Many artists get sabotaged by rave reviews that compare them to legendary performers they'll never have the chance of surpassing. How many singer/songwriters once called the next Dylan have faded into obscurity, or found their struggle to present their own unique music hampered by the unrealistic expectations such comparisons cause? All that said, singer, bluesman, folkie, and songwriter Peter Karp should be a lot better known than he is. It's tempting to say he combines John Prine's wordplay, Joe Ely's rocking instincts, Billy Joe Shaver's fatalistic outlook, Tim McGraw's good looks, and an expressive tenor that combines the fire of a young Steve Earle and the lazy drawl of Mose Allison, but that wouldn't be right. Karp is his own man, an artist who blends roots music styles into something that combines and transcends blues, country, rock, honky tonk, R&B, swamp, swing, and jazz. He may record for Blind Pig, a San Francisco-based blues logo, but he's no more blues than he is country. He personifies the amorphous Americana movement, freely shifting styles to keep listeners guessing, and dancing too. His lyrics combine working-class angst with college-educated insight, and a deadly sense of humor that keeps things from getting too dark. The 12 tunes on this album are all winners, each full of their own singular charm, even though they can easily fit into familiar industry pigeonholes. "I Ain't Deep" is a nasty blues-rock tune given a '40s swing feel by Popa Chubby's slide guitar work and the hook is a real winner -- "I ain't deep, baby; I'm just down." On the country rocker "Rubber Bands and Wire," Karp introduces several dissolute characters in an effort to win back his lady love, implicitly telling her, "Hey, compared to these guys I ain't so bad." His off-hand desperation and the surrealistic humor of the lyrics give the tune an unexpected twist. "Goodbye Baby" hinges on a cleaver turn of phrase -- "I can live with mine, but not your lies." It's a kiss-off song so full of self-depreciating humor that it makes breaking up sound easy to do. The song smokes along on a Waylon Jennings' stomp accented by Karp's sizzling harmonica work. Karp's B-3 gives the fatalistic "Runnin'" a jaunty sanctified feel; self-destruction seldom sounds this appealing. He follows it with "The Grave," a spooky slide guitar workout that advises people to keep their darkest secrets to themselves, no matter what friends and lovers say. He sounds like an old sad soul as he meditates on mortality and life's compromises. Every tune is arranged to give maximum effect to Karp's vocals. His lithe tenor is playful, macho, insouciant, innocent, and worldly, telling jokes that make you wince when you laugh. The backing musicians are all top-notch and every track smokes with understated virtuosity. So why isn't this guy a star?
- J. Poet -
Journalist and contributing editor at Pulse, Native Peoples, Grammy.com, Rhythm and SF Gate, and has contributed regularly to E!online, Drum, Folk Roots, San Francisco Chronicle, New York Times Syndicate, Wired, Performing Songwriter, Boston Phoenix, Earwax, Gallery of Sound and Stereotype.
PETER'S BAND:
Peter Karp - Singer-songwriter, guitar, piano, harmonica
Niles Terrat - Bass
Mike Catapano - Drums
ADDITIONAL MEMBERS:
Mick Taylor - Guitar
Sue Foley
Popa Chubby
Dave Keyes
Buck Dilly - Pedal Steel
Hernandez - Drums
Dan Pagdon
Jim Ehinger
Dae Bennett - Drums
Dennis Gruenling - Harmonica
Todd Wolfe - Guitar
David Malachowski
Jim English - Harbor Artists Management
"THE ARSON'S MATCH" Live at The Lockwood Tavern 2/1/07
Shot by CJ McCoy
T-SHIRTS ARE HERE!
ARTWORK BY JOHN FROEHLICH
www.myspace.com/froart
Influences
Bob Dylan, Freddie King, Otis Redding, John Prine, Ted Hawkins, Randy Newman, Robert Johnson, Phil Ochs, Elmore James, Willie Dixon, Van Morrison, Jerry Lee Lewis, John Irving, Hunter S. Thompson, Saul Bellow, Chuck Berry, Bruce Springsteen, Jonathan Richman, Amelia Earhart, Muhammad Ali, David Allen Coe, KRS1...
Sounds Like
XM RADIO IS NOW PLAYING PETER'S SONGS ON TWO STATIONS!
"The Arson's Match" and "Rolling On A Log" are playing on XM Radio's Bluesville (Channel 74)
“Deadpan delivery, charming looks, and an alluring charisma rarely found in roots music - staying true to the music from a unique perspective. Imagine the writing prowess of Hiatt, Thompson, Prine, Newman and Zevon paired with the musical veracity of Albert King, Elmore James and Chuck Berry”
It’s Peter Karp’s honesty that defines this fresh face on a very old scene. His wit and character are brought to life with whiskey-worn vocals and stunning live performances. As an accomplished guitarist and piano player who is equally comfortable on harmonica, drums or mandolin he’s a player’s player but it’s Karp’s knack for penning songs that truly defines this prolific artist and places him in an elite class. Raised between the rural trailer parks of Southern Alabama and the swamps of North Jersey this Yankee/Rebel mutt is a master songsmith with an art for spinning true-to-life emotions, humor, and candor into tunes that hit their intended mark…..spot on!
WITTY REVIEW OF "SHADOWS AND CRACKS"
BY MUSIC JOURNALIST BILL LOCEY
"RUBBER BANDS AND WIRE" Live at The Turning Point 1/26/07
Shot by Deb Sherr
Singer-songwriter and guitarist Peter Karp is a breath of fresh air in the world of folk and blues
- Oh Boy Records John Prine's label
By bucking the trend and taking his lyrics as seriously as his music, Karp has carved a niche for himself as one of the contemporary Americana folk artists to keep a watch on.
Karp's a great writer and performer whose songs are driven by verbal word play and insights into the human experiencelike James Taylor and Bob Dylan, Karp embodies Americana music
-USA TODAY
For Karp, whose songs are poignant, funny, irreverent, romantic and true to life, lyrics are where it begins and ends. Blues Revue magazine concurs, comparing him to John Prine and Jackson Browne with a healthy dose of blues too and The Asbury Park Press called Karp "...The future of Blues / Roots music..."
Background
Born to a writer/creative director mother and a father who, as a downed WW II bomber pilot, spent 18 months in a Nazi prison camp and later trained helicopter pilots on an Alabama Air Force base, Karp knew two distinctly contrasting worlds. In addition to being blessed with the creative traits from the maternal side and the strategic mind of a seasoned military man, Karp had help keeping his life together during a challenging youth by his Godmother, a strong African-American woman who lived with his family and served as a surrogate mother to Karp. Through this a-typical parental dynamic Peter learned the dynamics of respect and compassion and a strong grasp on the devices that make the world go ‘round.
Life’s simple complexities provide the roadmap from which Karp finds his musical direction. Through his songs we can relate, laugh at his cynicism and feel his pains yet through the ride he shows little hesitation in taking light-hearted swipes at the speed bumps, traffic lights, and side streets we all have encountered. Rarely will you ever find it so easy to connect. Here’s your chance...
Shadows and Cracks – The new highly anticipated follow up to his poignant Turning Point CD of 2003. Shadows and Cracks is tentatively scheduled for an April 24th, 2007 release on the Chicago based American Roots label Blind Pig.
Label:
Blind Pig Records
Chicago, Ill
San Francisco Calif
Administration:
Nancy Lewis Pegel
Brilliant Productions
235 Melrose Ave
Decatur, GA 30030
www.brilliant-productions.com
npegel@mindspring.com
404-373-2299
Booking Agency:
Road Dawg Touring Co
PO Box 2835
Evergreen, CO 80437
Rep: Doug Tackett
Office: 303-670-9950
Fax: 303-670-3744
email: roaddawgtouring@comcast.net
www.road-dawg.com
HEY BEBE WHAT AR U DOUIN 2 MA CAT ? COME IN FANCE et on reglera "NOS COMPTES" anather thing I can play Guitart in car YES! not well ok ma freind! !! !!! Have Good Chauds
You guys rock! Thanks for the add and for coming up to the Time Out Pub here in Rockland, what a way to rock away a Monday night. It may be the Monday Night Blues at the pub, but I dont believe you left anybody there feeling blue... great show. Best to you on your travels and hope to see you back here in Rockland again real soon! "Keep the Blues Buzzin" (or rockin') Dee
