Pete Minda and an ever evolving cadre of super cool players including The Round Rockers (Rob Bookheim on drums and Lionel Menchaca on bass)
For booking contact info@peteminda.com or call 512/709-2725
Influences
Bruce Springsteen, REM, U2, The Clash, Bill Morrissey, Neil Young, Elvis Costello, Ry Cooder, Greg Brown, Lucinda Williams, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Joe Henry, Yo La Tengo, Doc Pomus, (Buddy Holly, Woody Guthrie, Chuck Berry, Hank Williams...the Mt. Rushmore of American Rock Music!)
"Music means everything to me. I was very lost when I started college in the mid-eighties and music was the only thing that gave me a sense of purpose and a direction. Springsteen, The Band, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits...these heros of mine along with others became role models where there were none. As hard as it has been having these distant voices on record giving me guidance they really filled a void. Along the way I have had the pleasure and privilege of working with some top notch producers and players and have learned this craft of music production first hand. I love to play and hope to do so for you real soon."
Pete Minda
"Pete Minda's singing can easily stand up to any one of his folk influences. His voice is touched with that boxcar tone found in some of the early American crooners but with a more relevant passion and richer vocal and guitar tones."
Eric Shea, Listen.Com
"Here on AmericanaOK we are always being asked, “what is Americana”. I used to try and give a definition which invariably left the questioner bemused. Now I say take a listen to “Long Way” by Pete Minda. It’s a collection of very fine songs that embrace many of the influences that form the genre known as Americana. But, don’t listen as an academic exercise; listen for the pure joy of hearing a collection of songs that will stay with you for a very long time. Pete Minda has come a “Long Way” from his hometown of Kansas City via Austin to Brooklyn so welcome his arrival by listening to this fine collection of songs."
Tom Fahey
AmericanaOK
Fans of local heroes such as Freedy Johnston, Chad Rex and former Pedaljet Mike Allmayer will find a lot to like about Pete Minda, a Kansas City native who's been working quietly in our midst since last year. After stints in New York and Austin, Texas, Minda is making music here in his home studio. Clearly moved by such damn fine influences as Dylan and Lennon but also more than comfortable with country choices, Minda ranges from talking-blues numbers such as "Long Way" to "Four Chord Waltz," maybe the best-ever explanation of a musician's fragile love.
Mike Warren, Pitch Magazine from 2002
"Americana from Austin from a man who reminds me of one of the melancholy west coast singers/songwriters of the previous generation, such as Warren Zevon or Jackson Browne. Folk rock with a pop feeling, with a little rock and soul stirred in. The arrangements are attractive if not immediately explosive. The guitar, for example, is somewhat hidden in the mix, but only with repeated listens is it noticeable just how good the guitar playing (keyboard playing, drums) in fact is. A rather introverted album that only reveals its secrets -- as is often the case with this sort of disc after repeated listenings. An old-fashioned disc that grows on you with ten excellent, self-composed, songs. Nice!"
Holly Moors,
MazzMusikas Free-zine formerly RootsTown Music
Solidly written and performed "adult contemporary" music is difficult to create, and it's equally difficult to pinpoint what separates good work in this field from the unimaginative and impersonal material that gluts it. It's hard work doing uncool well, which is why James Taylor is still packing theaters even though critics and hip musicians refuse to recognize his influence. Also Chicago and Steely Dan.
Austin's Pete Minda doesn't knock every track on Long Way out of the park, but he makes a lot of solid contact. His songwriting is band-conscious, using the rhythm section and added touches like the accordion of "Memory to Me" to distinguish the tunes from each other. There's a foundation of acoustic strumming in the mix, but it doesn't dominate and importantly it doesn't push every song into the same kind of feel. Lead guitar parts diversify the tracks and play off of the vocals nicely.
Lyrically Long Way has some fine moments and some missed opportunities. The chorus hook to "Thing About Love" ("the incidents of late tell me I don't know a thing about love") is clumsy in just the right way -- the charm of the song is the way the singer doesn't use another's words to make his point. "There's Never Been Any Peace" sometimes sacrifices the clarity of the melody in its onrush of words, but Minda has some solid points to make. Sometimes he tends to lose focus, as a few songs have second verses that don't entirely flow logically, as if he cribbed some ideas from an entirely different lyric. "She's Not the Little Girl" has a resonant theme and a lovely duet part, but the words are too unspecific to really cut to the heart the way they should.
The strongly arranged main body of the record is well-complemented by the final track, a solo acoustic take of the fine "Kansas City Coming Home" that displays that Minda is highly skilled at maintaining the drama of his full-band performances in a solo setting. The way he adapts his vocal style, very understated through most of the record, to really sell "Kansas City" is representative of his subtle but refined skills. Long Way isn't currently stylish, but heartfelt and honest never go entirely out of style either.
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Hey! It's Damon from Set Theory. We are looking for a male or female vocalist in the NY area (we're based in Southern Westchester, NY). If you know of anyone interested, please e-mail me here. We would really appreciate any help!
Our recent songs can be heard on our MySpace page.
Sorry not to have told you this sooner but your new album sounds great, man ... we sound good together on "She's not the little girl" -- fun harmonizing with you. Catch you live soon. xo -- Annie K.
New stuff sounds great, Pete - good to see you getting back to "roots." Also cool to see that you're playing with our friend, Matt - tell him "howdy" for us!
hey Pete it was great working on the cd at Zeroville Recording. It sounds really good. Thanks for the album credit!! Been working hard and am going to make one of your shows soon>>
Harley
