Bridgette and I recently engorged ourselves on an opulent pasta-feast at the home of my old friend Adam Betker and his wife. Once the unpleasantries were concluded we retired to the living room and nestled comfortably into their overstuffed sofa. With a knowing smile, Adam popped in a DVD of a project he had just completed.

Backstory: when the Betkers were going to the Rock, he served as Rock TV's computer animation master. Now in retirement from our ministry and attending another church, he apparently thought it wise to apply his technical wizardry to the world of music videos. I smiled as I realized that he was showing us an unsolicited video he had completed for "First Ship Out", a song from my album THE SILENT ERA.

"First Ship Out" (a song about a girl who falls in love with the wrong guy, though Adam puts a much more literal take on things in the video) was always one of my favorites from that album, so it was fun for me to see somebody's interpretation of it. I like the animation a lot - it's like a modern take on Terry Gilliam's old Monty Python bits. Adam was nice enough to give me a copy once he had finished it up, and I was nice enough to put it online and waste 3 minutes of your time with it. So I guess we're both good guys.

Enjoy!

In November, 2004, my friend Jon Gilmore and I released an acoustic EP called "Good Times & Pumpkin Pie".  I'm as proud of it as I am of anything creative I've ever done.  It was catchy and strange, like a mule with a harmonica.

As of last weekend, we've officially sold out of physical copies of the disk, which is pretty cool.  Rather than spending the time and money to produce another run of them, I figure it'd be more fun to just release the mp3's online for free.  Here are the songs, with my comments and reflections:

1. Here I Go Again: This was written with another old friend of mine, NilesRandolph.  It's the least silly of all the songs on the album, but it was always the most enjoyable for Jon and I to perform.  It's a fun look into the mind of a man wondering whether to approach a woman he's interested in.

2. The Viscount & the Mistress: This was mostly written by Niles, and I added in the "fly, fly, buttress fly" chorus.  If you pay attention to the lyrics, it's a pretty twisted story of clergical corruption in medieval France.  Mostly though, it's just strange.

3.  Ballad of the Sasquatch Waterslide: This was co-written by Jon and I, after we determined that it would be a good idea to write a song about how much Sasquatch loved going to the waterslides.  Jon sang lead and added the bit about the SWAT team, and I tossed in the "just some hairy guy" ending.  The last 30 seconds of this song is probably my favorite part of this EP.

4.  The Bee Song: This song has been available on my blog for a while, and it's been written about enough already on my blog.  I'll just add that it was utterly exhausting to perform live and it completely alienated coffee shop audiences.

5.  These the Presidents Be: I don't know how well this recording really works.  We were going for a Country Time lemonade kind of feel, but I don't know if it was the right direction.  My favorite part about this song are Jon's additions, which sound like a retarded boy sitting on the porch next to the singer.

6.  El Matador: This was the first song that Jon and I ever co-wrote, probably back in 2000 or 2001.  I like it because it reminds me of how fun it was to just goof around together and toss out strange ideas.  Also, it was a blast to record the dissonant breakdown at the end of the song.  The song was recorded in one take, as Jon was running out of time before he had to go to work.  If you can listen carefully, at the end he says, "All right, I've got to go".  Good way to end the EP.

Thanks to our friends Jake McAlpine and Craig Larson for their help with production and vocals, respectively.

Enjoy - and pass them along to your friends!

Hey guys -

My friend and occasional musical partner Jon Smith has just released his debut album, CHASING THE WIND.

Download the album HERE!

The disk is filled with solid, heartfelt songs, strong melodies and excellent guitar work.  Recorded over the period of 3 or 4 years, it occasionally runs into issues created by such a prolonged process (padded running time, wonky rhythms, etc), but I was really touched by a number of the songs.  There are some quality tunes on this album that I think people will really enjoy.  "Carolina" is a great, straight-shooting song about home, and songs like "Who Are You" talk candidly about faith in a way that leaves the door open to the listener.  "My Heaven is You", meanwhile, would sound great blasting out of any small-town bar across the Midwest.

Check it out!

My thoughts on the 11 songs from The Silent Era:

Appreciater – This song was written about a year ago, before Bridgette and I were married, and its story is right there in the lyrics.  It's a song questioning whether I truly value what I have in her.  Musically speaking, this was perhaps the song I had the most arrangement ideas for, which explains the simple, clear sound.  Jon Smith's lead guitar part really moves this recording, and Craig Larson's harmonies here bring a smile to my face every time.

First Ship Out – This is the newest song on the album, and it was intended to be a late album track to mellow out the second half, but I was so pleased with the results that we ended up making it the second track.  It's a song about a girl who may or may not realize that she's in a lousy relationship.  Jon Smith improvised the guitar solo on his second attempt, and the vibe on it is beautiful.

Cold Winter – I hadn't planned on recording this song, a favorite of mine co-written by my old friend Niles Randolph.  In the end, when Jon and I went in to record a second batch of songs, I realized I needed another upbeat tune, and this little ditty fit the bill perfectly.  This is easily the most lightweight song on the album, but it's also the loosest and most fun.  Todd Luker played some mean harmonica on this track, but I was also psyched that he agreed to do the guitar solo on it.  Not many people realize that he's so talented on that instrument, and he played a sweet solo fit for a cozy cabin porch.

Hiding in the Dark – This song was one of the reasons I wanted to record this album.  I allowed the songwriting and the recording itself to be languid and patient (qualities which I am not).  I did this by following the ethic, "What would Mojave 3 do?".  Craig's harmonies here float nicely, and the chorus has a nice chime-y effect, thanks to his "backpacker" mini-guitar, which we used like a mandolin throughout the album.  The lyrics tell the story of a girl who meant a lot to me in high school who ended up making mistakes with men, alcohol, and drugs.

Undertow – This is a song about growing up that was a favorite of ours back in the Welmore Mile days.  Jon Gilmore was even gracious enough to join us in the studio and record a nice, bouncy guitar solo on this track.  I like the wistful cheeriness of this recording and I think the thick harmonies work nicely.

Backwards for You – This is a song with a simple chord progression and a simple arrangement, but a heavy subject matter.  I wrote it after a series of discussions I had with friends about people we knew who had walked away from God.  Those conversations led to a few long hard looks at myself, and this song emerged from those.  In part, it's about folks who lament how unemotional and staid their faith has become and blame God for it.  In large part, it's a series of tough questions I've asked myself.  Not a ton of answers here, but at least it's honest.

Empty Glass – It felt good to follow up the tribulations of "Backwards for You" with this song of simple faith.  There are almost no overdubs here, and the vocal even clips a bit.  Just a raw, unadorned track that feels true to the moment.

Many Years From Now – This is a song I wrote for Bridgette early in our relationship.  Amazingly, it has already come true.  I felt a bit self-conscious about the simple lyrics as we were getting ready to record, and I was making some changes, but Bridgette encouraged me to keep the song as it was originally written.  In the end, I think her judgment was right, and I like the purity of these words.  Jon Gilmore and Jon Smith each played lead guitar  throughout the song, and I love the way their parts intertwine and give the tune a very unique, twinkle-y sound.

Turning the World – We used to use this song to open the set in Welmore Mile shows.  It's got a fun guitar part and the open sentiment of the chorus is something I enjoy.  This was a tough recording to nail, but what I like about this song is its simple message of undeserved grace.

Halloween, 1997 – Named after the date it was written.  I had missed out on my friends' plans and ended up spending the night alone in my dorm room.  My songwriting was incredibly rudimentary at the time, but my friend Paul Carolan helped smoothen the song out.  I wanted it to sound like a radio transmission from the past – something very EELS-esque.  I'm really proud of how this song turned out.  It sounds loose and authentic, values we were shooting for on this album.

Choices Collide – This song was written while we were recording the first Welmore Mile album.  We actually wanted to record it for that project, but the song just  wasn't developed enough yet.  We ended up cannibalizing the title as the title for that album, since it fit the themes we were working with.  Anyway, here it is, three years later, and it finally gets a home.  It's a song about leaving your comfort zone when your world is becoming an unhealthy place, and finding a new life (and faith) in the process.

Appreciater

You had a new sweater on

Gray and red, not sure you're comfortable with the fit

She wouldn't let go of your hand

Felt warm and sure and sad

Don't want to rush it

Step outside the mall

Breathe the cold October air that feels like baseball

But she only feels goodbye

Under this stony sky

And a hug that says it all

Mixing sweet with the sour

And wanting to go back

Does that only work in college

Or long after the fact?

Catch your plane on time

Stand ready at the gate

Takes this sea of faces floating by

To appreciate her

Step inside the door

Full of plans and bottomless lists

That never seemed to work before

Try to fill the hours

But your mind's still on yesterday

You miss her now for sure

And you never felt quite enough for her

Maybe words you sent along have hurt

But you know that on this day you need to hold her

Though you're sure that it won't stay, you're glad you chose her

First Ship Out

She's owed more than a dance

Past due a few straight answers

As a dark sail cuts the sky

She'll concede rather than try

Surrounded by answers

Never soft enough to see

Stripping paint from dirty walls

Is it possible she doesn't know the fall's coming?

And her story is more or less the same

Hardly free from blame

She caught the first ship out

And now she's lost at sea

She fought the void for years

No pause to lose the ghosts

Here's to hoping she'll slow down

At least 'till a better man comes around

Undertow

In the city by the lake your school bus slipped by

Those streets and churches still in your mind's eye

You felt so small, those clouds so high

Those afternoons when you could fly

'Cause nothing ever held you to the ground

In the undertow

Did you lose your way

Those turns you've never known

And the wind blowing past your face

Long ride home when you're ten years old

Can only guess how far is left to go

You love this world, it's all you've known

Goodbye to friends who won't see you grow into a man

Whose dreams still drift to them

In the undertow

Did you lose your way

Those turns you've never known

And the wind blowing past your face

In the undertow

Can't see beyond today

But this love just goes to show

Maybe you're better anyway

One last ride past

The things you thought would last

As tears fall from your eyes

Hiding in the Dark

She was a year older than you

Too beautiful to hope for

But maybe she never knew

Back home, you'd never share a word

But hers was the softest voice you'd heard

Shared so many letters

Through the summer of '95

As she moved through the other boys

You went and tried to live your life

Late nights you'd listen to her calls

But never had the courage to say it all

What you gave up then created your life now

Where could she be?

Brown eyes hiding in the dark

You could be the one she needs

If you could get back to the start

Growing up, you stayed together

Even as the years spun by

Lived your borrowed days

As she hid her darkest lie

You knew what others never saw

But you let her slip away till she was gone

Didn't know what to say

On the day she finally called

Only had her to yourself

After it meant nothing at all

Backwards for You

It's not over yet

But I'm already feeling a little let down

It's not over yet

The restless pull of needs without a sound

Find ourselves in the wrong place with the wrong lines

Reaching backwards for you

Further and further we travel, unravel

The things we know are true

Went there yesterday

With a promise long since abandoned

If mentors are the means

I'll have to find one who doesn't leave me stranded

Is it ever enough…

To seem like I never question

To be a nice guy

To sound wise to help the cause

To be there twice a week

To read the right books

To use words like grace and saved and faith

Is it ever okay…

If I'm rarely moved to tears anymore

To offer good advice I rarely take

To pursue you only with my mind

To be a total hypocrite

Empty Glass

Wasn't that long ago

If I'd have seen what you had in store

I would have run away

Now here I stand

Steps before the crash

Will I understand

All I hold is an empty glass

Wasn't that long ago

If I had known this control to feel

It would have satisfied

But what has been lost

With this need to ask

Could I count the cost

Of these words or my empty glass

Wasn't that long ago

If I had held all these seamless dreams

It would have been enough

All that's left is sand

Split away with time

If I reach out my hand

Could you fill this empty glass

Turning the World

Whether or not you mean what you say

Your tone of voice gives you protection

Whether or not it's as simple as you think

This song he wrote you learn to sing

His love brings the tide in to cover your shore

Debris and despair will see daylight no more

You learn to swim by jumping in

You turn your head and your feet feel sure again

Whether or not trouble is in the air

Or whether you've been here before

Whether or not the wind will push back your hair

He'll give you words and carry you anywhere

You're hiding at the entrance

Captured by the colors

You'd try to make an escape

But he's not about to let you go

Whether or not you care about him

He'll leave you dizzy, turning the world

Whether or not you've lived up to what you gave

He'll let you slip just to make the save

Cold Winter

It's been a long cold winter without you here

Wondering why we are apart

One too many arguments have split us twain

And now we live with broken hearts

Pride, it's a lonely, vicious beast

That feeds on misinformed dirt

I know if we were honest one time

We would surely be entwined

It hurt on Christmas when you were gone

I sat sapped by the tree

I thought about last Christmas, and the Christmas before

Wondering why we aren't we

I saw your mom last night at the open mic night

And I wanted to say hi

But I knew in her mind I was long gone

So I faded off to die

Many Years From Now

Rain falls different today

Now I'm in your world

I can't wait to see you today

My beautiful girl

Please don't rush this, it's all right to stay

Right where we are

Falling in love as you softly lay

Resting in my arms

Many years from now

Might we look back and smile

At these simple things we share

Many years from now

Sometimes I stumble with nothing to say

Through underwhelming appeal

Then when you laugh this world slips away

How could I deserve what you feel?

Now just lie still

I can hear you breathe

I would do anything in my power

To be the one who makes you happy

Many years from now

Halloween, 1997

Another empty night

Seems to happen all the time

Polite goodbyes and lonely eyes

Go on back to your lives tonight

I'm stuck with mine

Fallen angels inside me

Cold wind won't let me be

This book of memories

Just gray faces on a flat page

Tell myself I'm growing wiser with age

Nowadays when I wake

Getting later every day

Left me lying here at the end of another year

I've been let down

And forgotten to assume

Passing laughter from the hall

Can't warm winter in my room

So quiet there's a hum

It's late, but I'm not getting tired

This hope won't let me come unwired

Out the window distant lights

Shine beneath a frozen sky

To me the world is dead

This music's floating through my head

Cold wind inside me

Fallen angels won't let me be

Choices Collide

You're saving up a memento of who you were

A lifetime ago

A note you wrote when working hard not to show

What they didn't know

That winter you bled into a blur

Wasn't easy like before

In her eyes you could feel the space

But you were never honest

And never sure

When you lost your life

They couldn't stay long

Now the names have changed

And that world is gone

Smiling's not as simple as before

Face feeling heavier than the last

Building up, you lost the center of what you had

Now sunrise only lights up the past

When your choices collide

What would change if you tried

Or if they felt you were sorry instead

Now you're brighter than ever

Living in love forever

With these words you won't trade

It's a joke how tall I am.

In the morning while primping and preening for the mirror, I am literally forced to kneel down in order to see my face.  Otherwise, when standing at my full 6'5" height the mirror gives me a nice shot of my lower neck – helpful when adjusting a necktie or measuring the growth of my Adam's apple, but pretty much useless for the other 65% of my life.

This is pretty much par for the course, believe it or not.  It just doesn't seem like there are any mirrors set at an appropriate height for a man-beast such as myself.  Because of this, I'm stuck walking around at work looking like an idiot because I can't see that I've got chunks of lamb stuck in the corners of my beard from breakfast.  Then everybody stares at me and makes odd sweeping gestures near the corner of their mouths, but I just figure they've got AIDS or something.  How the hell was I supposed to know?!

I don't really know what can be done about this.  I've tried getting into fistfights with deputy sheriffs, but that only seems to have exacerbated the situation.  I've also considered carrying a handmirror, but then I decided I didn't want to.  Clearly, there are no easy answers here.  All I know is that somebody should do something to fix this for me, or I'm voting Democrat this November.

Greetings, brethren.

I just put up a finished mix of "Backwards For You" up for streaming!  I won't keep this around too long, so take a listen and let me know what you think.  This ended up being the most personal song on the record, but one of the biggest recordings - maybe that's a result of some insecurity, maybe it's just me being awesome.  That's for historians hundreds of years from now to decide.

Also, you can now reach my profile by visiting peterwelle.com - it'll send folks here until an official website is created.

-Peter

I do not have internet access at home or work anymore!

I am writing this from a public library!

What in the hell is wrong with America today when a man has to drive to the damned library to update his blog of alienation and despair?!

I'll level with you people.  I do not know what I am going to do about this.  I am capable of some serious mischief, and Old Lady Malone behind the desk here might get herself a taste in a few minutes here.

All is now lost, I fear.  Without internet access at home or work, what remains for me?  Friendship?!  Do I seem like the kind of person who enjoys friendship to you?!  I will punch you in your fat mouth for making a suggestion like that!

On the plus side, the malodorous, mouth-breathing gentleman to my left seems to have found the sexually suggestive content he was looking for.

Work has started on mixing the new solo album, with hopes of a release late this year. 

It's both daunting and exciting to be working on these 10 songs - trying to simultaneously pull the best out of them while trying to avoid overcomplicating them.  Most of them will be the sound of a few acoustics, some harmonies, simple percussion, and bass here or there.  Nothing artificial - very organic.  Of course, the trick in mixing a recording a project like this is avoiding a thin sound with no heft or substance.  I hope to avoid this with the help of some harmonies by Dee Snyder of Twisted Sister.  Dee hasn't officially signed onboard the project yet, but this is merely a formality.

Fortunately, the recordings themselves are sounding nice.  Loose, real performances that will hopefully lend themselves to an authentic-sounding album.  It's been great to work with guys like Jon Gilmore (my old partner from Welmore Mile), Craig Larson, Todd Luker, and most importantly Jon Smith.  Even though this is a solo album, it has felt like a group project throughout, which is very satisfying.

Update!  I just uploaded an early mix of "First Ship Out" for all of you to sample my flavors!

One last update: I had a roast beef sandwich for lunch today.

So many big name celebrities are doing voiceovers for commercials nowdays!

Matt Dillon does the Pontiac ads, Gene Hackman narrates the Lowe's spots, and Charlie Sheen reads for the Subaru commercials.  Lets not forget that Jon Lovitz has dragged Subway's advertising to new depths and Catherine Zeta-Jones has apparently retired from actual acting to do T-Mobile commercials full time.  Watching the ad breaks on television has become a veritable parade of the whos who in Hollywood! 

Whats next?  Gary Sinise doing commercials for Apple Jacks?  Wilford Brimley reading ads for Insane Mustachioed Man Aftershave?  Barbara Bush becoming the spokewoman for Adidas?  Who must I send the telegram to in order to make this happen?  Do people even send telegrams anymore?  Is morse code still involved?  But I don't know morse code! Somebody, direct me please!  I am paralyzed with inaction!  I need my medication!! I am afraid!!

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