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Peter and the Wolf
The first time I ever saw Red Hunter of Peter and the Wolf play a show, I found myself sitting in a derelict World War II Navy Rescue boat, in the middle of summer, afloat on the Gowanus Canal, somewhere in Brooklyn, New York. Hunter entered the boat, quietly sat down on the floor, and began to sing his wanderer's songs on an acoustic guitar, surrounded by eager devotees as a slow summer breeze trickled through the cracks of the walls.
As the boat slowly rocked back and forth, Peter and the Wolf's quiet, reverent folk music reverberated through the air: the audio equivalent of faded photographs. And his vagabond's lifestyle filters through the songs as well, conjuring images of rumbling midnight trains and highway signs flashing by. Hunter is master dreamer and mysterious storyteller, who tells his tales with a steady charisma and a sly wit.
Suffice it to say, Hunter has never been content to take a conventional approach to music. He might be the closest thing to a legend that the blogosphere has to offer up. You might remember his name from this past summer's sailboat tour; national media news outlets were tickled by the idea of a bunch of indie musicians traveling from city to city via boat, ostensibly to save on gasoline expenses. But for someone who claims to never feel quite comfortable in a "real apartment," the mystique of the open sea and unexpected surprises of such a journey seemed like the real driving factors.
Peter and the Wolf live shows are infamous affairs. The mysterious Hunter (I believe the "Red" part is a stage name) has performed in graveyards, under bridges, abandoned buses and even an island only accessible by canoe, as his audience commits acts of trespass to even be present. And Hunter recruits his friends -- both musicians and non-musicians -- to serve as his self-styled "junk orchestra" back-up band. Even on the road, a group of volunteers climbs up on stage and chimes in with a chorus of rowdy voices, along with loose change, tin cans, glass bottles, or whatever random piece of debris happens to be at hand. His self-released album, Experiments in Sound, relied entirely upon experimentation with non-musicians; Hunter claims a list of over a hundred collaborators over the years.
With an emphasis on the odd, extraordinary and nearly-forgotten, Red Hunter's musical ambitions are grandiose and romantic, breathing life into nostalgic sounds. What exactly Peter and the Wolf's next show will bring, I can't tell, but I'm sure it will be a memorable experience no matter what.
Peter and the Wolf - Silent Movies
Peter and the Wolf - Strange Machines
Peter and the Wolf - Brother (Live on KVRX)
Peter and the Wolf's official site. Buy Lightness from Amazon or iTunes.
Posted by Queen of the Front Row at 02.28.07 at 1:43 AM
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