Followers of the local pub scene would be familiar with the name Alex Peters and the interesting career this man has had – guitar supremo, musician extraordinaire, entertainer with an edge… even the label “one-man mega show” comes as no surprise.
Peters’ brand of music is an amalgam of various musical genres and styles he has picked up in the last two decades.
Perhaps, it is his need to not succumb to the marketing ploys of “predatory” recording companies that prevents this man from receiving any sort of mass popularity.
”A number of recording companies have approached me (as recent as last year) but I haven’t taken the plunge yet,” said Peters in an interview recently.
The musician seems to have a problem with recording companies which only want to record an album for the same of improving their balance of accounts.
“You know that there will be no focus on promotion. They need to meet their quota.. get in a few acts this month because they need their records rolling.
“When I come across situations like that, it doesn’t bother me whether I get released or not. I’m happy with what I’m doing,” he emphasised.
From time to time, Peters has independently recorded tracks which he performs on the live pub circuit. On his latest efforts (composed between December ’97 and February ’98), Peters has taken on the roles of composer, lyricist, singer and sound engineer. He has written about six original numbers.
Raga-rock is the core element in these tracts but Peters also recalls the late 60s Beatles influence in the mixing.
He’s also taken the cure from 70s jazz fusion guitar virtuoso John McLaughlin who blended sounds of acoustic and Indian instruments, especially on the album Natural Elements by Shakti. Hence, Peters inclusion of conventional drums in addition to the tablas.
Peters has taken great effort to get just the right sound.
On Isn’t She Lovely (a tribute to the late Diana, Princess of Wales), there are about 30 layers of voices. The layering and bouncing of tracks turned out to be an arduous task but Peters ventured on until he got the desired effect.
Peter confided that no one assisted him in the production of these odes; balancing, engineering, mix-down, mid-range adjustments were all accomplished on a trial and error basis.
It’s not often you find a musician who does all this hard work on his own. But more unusual are the themes that pervade his songs. “Conspiracy theory” appears to be the buzz these days but somehow they have always captured Peters’ fascination.
His original numbers weave around these themes and his latest compositions such as Faking It and Everybody In This Room Is Gonna Die, are about the mass hysteria induced by Diana’s demise and devious cult movements, respectively.
His interest in conspiratorial motives beneath major incidents in the world stemmed from the assassination of American President John F. Kennedy, the Vietnam War right up to the present favourite, Diana’s death.
“I’m in touch with that (kind of) news and the number of songs written on that subject. I like what’s going on, I’m interested in them but the inspiration in these topics is because of the conspiracy (theories that surround them).
“I’m not trying to appease people’s tastes. I look at the situation from my perspective. Seeing and doing something can be mechanical but if you’re convinced about something, then the expressions begin to pour out”.
Peters is frank about what he wants. Perfection is what he aspires for and in composing and producing original music over the years, this has remained a cherished tenet.
Peters believe that there must not be a compromise between the firm and the musician as to the quality of the music that will be marketed.
But this is hardly a reality in the industry.
There is the musician who has to play along, because he has bills to pay. And if the record company says jump, he’ll have to say how high.
Peters feels that musicians should always be moving up. That’s what happens with almost all the foreign bands.
“Every album is a step up, not something they’ve recorded because they have new equipment to play around with.”
Peters draws comparisons with U2 and its progress from jangly guitars to the depths in compositional value on Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby’s reflective mode which was similar to the 60s.
In its latest, Zooropa, it was the squeaks, loops and samplers that held his attention.
“U2 always took a step up … for me that’s the role of a musician. When they come up with the same thing, you will only be on that one commercial level.
“Boney M sounded the same from start to finish but they sold millions. People may argue that you get into a new sound, you experiment, with this and that (but) what’s that going to get you? Are you going to see 50 million copies?”
‘The answer has got to be ‘no’. So what is it going to be, then? Well, do you want muzak or music?”
“The role of the musician should be that of striving to make himself look better with every album.”
How does he rank on that count?
“It’s not for me to say. From a battered up four-track analogue, I moved to a eight-track analogue and then to a full-track digital system.”
“I think the sounds have gotten better and better from what I produced 15 years ago. There’s more work … you’re pushing until you are spent.”
Those who have had the chance to hear him perform know fully well that Alex Peters is hardly a spent force.
