Peter Murray

You could say Peter Murray's talents were wasted on his career as a sideman bassist with such artists as Ron Sexsmith, Damhnait Doyle and Jian Ghomeshi. But it's the recording, international touring and industry experience he gained along the way that prepared him thoroughly for a career at centre stage. On his debut solo CD, Peter has fused elements of classic rock (Neil Young, Beatles) with the melodic edge of 80s intelligent pop (think XTC, Squeeze) and contemporary singer-songwriters (such as Elliot Smith, John Mayer), and put it together in a truly unique package that's both modern and timeless. "I'm a perfectionist," Peter admits. "These songs represent a huge amount of reflection and musical exploration. I've always loved music that has many layers and both instant and lasting appeal." The thoughtful lyrics and catchy melodies on Ants and Angels are strong evidence of these deeply held values. "My songs all tend to start with an idea, a specific thought about something interesting that I've stumbled upon." Peter explains about his process. "For example, Ears Make Wax started with the realization that my body had been cleaning my ears for my whole life without me even knowing it. That led me to thoughts about how our bodies try to protect ourselves, while we do things to harm ourselves. And that inevitably led to thoughts about mortality. Like several of my songs, it's funny at first, but definitely has a weightier message to it." Peter developed his craft not just through sideman experience, but band experience. His most significant band was Surrender Dorothy, with whom he was signed internationally to Universal in the mid-90s and toured Europe six times. Peter is also the author Essential Bass Technique (Hal Leonard Corp.), first published in 1995 and, to this day, the definitive book on bass guitar technique. Peter recorded Ants and Angels with co-producing engineers Michael Jack (Rush, The Trews, Anne Murray) and Matt DeMatteo (Big Wreck, Ashley MacIsaac). The musicians on the record are several of Peter's closest friends. Drummer Davide DiRenzo (Holly Cole, Carol Welsman, jacksoul), Justin Abedin (top session guitarist and producer), David Celia (guitarist and acclaimed singer-songwriter), Michael Holt (keyboardist singer-songwriter, known from legendary San Francisco pop band the Mommyheads) and Kevin Fox (singer-songwriter, cellist/arranger and sideman for Shaye, Sarah Harmer, Sarah Slean and many others) all gave tremendous passion and character to Ants and Angels and sound more like band members than sidemen. Peter's already performed these tunes in Ireland, Japan, Germany, Korea and North America, and looks forward to taking his show on the road. "Ants and Angels is consistently entertaining, ultra-musical, and a worthy addition to the Canadian power pop canon!" Don Breithaupt, author of Night Moves: Pop Music in the Late Seventies, Precious and Few: Pop Music in the Early Seventies, and the forthcoming addition to the 33-1/3 series, Steely Dan's Aja (Continuum, 2007)