Since friday, 10/23/2009, I'm working on my first complete album at a professional recording studio. You may be surprised but I decided to work alone. No band, no studio musicians - just me. So I started to work on the preproduction of my songs in august.

There were a couple of things I had to do at home: Working on the arrangements, doing the drum programming, recording the most important guitar, bass and keyboard tracks. In the studio I add the vocals, I also record most of the guitar & bass tracks once again - with better sound and better play. And of course I work on a good sound with my engineer Steve who has a really good feel for rock & pop music.

During the first three days weekend at the studio we made it to complete all instrument tracks of six songs! We also started recording the vocals - but I guess there are better days for me to sing. So I'll try again next weekend.

Working at Steve's studio really is great fun but also very efficient. I guess he also was surprised about our great results on the first days. He never did an album with just one musician before. So next weekend we will go on working on my songs ... in the meantime I'll have to go downstairs into my homestudio and continue working on the preproductions. There are still some songs left to prepare.

By the way these are really hard times for me. In my day job I have to work at least 12-15 hours per day and there's not much time left for music. But I try to use every free minute. So watch out for my upcoming album! We will finish the recordings on nov 15th. After that Steve will need a couple of weeks to mix down and master the tracks. Might become a great christmas this year! ;-)

Seems to be creative times at the moment .. song by song is gushing ot of my head. No: out of my soul indeed! During working on one of my new songs - which is still not ready yet - I suddenly had another new idea. This idea had to be finished first. On this silent sunday afternoon in just a couple of hours .. and here it is ... as pure & simple as can be, but filled with all my love and emotion:

"I will love it away" ...

if there's one tender spot
gonna hurt you a lot
it's that pain on your soul
you just hide you don't show

I will take it away
I will fold it away
I will steal it away
I will love it away

if you're battery's flat
if you shot all your wad
you can hardly carry your load
your way feels like a steep road

I will take it away
I will fold it away
I will steal it away
I will love it away

no comfort will be needed
no sea of tears be feeded
no battle must be beaten by you 

I will take it away
I will fold it away
I will steal it away
I will love it away

Here I am - back again with a brandnew track: "Hit so deep"
Once again nothing else than "imperfect solo-work" done & recorded all alone during a long saturday night. Hope you'll like it though.

By the way: I'm planning to do some studio work with the trio in October / November 2009. Something like: 9 songs in 9 days ...
It's my job now to chose the tracks to be recorded, to improve and plan the arrangements and to prepare the band for the studio ... so: no time to waste!

And here are the lyrics of my new song ... let me know if you like it!

HIT SO DEEP

A gentle start
some written words
some kind of curiousity

a stolen glance
by any chance
but no idea it's meant to be
we're meant to be

you're going deep
you hit my soul
you stole my sleep

you're breathing life
into my days
imagination's running free
you hit so deep

a sudden change
surprising calls
adding a voice to lovely words

first time to meet
first touch, first kiss
seemed like a reunion to me
frome time eternity

you're going deep
you hit my soul
you stole my sleep

where have you been?
where did you hide
and leave me incomplete?
you hit so deep

you read my thoughts just like a book
the way you love the way you look
you tell me things I've never heard
two soulmates out of different worlds

you're going deep
you hit my soul
you stole my sleep

you're breathing life
into my days
imagination's running free
you hit so deep

you're going deep
you hit my soul
you stole my sleep

where have you been?
where did you hide
and leave me incomplete?
you hit so deep

The first trio recordings are on the way! Spending a great weekend at the BEMI-RECORDS studio we recorded four complete Soulroc songs. Max and Stephan did a great job as well as Steve Bemmerl, our sound engineer. Thank you, Steve!

So stay curious! In about two weeks you will be able to listen to the pure and outstanding sound of the Soulroc trio. We three guys can't hardly wait until mix and mastering will be finished! ;-)

So watch out & stay tuned!
Peter

It's done: last saturday (03/07/09) the Soulroc-trio did the first complete concert at the reputable Jazzclub 98 in the Miltach castle. We performed about 20 songs in front of a well-disposed but also curios audience. Our gig was sold out! The audience was very interested and listened to every detail.

We played my pop and rock songs with me on electric & acoustic guitars, Stephan on the double bass and Max on the drums. But also some more jazzy Soulroc stuff with Stephan on the piano and me on the e-bass. I guess most people liked the mixture. And they loved when we were swinging ...

As I could hear from some reactions after the show many people were surprised about the quality of all my self composed stuff. And of course about the wide musical scope and the arrangements of the Soulroc songs that nobody really expected.

My band did a great job. Stephan played a groovy and reliable bass, Max played mostly groovy but also gentle drums. Stephan's piano parts and solos were completely outstanding - what else? :-) What I have to say is: I was not very comfortable with my own performance. Playing & singing & doing guitar solos seemed to be too difficult sometimes ... But I tried to communicate with the audience as good as possible and I tried to sing with all my might and emotions. And in this I guess I did a good job ... but I'll keep working on it ...

There will be plenty of chances next time to improve my performance. But first of all we will jump into the studio and do some trio recordings next weekend.

So much to do, so much to tell about that Soulroc thing at the moment ... where should I begin? The biggest issue these days: we three guys had a meeting with a well known producer who is noted for his international works in pop, rock, alternative and jazz music. He worked with really famous and successful people but has also a heart for young and independent bands. And he could even imagine to do a complete album with the Soulroc trio! So we guys crossed throughout Germany straight to NRW to talk to and to play for this producer. We performed three tracks live and unplugged for him and I was really in a blue funk ;-) But we did very well I guess and the producer was surprised and inspired. It was a very interesting and exciting meeting. So watch out what will happen this year ...

On the other side we are preparing to do the first feature-length live concerts. The next weeks will be filled with rehearsals to be prepared for a perfect 2 hours program. Besides this I'm also working on getting some more gigs for the band. By the way it's wonderful to see how we more and more get a real band.

And there's one more thing I try to concentrate on at the moment: I'm working on new songs! A couple of good ideas are spinning round in my head and want to come out. Ok - nothing out of the ordinary for Mr. Soulroc you may say ...  But what's strange about it: I'm emotionally driven to write lyrics in my bavarian idiom for these songs! And it sounds cool. Although my live musicians and I decided to perform only english lyrics on our Soulroc concerts I can't help but I must work on bavarian popsongs. Perhaps this will get the other side of me. And perhaps I'll build an own myspace page for the bavarian side of Soulroc.

Soooo much to do, so much to decide, to work on, to play, to practice - and so little time. You must not forget this is not my daily job. I'm no music pro. I have a really exhausting job as the manager of my small advertising agency and I'm definitely in charge for my four employees. It's my responsibility to keep their jobs safe. So music takes place in my rare sparetime. But it's so undescribably important to me. Music fills my life as no thing ever did before. I guess it's really a pity that I didn't start much earlier with my own music ... Last week a good friend of mine told me what he is thinking about all that: He said I got my "midlife crisis". Perhaps he's right. But I'm sure every crisis is the chance for a brand new thing, for a new start, for the beginning of good things that will happen. Roc' on ... Peter

Hi there!
We have good news for everybody who is really curious about the upcoming live-sound of the Soulroc trio. Recently we are very busy in doing rehearsals. And so we recorded some songs in our rehearsal room - very simple and pure with just one microphone in the middle of the room. Although it's no perfect sound it gives you a good idea of how the live band will sound. We did "Bad Luck Collection" with Stephan on the piano, Max on the drums and me on the bass guitar. Hope you'l like it. Watch out for more ...

Peter

Check out the new Soulroc-track "No!".

The song directly jumped on the the top of the www. mp3. de pop-charts - within the first day! Check it out on my profile or download ist here:

http://mp3.de/musik/genre/band/010000/320113/31_2602972

Let me know what you think about this new title!

After a long time without studio-work I felt the need to work on some songs again. So I did a brandnew version of 'No' - one of my absolute favourite songs I ever wrote. I just worked with some acoustic-guitar tracks, one bass and a kind of triphop-beat. This mixture of acoustic tunes and electronic sounds really thrills me ;-)

'No' is a song about people who are always lamenting about the same problems for years and years - they forget to work on their problems, on their life and their fate. I'm sure everyone has great influence in most parts of his life. But of course it's much easier to lament than to stand up and fight. So this is what I say to these poor people: 'No - I cannot help you - I will listen, I'll try to understand, but the rest is only yours ...'

By the way - I hope you'll like this song ;-)

-------

no!

„no” is what I say - I can only pray
for your life and fate - it won’t be too late
I can never be the builder of your hope
you will come to see the duty of your own

tell me things about your past
about your worries seem to last
let me know about your fears
your loneliness your bitter tears
but don’t expect to much from me
my open ears are all I give

„no” is what I say - I can only pray
for your life and fate - it won’t be too late
I can never be the builder of your hope
you will come to see the duty of your own

I will listen to your words
and understand how much it hurts
we will talk and drink some wine
when you call I'll hold the line
but don’t expect to much from me
my open ears are all I give

„no” is what I say - I can only pray
for your life and fate - it won’t be too late
I can never be the builder of your hope
you will come to see the duty of your own
„no” is what I say ...