Pete Molinari is a folk blues singer/songwriter of Egyptian/Italian/Maltese heritage, raised in Chatham, England where he was discovered by Billy Childish. Playing solo, he became a fixture in his hometown and various London acoustic clubs such as What's Cookin' in Leytonstone.
During an 18 month stint in America, he honed his unique vocal style playing the bars and cafes of New York's Greenwich Village such as the Bitter End, the Gaslight, Cafe Wah, Café De L'Artistes - places where Jack Kerouac and his beat poets read and also the likes of Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly, Ramblin' Jack Elliot and Dylan all played. On his travels, Pete got to play with some of the best players who were part of Dylan/Phil Ochs' scene such as Justin Devereaux and Eric Fransen who was later invited by Dylan to join his Rolling Thunder Revue. Pete said, 'They thought it was real strange that a kid of my age from England could play this kind of music in a more authentic way than any of the Americans they normally see in the Village'. In NYC Pete also won fans including Vincent Gallo and legendary photographer Louis Stettner.
As Pete said, 'I've traveled a long road to get here. These songs have been on that road. From playing little places in Chatham and London to the late night coffee houses of Greenwich Village, Memphis, New Orleans, San Francisco, LA and Paris. I seem to be drawn to these places. There's something more real about it for me. More close to the earth and that's where my music belongs. That's at the heart of this album'.
'Walking Off The Map' was his first release, recorded live on half track in Billys kitchen - which is how Billy's wife, Julie, came to sing on Alone And Forsaken and duet with Pete on We Belong Together. Two other friends, Wolf and Jim, sat in on percussion and blues harp respectively. Said Pete, 'By recording with Billy on his old tape machine in his kitchen, I feel we got a bit of that old spirit that I love so much about those old records. The ones that were thrown to one side in my house as a child - Hank Williams, Johnny Cash - I can only thank God that they were'.
Pete was nominated for a Mojo Honours List 2008 award as Breakthrough Act and, to help launch Mojo Honours List, Pete played live at the HMV flagship store in Oxford Street, alongside the legendary Fall.
Pete’s critically acclaimed second album ‘A Virtual Landslide’ was ranked number 18 in Mojo magazine’s '50 Best Albums Of 2008'.
"Molinari's voice and haunting melodies left me feeling that the musical void in the British music scene will most definitely be filled. He can follow in the footsteps of Dylan and Guthrie" NME
"A singular talent....his distinctive voice and guitar establish him as a Medway Hank Williams. Worth investigating." - UNCUT
"The soul of American music distilled into the voice of a Cuban-heeled greaser from the Medway Delta" THE GUARDIAN
"An extraordinary new British talent...4.5/5" - THE SUN
"A spellbinding, wondrous voice....an amazing album - STOOL PIGEON
"Young, finger-picking, country-blues marvel Molinari has a thrillingly ambiguous voice...Virtual Landslide is an actual triumph" - TIME OUT
"A superbly realised piece of folk blues heartache" - MOJO
"Sweet-voiced blues-folk...a cherishable artefact even before you fall under the spell of the actual music" - NME
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