My name is Pete and I am a businessman/musician living in Beardstown, IL. I have always lived here except for the years spent at Missouri Military Academy & Murray State University in Kentucky. Beardstown is what you make it...and along with my wife Julie, and kids, Lindsay & Michael, I've made it home. Julie & I were married in 1981, had Lindsay in 1982, and Michael in 1986. We raised them both in a little house on Taylor Court for about 12 years before trading homes with an elderly couple living in the country. We are are still there and loving it.
Beardstown is famous for catfish, watermelon, hunting, fishing, boating, and The Beardstown Ladies Investment Club. There is not a lot of high culture or entertainment here, but we are close to the capital city of Springfield, as well as St. Louis, Mo. for that kind of thing.
Our local economy boasts a meat packing plant, glove factory, international cabinet exporters, Illinois river access, and many small retail & service businesses. My brother Jon and I own a small business, a lumber company.
Our population here in B-town is about 25-30% Hispanic. I find them to be very good people on the whole, I wish everyone did. I plan to learn the language someday, my daughter is very good at it and is a language facilitator at a local school. Even with the language barrier, we manage to get them the things they need when they come into the lumber yard.
***
At about 3 years old, I heard Harry Belafonte come drifting out from behind the living room plants, singing about Banana Boats, and have been in love with music ever since. It's what really makes my life worth living...I can't imagine what it would be like without it. I first heard The Beatles in the 5th grade, took up the trumpet in sixth grade, and marched literally everywhere to drums in ninth & tenth grade at Military School. Then when rejoining public school, I took up the baritone horn in the HS band, as they already had way too many drummers. I joined my first rock band as a senior in high school, finally getting to beat the skins. Now, as a semi-pro musician, I have played in country, rock, r & b, big bands, metal bands, and even some stage productions and various brass choirs and college jazz lab bands.
I like to think I have developed a simple "style" through all that, but I'm not exactly sure what it is. Probably a "less-is-sufficient" type of approach, the song is more important than anything I'm going to play...so play for the song. A Friend of mine recently said my playing is "slippery"...not sure if that is good or bad. I have always been self deprecating about my own talent, but since turning fifty I have decided that I can live with my level of ability. My body is giving out slowly, but I think I play as well or better than ever. With age comes acceptance.
I also operate a nice little digital music recording studio from my home. I love recording music and hope to dabble in video some more...I really had fun taping the band and watching it. It's more fun listening to music when you can see something at the same time, even if it's only us.
Anyway with all incomes combined...I make a decent living, and manage to stay reasonably sane.
Four years ago, at 50, I had stopped playing live gigs due to hearing loss from loud music and the inability to lug around about of a ton of sound gear. I really missed playing live music, but in 2004 my prayers were answered when a company called Bose built a sound system that weighs in at 122# for speakers, amps, mixer, and subs. Check it out here.
I sold my old heavy PA and promptly got back to work playing with the Straightline band from Lewistown. In 2005 I bought a second system...two was KILLER with our 4pc band. In 2006 I acquired a third system for my trio, The Cubs. I plan to add another in 2007...to keep in the studio or for that four piece band. Below are a few pictures of some groups I've played with in the last few years.
One-man-band, Robert Samson and me
jamming at a party in Jan of 2005,
Robert is awesome!
(the 6' black stick in the corner is one of the new
Bose sound systems, it's hard to spot.)
Memphis Jesse & The Soul Hoosiers, 2000
(Bucher's Club 24 in Summum)
The Longmire Boys in 2001 at
The River's Edge Tavern
Jamming with the big band at the
2006 Bose East Coast Conference.
What a Blast!
More Band Photos from over the years are located here.
Bose has given me the opportunity to travel by way of the Bose Live Music Pioneers Award that was given to six lucky recipients in the spring of 2006. This award helped me to attend the Bose gatherings in Big Sur, Boston, and Cuchara, Colorado. Thanks, Bose Guys!!
*****
Here it is 2008 now...seven years since I first began this page...wow. Quite a bit has changed. Julie & I have grown older and hopefully wiser (but probably not). Beardstown is cleaning up the downtown area, new businesses are starting up and the lumber company joined the technology age by putting in a computer system. Bose has also come out with a new, improved L1 sound system, it's awesome!
Check back now and then, something new may happen!
If all this isn't all boring enough...email me , we'll talk some more (no one ever does, so this must be plenty boring).
M.M.A. 1969
Last update May 16, 2008