Finding This City – Song and a Chat

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Episode #189: Finding This City. (Song starts at 3:42 )

Hi there, this episode was a fun one to put together. To start with, Finding This City came into my mind as I went into my studio. I went over to a large box of old cassettes and selected one completely randomly. Amazingly, the tape that said Peter ’94, was teed up and ready to play the uptempo rocker that is: ‘Finding This City’.

That sort of thing really appeals to me. It feels very close to the sort of magic feeling that can happen when I pick up a pen to write lyrics, or when I let my hands just play some bits and pieces on the keys of the piano.

That’s what I was doing back in 1994. I’ll put you in the picture: I was new to a city called Hamilton, in New Zealand’s North Island. I had a lot of hair, in my mid 20s. I had an old van that smoked like ‘billy-o’ but it got me around the country from gig to gig.

A few things hadn’t exactly gone to plan musically – and personally – at this stage. But a new chapter beckoned in Hamilton and I was determined to carry on and create some new opportunities.

I met up with an old friend, Mr Grant Hislop, again. He offered me a couple of weeks employment, recording voice overs for radio commercials (which I’d never done). It was a big step up from home recording on 4 tracks. But I took on the challenge. I learned on the fly, recording these radio ads.

And over the course of 5 nights, working from 9pm til dawn, I put together an album of demos. It was initially all done on the keyboard (drums and bass included) except for the guitar.

‘Brendon’, a guitarist, heard me recording one night around midnight. About then I’d been thinking ‘Man, I wish I had a guitarist for these songs’ and lo and behold, Brendon knocked on the door and introduced himself. 6 hours later, as the sun came up, we were putting the finishing touches to the last song.

So, lots of energy – the energy of a driven artist in his mid 20s.

Fast forward now, to 2023. And the energy still flows. I’m starting to figure out I better let those 3am finishes go. Especially when I do 3 in a row.

I’ve worked extremely hard on my song writing over the years. It’s my passion. It’s easy – I’ve never sat down and just slogged away for hours. It’s never been that way. For that, I’m extremely grateful. It’s a total joy.

Im Working on 5 albums presently, in various genres. I’ll let you know when they’re up and streaming.

So it does take a lot of hours and work to write songs. I think it’s worth every minute. I recommend it, for sure.

In fact, if you’re thinking about getting busy on a creative path, I say go for it. It’s such a rich life to be living in so many respects.

I get energy by walking in the outdoors, by water. It’s pretty easy to explain, I guess. It literally fills the well, gives me what I need to carry on.

This is song number 323 out of 800. Sandwiched between two mellow songs, Balcony and Post The Picture…gentle songs I’ve already featured on this podcast.

Also, I mention a chap I met in a restaurant one night..which ended up being a song, I Wish (also on this podcast).

Ok, It was fun rediscovering this song. Here we go…let’s find this city.

Enjoy.