In the game of music, you aren’t supposed to play favorites. Every room is your favorite room because you are playing that room in that moment and more often than not you’d like to go back and play it again. With that in mind, I’m going to make a very bold statement that very few people are probably going to read due to the waning attention span of the average American and the fact this will be past the “see more” button on social media so I feel quite safe: John & Peter’s in New Hope PA is my favorite room to play.
If you are wondering why, my simple answer would be to go check it out for yourself and you’ll know why I love it so much. When you walk in, you are immediately transported into a small dark room with merch and posters dating back to some of their earliest shows. Hell, there was a time in the early 80s where George Thorogood (a favorite in the St. John house growing up) played there Monday – Wednesday and slept upstairs. After descending another flight of stairs, you enter the hallowed music room with enough room for you and about 60-70 of your friends. There isn’t a bad seat in the house as you are no more than 12 feet from the stage. The staff is lovely, there are many kids of beer, and the sandwiches come with tater tots. Did I mention it’s quite affordable?
Perhaps my favorite thing about the room is the sound. Even in full on rock and roll mode, you aren’t overwhelmed by sound in the room. As someone who’s had the pleasure of playing there many times, there’s something about it that just feels right about playing original music on that stage. That’s why it made sense to make a recording of a Saturday afternoon show slap in the middle of the BSJ Band’s short run of dates promoting the release of 2019’s double album “Missed Opportunity.”
Before tackling the show itself, one must talk about the band and all the folks that made this release possible. As with any BSJ Band show, the band is a little different each night. On the drums for this show is Mr. Brian Cornish. One might think it would be confusing having two Brians in the same band but it’s rather simple to differentiate. When the guys want his attention, they say “Brian w/ talent” and he knows he’s being beckoned. I appreciated him traveling up from Nashville to play some music with us over his holiday break. On the bass guitar for this show is Alan “The Medallion” Tepper. An encyclopedia of musical knowledge, Alan’s methodical approach to playing brings a different flair to the tunes. He’s always going to hit you with a much-needed joke mid-set as well. On the keys and harmonies for this one we had Jon Irizarry. The old stalwart of the BSJ Band, Jon has had the privilege or nightmare of playing virtually every instrument in the different configurations of the band. His versatility is greatly appreciated but I think we like him on keys and singing the best for this type of thing.
There are a few other notable folks to mention here: Patrick Maloney played percussion on the other shows of the run. He couldn’t make this one. We like Pat. He’s a nice guy and kind of looks like me if you squint real hard from a distance (only he’s better looking). Casey and Rob opened up the show with great songs and beautiful harmonies. We’ve done a lot of shows together over the years and it’s always a pleasure to work with them. Catherine Kiff-Vozza supplied the ducks and designs for this record once again. Her ability to translate my nonsense into something appealing is second to none. Well-done bubs! The hero of this particular show was behind the controls mixing and doing all the postproduction for this one. His name is Joseph Webster and he’s a boss. He doesn’t really have time for all this nonsense because he needs to perfect the sound on all the television programs you really love. It is always a pleasure to hang with Mr. Webster, sip a bit of bourbon, and get knee deep into some music.
As for the show, with the exception of a couple covers and “Blood from a Stone” which SOMEBODY botched up something awful (it was me), everything heard on the day made it from the tape to your ears now. Everything was done to give you the experience those in the room had on that day. The show begins with an intentionally loose nola with Cornish and Tepper setting the groove and lots of interplay between Irizarry and Cornish during the keyboard solo. Thankfully the next cut, Natural, wasn’t “lost between the static and the station (I just did a pun off my own lyrics),” as the boys settle in for what is going to be an afternoon featuring tunes from Missed Opportunity. The next two tunes, both from Missed Opportunity, Superman (Call Me Anyday) and We Are Not Islands are lyric features for completely different reasons and different types of guitar solos varying from bluegrass to Lowell George inspired. The high energy Brooklyn Girl follows. It’s about a girl from Staten Island who probably moved to Brooklyn, as one does.
The next three tunes come from 2017’s Remaining Young. Beginning the frame is Bold Love, a co-write by Irizarry and St. John designed as an exercise of writing a catchy tune in an odd time signature. Testify is a country rocker featuring an excellent bass line by Tepper which really drives the track. The bluesy Your Girl May Look Good on a Friday Night (But How ‘Bout the Rest of the Week) finishes the trilogy with a track featuring some multiple helpings of Tele twang and some simple but powerful drumming by Cornish.
Up next is the emotional centerpiece of Missed Opportunity called Silent Majority. Co-written once again by Irizarry and St. John, the lyric plays off the Nixonian era concept of those who do not express their opinions publically into the present day as a call to centrism in an ever-polarizing world. Irizarry’s piano here is fantastic and the interplay and harmonization between guitar and piano in the jam explores some interesting space.
The final tune of the primary set is the only tune from 2015’s The Cove on this release: Savannah. With lyrics by long-time collaborator Ray Ferriola and music by St. John, this one is always fun to play live. It’s an appropriate finish to the primary set as we know there are miles ahead of us all to get back home before the next show.
The encore tunes were chosen for different reasons. Hannah dates back to the days of the Brian St. John Quartet (BSJQ) but still makes an appearance from time to time. It happens to be a favorite of Mr. Ferriola…he was there…I’m a people pleaser. The boys reemerge from the shadows back to their instruments for Rural Stories, a tune that harkens back to the hours spent inside a van traveling from date to date with the BSJQ. Hopefully it captures a bit of the feeling of watching the sunrise on the drive home and why I probably shouldn’t write songs on the piano. Time for one more rocker…Better Off In His Arms from Remaining Young…if you want to know more about the lyrics, ask Ray. He wrote them! It’s always a favorite to play live due to the vocal harmonies and the ability to stretch the ending for one more big guitar solo. The big bird has to land sometime. It may as well end here.
Produced by Joseph Webster, Jon Irizarry, and Brian St. John, we are pleased to present you with Live Volume 3: John & Peters 12/28/19. You can enjoy this on CD or on any of your favorite streaming services. Thanks to those who came out to the show that day or are enjoying it after the fact. If the production team could ask a favor, the next time you are enjoying live music; be sure to tip the musician and staff of the establishment. Live music venues of all types have had a very difficult run through the COVID-19 pandemic. If you have the ability, pay it forward. See you at the next one.