Band Members (Live Performance) Me (guitar [Spanish & slide] vocal)
Band Members (Recording)
Me (all of the above & bass guitar)
Itinerant Wandering Family Members including but not limited to: David Charles Easton Reynolds Hough (perc)
Bethany Hough (backing vocal)
Cecil Grubbs (cuteness)
Oddments and Hangers On (sonic bedlam)
Strangers who appear to have musical talent and are foolish enough to loiter near my studio.
Influences
Like just about every other artist, I'm influenced by everything around me, but I suppose my two strongest influences could be neatly lumped into two groups: Music I Really Like and Music I Really Hate.
Music I Really Like
I learned how to write songs by studying Jimmy Buffet and I suppose some of his warts rubbed off on me. Like Buffet, I tend to write songs that are more literal than lyrical, with the occasional exception thrown in to confuse anyone who's paying attention. MOR music from the 70's & 80's definitely left its mark along with Progressive Rock (think Asia, Yes, Crack the Sky, ELP, Alan Parsons) and later Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters and B.B. King. Lesser-known maniacs like Tom Smith and Jonathan Coulton have also added a little spice to the sauce. There's also some classical influences still lurking from my high school days and my continuing fascination with classical guitar.
Music I Really HATE
Current sing-it-through-your-nose, New Nashville country drives me right up a wall. So does rap and Hip-Hop, the same way disco did earlier in my life. Once a song or sound from a genre that I abhor makes its way into my head, it sits in there, festering, until I write a parody of it. The more I hate the original sound, the more outrageous my parody. (Some of the very worst are so bad that I won't even play them for the dog.)
Pretty good recipe for Eclectic Stew, I'd say.
Sounds Like
Sounds like you took my collection of CDs, MP3s, vinyl, tapes and memories, threw them into a sonic blender, held the frappe button down for 20 minutes and served over a bed of crisp lettuce and saurbraten. yum-yum
For some reason, my parents wanted children. I was the result. You could cut them a little slack; they really didn't have much practice.
Sometime between birth and middle age, I discovered that I'd rather make music than sleep, eat or pretty much anything else. Those three things, sleeping, eating and making music, have taken up most of my time since. On some occasions, I've been able to eat and make music at the same time, which has greatly increased the opportunities I've had to sleep. I've also done a few other things, but let's just talk about music.
I've got a strong singing voice. Coincidentally, it also seems to be a strong yelling voice, equally at home in getting my 90 y/o father's attention, or that of my kids. I play guitar in both Spanish and Hawaiian styles, fake keyboards well enough to play for people who are paying more attention to their beer than me and have been known to pick up and play a bass guitar without hurting myself. I started out playing professionally at the Riemer Student Center of Clarion State College (now Clarion University of Pennsylvania) before the days of disco, DJs and karaoke. In other words, about 30 years ago.
I've been involved with the Science Fiction community for nearly 20 years. I've been Filk GOH at Lunacon, Confluence, Duckcon, and Keycon and was the Pete half of the infamous 'Tom and Pete' show Back in the Day. Several years ago, I was the opening act for a concert by The Vogues in Oil City, PA. I'm still tracking down gigs, mostly in Western Pennsylvania, but I'm always interested in new territories and new venues. From my home in Western PA, I'm fairly close to most places. Pittsburgh (Go Steelers!) is about 90 min.; Erie is 2 hrs; Cleveland is 3; Philly is about 4; NYC is 6; Atlanta & Chicago are 13. I've been to all of 'em and played gigs at most.
Check my blog for details on things like set-lists, space requirements, my general ideas about performing and so forth. You can ask me specific questions through MySpace mail or by using this link:
Send Mail to Pete
If you'd like even more info, here's a link to my electronic presskit on Sonicbids. This includes another sample set list, stage requirements and some other details. (Clicking here opens another window. . . )
View Pete Grubbs's EPK
You can also find me on Facebook: ..Pete Grubbs ..
I've recorded 3 collections of music which are currently out of print. There are 3 new projects in the oven as I write this, but I have no idea when any of them will actually see the light of day. I've given up on ever having both the money & time to remodel a room to be my new studio
(moving still sucks!), so I'm making do w/the room as-is. If 2009 is kind, there's some small chance that I'll have one or two of the projects ready to release in either Q4 of this year or Q1 of 2010. Wish me luck.
MySpace being what it is, if you've got a question, don't hesitate to ask.
You know the Bible 100%!
Wow! You are awesome! You are a true Biblical scholar, not just a hearer but a personal reader! The books, the characters, the events, the verses - you know it all! You are fantastic!
whoa whoa!!!!!!!!! jimmy buffet!?!?!? wow.. when he has concerts at mgm it gets packed like crazy with fans..i dont understand his music..hhmmm..never really heard it either
I would agree very much so. As a soldier I have to say it sickens me that most people don't know what my brothers in arms have faught and died for. I'm sure that one good thing coming out of this current situation is that maybe people will open their eyes and take our country back and take it back by storm. You know they say that all clouds have a silver lining, I just hope to live to see this one. Either way I'm going to enjoy what freedoms I have left and use every last one of them until I am no longer breathing.
Maybe we should concider doing a political piece on our station to maybe help the common folks like us rise up again.
well pete, you are well educated in the way you speak and your views. I have to admit you are most likely right in this situation. The only changes I've seen have been for large business, and yet the dems continue to say us republicans are for the rich. That is the way of the past and needs to be forgotten. We should all be for the PEOPLE reguardless of our party affiliation.
This however begs the question.........:
Why don't we have someone like you, well grounded, educated in the ways of life in our great nation run for office?
i will do that soon but I don't know if it will be this time around. Maybe in the summer when I am coming up for a long stay due to having 3 months off.
I've been going over them already actually. I try to keep up with you since you are one of the few in the right mind around these parts. I have to say though at least our part of the state made the right choice even if my vote didn't matter. I am against the electoral college and hope that it changes soon.
I'm right there,(over reacting due to fear of the next four years) just seems as if the fight might be a lost cause, when McCain wins the popular vote he should be the president elect if you ask me. Time for us to train up at the least I guess.
If your anything like me, if your life wasn't crazy you wouldn't know what to do with yourself.... well...maybe I would relex, if I could remember how to do that. :)
I have been making it I guess. Really stressed out lately with work and life. I don't think I was ready to teach...I needed more time. Other than that I am fine. How have you been...I haven't heard from you in ages?
Thanks! Y'know, I'd completely forgotten that next week's my birthday -- I had to think about it when I read your message, because for some reason I was thinking it was a month off or something. Maybe I'm just trying to put off 39 as long as possible.
Awk -- the one weekend when you'll be playing in western N.Y. is the one weekend I'm subbing in at The Company. *Ah, but I may make it to one of your August shows.* See you at Confluence ...