Pete

Notable musical endeavors: Krankinstein, Vent, Braille, Legatto Riot, The Shake, The Unhandsome Devils

Pete was a sophomore at a small religious high school in the late 80s when the school administrator gave him and the other three high school students a choice. Either they could sing in a chorus or learn guitar. The decision to learn guitar was unanimous, so off to the pawnshop he went to buy his first acoustic guitar. His first live performance was the school Christmas program, whereupon completion of a three-song set he threw his pick into the audience. His rock performance influences wasted no time in showing themselves. A few short months later his brother turned him on to the progressive rock legends, Rush. He immediately fell in love with the bass guitar, and his father helped him to procure his first instrument. The rest is, as they say, history.

As an adolescent through the early to mid-eighties, He was no doubt influenced by the popular music of that decade. To this day eighties pop is still on his playlists, and Duran Duran’s Rio is still his favorite song of all time. But along with his newfound love of bass guitar came new influences. The legendary bands Rush, Yes and Queensryche drove his love of the more progressive rock music, while bands like Def Leppard, Extreme, Tesla and Metallica are surely responsible for his solid rock foundation. The late great Jaco Pastorious led him to jazz and fusion, and legends like Bootsy Collins and Louis Johnson provided schooling on the finer points of funk.

Over the years he’s gone down thousands of rabbit holes in the back catalog of recorded music. The end result is a well-rounded musician who has the ability to understand, feel, and play, any style of music. When it comes to live performance, it’s an all-consuming exercise in self-expression. Pete has no desire to just stand around and play. “It’s just no fun for me if I can’t get into it and let it all go… so that’s what I do.”

They say that no man is an island, and Pete wouldn’t be who he is if it wasn’t for the great musicians that he’s played with throughout his musical career. From Gary and his first regular gigging band Ruby Maxx (Gardner, Horrie, Richardson) to the larger-than-life local favorite Krankinstein (Horrie, Molton, Rose). From the all-original Vent (Baker, Menke, Molton) to the power trio Braille (Horrie, Thompson). He’s always pushed to be a part of something that people would want to see and hear, and to do that with like-minded people.

Furthermore, there is no way this bio would pass Pete’s inspection if we failed to mention a few other notable members of his musical family: Brian Francis, Marcie Burton & Michelle Janssen (his first band!), Mike Burgess, Matt Garretson and Jason Laughlin (Legatto Riot), Scott Koles and Bob Vinson (Decadance), Rod Teaney and Kenny Peak (The Shake) and Mitch Bland (UnHandsome Devils). “It’s my pleasure to call them all bandmates and friends, and the impact of all of them on me cannot be overstated.”