By Waldo L. Jaquith
07/27/01

Former DMB keyboardist Peter Griesar has completed his first major album. Griesar has released several discs over the last few years, notably "Disposable Love Songs" and "From The Supertanker Dude," though none of them with the benefit of a producer, contributing musicians or a management group. The still-untitled album is recorded and mixed, and is now being shopped around to labels.

Starting in early May, Griesar worked with producer Brian Kehew (whose credits include Beck, Elvis Costello, Lauren Hoffman, Foo Fighters and The Ramones) in a Hollywood studio to re-record many of his songs and write a few new ones. Griesar is one of today's top pop writers, blending funk and jazz with a rock sensibility and snappy lyrics to create unabashedly catchy songs. (In fact, Griesar co-wrote Dave Matthews Band's catchy radio hit "So Much To Say," which won a Grammy in 1998.) But he's not flying solo any more: he's got some of the best collaborators that he could ask for.

Charlottesville bassist Ben Jacobs (Supertanker, The Ninth, The Hogwaller Ramblers), who has played with Griesar for years, contributes bass. Charlottesville's ueber-pianist, Art Wheeler, provides keyboards on many songs. Long-time friend and collaborator Tim Reynolds (most well-known for his acoustic performances with Dave Matthews) contributes his famous guitar wizardry, and DMB saxophonist Leroi Moore punches up the sound with some lively horn playing.

All of this was made possible by Griesar's management team, Flood Zone Entertainment - which is owned by the same folks that ran the Richmond Flood Zone club where Dave Matthews Band played for so many years. Now they're shopping a freshly-burned six-track demo around to studios, including Sony, Dreamworks, ATO Records, RCA, BMG and Epic.

ATO Records is an especially interesting choice, given that the label is owned entirely by Dave Matthews and his management associates. ATO rocketed Welsh artist David Gray to fame over the past year, and hopes to do the same with their two newest artists, Chris Whitley and Ben Kweller. Given ATO's success and Griesar's history with the ATO team, it seems that having Griesar signed by them would be an ideal relationship.

Flood Zone Entertainment representative J. Tayloe Emery says that the initial response from labels has been "overwhelmingly positive, and discussions are underway with most of these labels."

Regardless of whether or not Griesar is signed anytime soon, showcase performances are being scheduled for late September in Los Angeles, followed by a tour of the east coast in October and November. With any luck, some label will be the proud new owner of one Peter Griesar by then, giving Griesar the time and the money to do a proper promotional tour, perhaps even hitting a city near you.

nancies.org | July 27, 2001