on the site to make it worthwhile.
I've separated stuff into four piles: Lyrics, Rants, Stories and Poems. Just click the links below to get to them. If the spirit moves you or you're having problems with the site, feel free to drop me a note.
If you've stumbled across this page looking for my booking information, you can use the link above to find my page on MySpace or contact me through my e-mail address.
Thanks and happy reading,
Pete
Feb. 16, 2008
