Pete Meriwether: Solo Drumset Music

April 1, 2009:
Sky Picnic is Band Of The Month / Song Of The Week at Independisc.com
Check it out! Pete's on
FAME-IS TV

Welcome to The Official Pete Meriwether Solo Drumset Music site! Thanks for stopping by...! Pete is the drummer for New York City's SKY PICNIC:

Photography: Darrell Ayer
skypicnicmusic.com
On MySpace:
"Tea Break" - SKY PICNIC - Kenny's Castaways, NYC 2/25/09
***********************************************************
*New York City 2008*
Pete Meriwether was born to play the drums. Literally. At age 10, with seven years of playing experience already behind him (!), Pete was sitting in with his father’s band at rehearsals and recording drum parts for demos. “I don’t remember ever LEARNING to play the drums…it was just there. I just COULD. I still try to hold on to that mindset…”
Pete also appeared onstage for the first time at 10-years-old: “I played ‘Money for Nothing’ by Dire Straits. All the adults made such a big deal about how little I was, but I already took my drumming pretty seriously. I didn’t want to be seen as a ‘kid drummer,’ but I guess at age 10 I really didn’t have a choice!”
At age 13, Pete formed his first band “The Monarc’s” with fellow junior-high school friends, and the band took off. “We played regularly, made money, got attention and the sickness began!”
As he matured, Pete’s drumming matured in tandem. By his college years, he was incorporating jazz techniques into his already-fully-formed rock style. “I always knew I wanted to retain my natural musical voice on the drums, so I had to balance learning new ideas and concepts, while making sure not to lose sight of what I already believed….or thought I believed!”
Pete’s jazz training reached a pinnacle when he came face to face with one of the drum set’s all-time, undisputed masters: Max Roach. “I didn’t have time to be nervous…” recalls Pete. “Mr. Roach was just so humble and nice. It was like sitting next to your grandfather and having a chat about old times. It was easy to forget that this gentleman was such a legend; that he possessed so much power and talent. He just seemed so normal!”
Minutes later, Pete was behind the drum set “playing my heart out” for Max Roach. “What choice did I have,” Pete recalls, “This was a moment when I had to make it or break it…”
Apparently, Pete ‘made it!’ After Mr. Roach finished applauding for Pete, he offered a critique: “That was really wonderful!” Mr. Roach then explained to the rest of the musicians in the room that [with enough practice] “you too could sound like that one day.”
Inspired by this encouragement from Max Roach, Pete began experimenting with the concept of solo drum set music. “Max Roach explained it best: he said that a drum set is like a string quartet – you’ve got four separate musical voices that you can use, and each should be utilized as a musical instrument all its own, and combined with the others to create an overall musical composition. Plus, I love the concept of breaking the drummer out of the usual role as time-keeper. Like a solo pianist or guitarist, why not the drummer?” Why not, indeed!
Pete's first album of solo drum set compositions is titled “Creations:”
The second solo drum set album is titled “Autodrumography:”
"I have included a sampling from these albums here for your enjoyment. Thank you for listening!" - PEACE, Pete
************************************************************ *********************
- To sample more of Pete's work, be sure to give these sites a listen:
PAST MISTRESS