There’s been interest in what drew me into alternative rock and the short answer is I blame it on my family … family from 1071!
⏳ William IX Duke of Aquitaine from 1071 was the first medieval musical Troubador in world history [picture of him above] and he was my great great great great [yawn it just goes on and on] relative … let’s just agree it was a long time ago!
🎹 Fast forward to a more recent time and my Grandfather Pritchard played concerts to raise money to build the church he attended. ⛪
More recently my oldest brother Gordon [in the below photo] played a Gibson Les Paul in his rock band in the 70s. I would sit beside his guitar stack soaking up the sound as a young boy. I’m still amazed my hearing wasn’t destroyed by him! 🎸
I grew up loving the edgy alternative sound – overdriven guitars with high energy vocals asking questions about who we are and where we’re headed … it’s who I am.
🎶I’ve played music all my life too – never could stop it.
But I didn’t always appreciate being another musician in a long loooooooooong family history of musicians.
Now I find it to be something quite profound.
I’ve realised we’re all part of a greater journey with threads of talent running through our family lines – what are yours?
Beneath a desert sky in Death Valley I went in search of U2’s Joshua Tree location. The tree itself is gone but I wanted to visit where it stood.
I explored areas that rivers run but soon run dry. I had climbed the highest mountains. I had run through the fieldsof vast desert spaces, walking obscure canyons I’d never seen. Searching Death Valley allowed me to feel sunlight on my face, before finding success in Death Valley had been like a dust cloud that disappeared without a trace.
In the quiet solitude a howl jumped out at me like a bullet the blue sky – a jet fighter shrieked from behind a hill and thundered low over me.
Instantly I was plunged back into the deadly desert silence to reflect back on all that I can’t leave behind when I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.
We all want a better life. Just give me good times.
I sometimes wonder if God isn't listening. Maybe He knows something about living life that I don't.
Even the nicest people have a fair share of tough times. It may seem unfair when on a normal day difficult times can show up. So do the questions. Sometimes answers don't.
No matter how rich or poor, how positive or realistic, we all end up having to conquer a crisis that comes along.
I'm always inspired by people who turn their life around. They can be in hard times. They don't pretend they're not. They look life straight in the eye. They rise up with resilience to keep going forward. They make good of the bad situation.
It's like they sing at the storm. They roar an anthem of hope. They acknowledge their trying times but move onward into what blocks their path.
Scratched out a half-baked plan
My song "Hope On My Horizon" goes to this place. It's a place of desperation. It makes them move forward despite everything else. Even when reality kicks the front door in and bullies them into a corner. Life can be stacked against us. We can have more than our fair share of tough times.
It's what happens then that seems to make all the difference. At that moment do we take courage and ask ourselves "What will I do?". Changing our situation, changing others around us – sometimes isn't an option open to us. Changing our own attitude and deciding to forge ahead can free us.
"You won't make it" might scream inside my head but I'll do my best just to find a way
The people who turn their lives around face the naysayers. The voices of others, the voices in their heads, that tell them to give in.
They still keep going despite
their struggles
their doubts
their obstacles
I’ll scale this ladder one rung at a time cos views get better only as you climb
They catch sight of what could be – not what is – it's their fuel through the tough times.
They strike a match and set the fuel alight. It's a blaze that is hard to stop once it gets started. It can become a wildfire of hope.
I see hope on my horizon
If your normal life has hit a snag.
Don't give up despite the pain.
Don't give in to the turmoil of the place you're in.
It's Time This Alternative Rock Artist Told The Truth About Money and Music
It's Time This Alternative Rock Artist Told The Truth About Money and Music
It's time to confess.
Most of us musicians struggle with identity and self-worth. Imagine putting yourself out there for everyone to hear, everyone to see, everyone to experience YOU. Your talent is your heart on it's on public display for all to see. You have to ask "Why would you do it?".
Each and every one of us artists has something that drives our music. For some, it’s the simple pursuit of fame. For others, it’s a longing for glory or the affections of a pretty girl that channels their musical passions.
Yet, for me as an alternative rock artist, there is a greater, higher passion that fuels my music making and drives me to share the intrinsic truth that we are loved and not alone, challenging us to use what we've got to make make the world a better place.
It’s a mission I've spent a long time exploring and one that I don't take lightly.
What Does An Alternative Rock Artist Do With Some Profit?
What Does An Alternative Rock Artist Do With Some Profits?
That's why I want to give away $10,000 from my sales.
I gave away over $1,600 in 2017.
I gave away over $4,300 in 2018.
I gave away $3,500 in 2019.
Is it just that I'm crazy?? Maybe. It's also due to my drive to give away part of my music sales to Mercy Ships NZ. They give FREE healthcare to the poorest people on our planet.
I can't help myself helping them when I know what they do:
Removing tumors that save lives
Straightening bent legs so children can run and play
Healing burned bodies so they work like new again
Before Mercy Ships NZ. After
Helping Mercy Ships NZ heal people with money from my music merchandise sales drives me on.🎧
I want to give $10,000 to Mercy Ships NZ. That's a huge challenge to anyone.
But I know fans of this alternative rock artist love helping others.
This isn't about asking you for money. It's about a simple solution to the problem. When I sell more merch – Mercy Ships NZ get more money to heal others.
How do I do that? Another simple answer – having musical merch that fans enjoy and want to share with others.
YOU have the answer to the question. YOU can make this happen.
Tell me what merchandise fans want and together we can work towards giving away $10,000 to Mercy Ships NZ. I want people just like you, awesome fans like you, to have the merch you want that helps heal the sick! It's how we can raise the funds to give to Mercy Ships NZ to heal the sick together.
I was a young New Zealand rock artist dressed in pink tees and ripped jeans.
1983 Holds A Secret To My Rock Music Song 'Hope On My Horizon'.
I was a young New Zealand rock music artist dressed in pink tees and ripped jeans.
I pranced about on huge stages. Strangers in the street knew my name.
But all the bright lights and loud music didn’t quiet that nagging voice that was inside of me.
I just wanted to be somebody. Not a household-name rock music god kind of somebody. I wanted to be somebody that made a difference.
It was then I found myself standing somewhere very different from the stages I was used to.
I was on board a tour of the Mercy Ships Anastasis while it was in the visiting the port of Wellington. The ship was truly impressive. The people on board and their purpose however were unlike anybody I'd ever come across before in my life.
They amazed me by all being volunteers who paid their own way to be on board the Mercy Ship.
They inspired me with how they searched out others in desperate need to help them.
They gave hope to people who had run out of answers.
They did all of this for free!
They also made me feel utterly useless. All my rock star swagger didn’t matter an ounce.
The angels of Mercy Ships were the real deal. They sailed to the poorest places on the planet and poured out help and healing – for free.
All my rock music songs didn’t count for much in comparison.
Rock music artist Peter Woolston
It was all too much so I pushed the feelings aside and carried on with my rock-n-roll dream.
30 years later hope hijacked me and the courageous plan to create "Hope On My Horizon" was born …
But I'm getting ahead of myself!
I'd love you to hear the rest of the 'Story Behind The Song – Hope On My Horizon”.
You'll not only find out how this alternative rock song was conceived but you'll also help Mercy Ships NZ at the same time. I make a donation with every sale so here’s your chance to heal the forgotten poor and hear what happened next in my story.
Just click here and for $5 a donation will be made to Mercy Ships NZ and you’ll get instant private access to ‘Story Behind The Song – Hope On My Horizon”!
You’ve thought it before “… I’m too old for this”, or maybe you’ve pondered “I’m too young …”.
But Connor Franta, Social Media Celebrity, will tell you different. Our age is a mindset and shouldn’t control us or our decisions according to Connor. He goes so far as saying we should do whatever we want regardless of our age.
Connor explains his position in this 4 min 37 sec video.
Here’s my take on Connor\’s video. He had me in the first frame … mmmm … Chemex makes great coffee! After that he couldn’t do any wrong – well maybe …
Being too old [or too young] has always collided in my life. It’s mocked me and moved me, called me onwards and chided me. Connor argues your age shouldn’t decide what are you going to do, or not do. I agree – in some ways.
There are some things that just aren’t OK no matter what your age. I’m not talking about doing drugs when you’re a minor … I’m talking about doing drugs when you’re an adult too!
I was also rolling my eyes listening to Connor say “if you want to do it, just do it no matter what your age …”. No matter how much we like the ‘Theology Of Self Satisfaction’ it breaks lives. Moving to Las Vegas at 99 appeals to our “me-ness” [it’s not a word but you get it] but ignores reality. Time with our families and friends is short. At 99 you may be a mother. You may be a grandfather. Packing your suitcase and jaunting to Vegas is a self-obsessed act. It\’s not age that should stop you moving to Vegas. Doing whatever we want, whenever we want, is a perpetuating lie. The people around you DO matter! They need to be a part of the decisions and choices we make in life.
Listen to what others are saying about Peter Woolston!
\”5 out of 5 Stars\”
Heath Andrews, Music Critic
\”kicking rock … grand confident vocals … layered guitars
… similar timbre to Switchfoot\” Kelly O’Neil (Foreigner, Kevin Max, Jaci Velasquez, CCM & CrossWalk magazines)
“… drawing comparisons to artists like Jon Foreman, Bono and Martin Smith\” Scoop Independent News
And now you can download Peter\’s latest single for free!
But there is much I also agree with Connor on. Age IS nothing but a number. I don’t think he means 70 year olds should run 100m sprints or wear stilettos. We know God thinks age is just a number too. The Bible records God using people of all ages to do amazing things all the time. Not just the young. Not just the old. All people.
I guess the key questions is this: have you listened to the lie that age disqaulifies you? Fear is a Liar. God is love. He believes in you. Get out there and do what God has made you to do REGARDLESS of barriers you face – barriers like age.
C’mon … let’s trust in God and not in our age!
Get the song from my CD that inspired 15,000 people worldwide
Fight your fears and fuel your dreams with my alt-rock anthem that featured on The Voice EMC!
Download your free song now!
Listen to what others are saying about Peter Woolston!
\”5 out of 5 Stars\”
Heath Andrews, Music Critic
\”kicking rock … grand confident vocals … layered guitars
… similar timbre to Switchfoot\” Kelly O’Neil (Foreigner, Kevin Max, Jaci Velasquez, CCM & CrossWalk magazines)
“… drawing comparisons to artists like Jon Foreman, Bono and Martin Smith\” Scoop Independent News
And now you can download Peter\’s latest single for free!
Project Gutenberg has no answers when you\’re laying down guitar licks to a glowing \”record\” light. Sounds that capture the hope and struggle of songs on 6 strings can’t be searched for in Wikipedia. Playing guitar is an organic and edgey process that I needed to capture on my last record.
Selecting the right guitars for recording takes experience and talent. My Producer Andy Mak, from Sydney\’s The Grove Studios, brought that to the project. He also bought great coffee too!
Wikipedia or Project Gutenberg or Skillshare are all great, after all education is important, but playing guitar is importanter …
A 1969 Fender Telecaster was one of the stars on my recording. The Tele is still in demand today, with little changed, since it inception over 60 years ago. People mock its simplistic design and shape calling it a “Plank“, with the bridge nicknamed “The Ashtray”. But simple things work and are reliable so the Telecaster is a workhorse guitar. It’s very very versatile as shown by its myriad users throughout the whole spectrum of musical taste. The guitar’s wide sound range is produced by the two pickups; a bright, sparkly, treble rich bridge pickup and a warm bluesy tone from the neck pickup – but not the Tele we used … it’s a Franken-Tele! Watch the video to see what I mean …
The Fender Telecaster unites Status Quo and Hot Chip. It’s the signature guitar of Keith Richards, Chrissie Hynde, Radiohead\’s Jonny Greenwood and the Clash\’s Joe Strummer. It\’s all over records by Elvis Presley, Booker T and the MGs, PJ Harvey, Blur, the Eagles, Manic Street Preachers, and hundreds more.
The \’69 Tele Andy Mak arranged for us to record with for my record was it’s hard-working backbone. It’s stringy, cutting tone breaks through everything capturing the tension between hope and struggle in my songs. Tele’s are notoriously warm too while being a little raspy around the edges – I needed a guitar like that and the Tele delivered.
But there was more than the Tele involved in \’Hope On My Horizon\’ – there were 2 other guitars that built the \’Switchfoot layered guitar\’ sound that music critics loved. Read on to fly with the Jet and meet my mate Martin below …
Get the song from my CD that inspired 15,000 people worldwide
Fight rejection and fuel your dreams with Peter\’s alt-rock anthem that featured on The Voice EMC!
Download your free song now!
Listen to what others are saying about Peter Woolston!
\”5 out of 5 Stars\”
Heath Andrews, Music Critic
\”kicking rock … grand confident vocals … layered guitars
… similar timbre to Switchfoot\” Kelly O’Neil (Foreigner, Kevin Max, Jaci Velasquez, CCM & CrossWalk magazines)
“… drawing comparisons to artists like Jon Foreman, Bono and Martin Smith\” Scoop Independent News
And now you can download Peter\’s latest single for free!
I remember where I was and what I was doing when Shirley called me and told me her bad news … she was dying.
I felt so awful …
But the rest of life and the universe just continued on as normal, as if Shirley was fine.
We kept on hanging out with John and Shirley as she continued down hill. Her spirits were high despite her ever decreasing health and comfort.
During one visit Shirley pounced on me with a question, “Will you sing for me at my funeral?”
Inside I wanted to run for cover …
I wanted to say “No!”
I wanted to tell her I wouldn’t be able to keep my voice from breaking down while trying to hold a tune.
I needed her to know that singing a song celebrating her life would be more than I could bear.
But if you knew Shirley you’d know I had to say “Yes.”
So together we played her favourite tunes and laughed like naughty little kids when she cheekily decided on an Elvis song … but John helped us to see some sense that it was a funeral after all. Elvis lost his #1 spot.
Shirley settled on “Reason Enough” as it was a song dear to her heart that celebrates trusting God despite our circumstances or troubles. She had known enough trouble but these months wrestling with death were beyond hard but as we listened the lyrics fitted like a glove \”…so I won\’t wait for signs and wonders to teach me how to trust, cos you\’ve already proven Lord the depths of Your great love\”.
I have to admit it\’s a great song … but it’s a country song … what do you say to your dying friend when they ask you, a rock singer-songwriter, to sing a country song at their funeral … I nodded and I smiled.
The day of Shirley\’s funeral came.
Shirley\’s passion for enjoying life and trusting God was plainly evident at her funeral – the teal coloured casket she had chosen was a dead giveaway.
I sang my heart out for Shirley – for John, for her family, for her friends and for her memory. There was a bunch more vibrato in my rough rock voice than there ever is.
We remember you Shirley.
I’ll join you in heaven one day.
Till then I’ll remember your smile and your love for God.
I just wish you\’d settled on that Elvis song and didn\’t make me sing a country tune … we\’re going to have a long talk about that when I catch up to you on the other side :p
Love ya
Pete
Get the song from my CD that inspired 15,000 people worldwide
Fight rejection and fuel your dreams with my alt-rock anthem that featured on The Voice EMC!
Download your free song now!
Listen to what others are saying about Peter Woolston!
\”5 out of 5 Stars\”
Heath Andrews, Music Critic
\”5 out of 5 Stars\”
Heath Andrews, Music Critic
\”kicking rock … grand confident vocals … layered guitars
… similar timbre to Switchfoot\” Kelly O’Neil (Foreigner, Kevin Max, Jaci Velasquez, CCM & CrossWalk magazines)
“… drawing comparisons to artists like Jon Foreman, Bono and Martin Smith\” Scoop Independent News
And now you can download Peter\’s latest single for free!
When I sat down with my Martin D-28 guitar and scraps of ideas to write \”Hope On My Horizon\” from my Auckland based studio I didn\’t think about how a song can help predict the future. I honestly never really thought about the journey this song might possibly take – a journey from my paradise at the bottom of the world here in New Zealand, over the uncertain and unsure Tasman Sea to Australia, and then, braving the foaming cauldron and colliding Antartic cold of the Indian Ocean to sail to the Ship of Hope in Africa.
Hannah Peters onboard Africa Mercy
Sure, I was wanting big things to happen when I sat down and started strumming some chords … but my ‘big’ was simply wanting Graeme and Sharon from Mercy Ships NZ to like the song once it was written! Who says musicians aren’t insecure :p They had asked me to write a song but I’d neglected to tell them that this was in fact the first time I was writing by request. I had never done this before and cautiously fretted over whether they would even like the song.
The situations I have gotten my self into in life have sometimes been of my own making. Some of those times I’ve tried to blame God – He is big enough and tough enough to be used as a scapegoat and there seems to be plenty of people in the world, just like me, who are happy to fling blame at His feet without hesitation. Except this wasn’t one of ‘those situations’ – I was under pressure with my confidence and music on the line because I was responding to God telling me to take this opportunity to help Mercy Ships NZ – He’d simply said “go … write a song”.
The Bible is riddled with encounters between God and ordinary folk where He asks them to take a step and the outcome of risking that God knows what He is doing results in something incredible. But sometimes when I take steps to follow God\’s leading nothing \”life-changing\” or \”world-shaking\” seems to happen. A lot of the time it frankly appears to be quite insignificant while life seems to be mostly mundane. When I take a read through the Bible, except for the few amazing instances, people\’s days on earth seem to be like mine – ordinary and uneventful.
Mercy Ship Crew watching Hope On My Horizon music video onboard
It’s only every now and then that a prayer I’ve prayed that seemed lost in my disappointed memories suddenly comes alive or that a small obedient step I take turns into a huge adventure that I would have never imagined … but only sometimes. Frankly, I never saw this one small step to “go … write a song” in my little studio at the bottom of the world, would grow into a global voyage of discovery.
Frankly my immediate problem was writing a song that would help raise money for Mercy Ships NZ. That\’s enough pressure to deal with when you sit down to create a tune from scratch. So with the title they\’d given me, \”Hope On My Horizon\”, a few scraps of lyrics and some snatches of guitar chords I started weaving the song together … with nervous mistakes as I went.
When I first played Graeme and Sharon the first cut of the song … they loved it! Whew! At least I think they liked it … it made Sharon cry :p
Get the song from Peter\’s CD that inspired 15,000 people worldwide
Grab the courage to take that step listening to Peter\’s alt-rock anthem that featured on The Voice EMC!
Download your free song now!
Soon after I heard God whispering to me to take other songs and bundle them together with \”Hope On My Horizon\” to make a CD that told more of the story. So I knuckled down and finished writing \”Dead Man Walking\”, \”Better Man Someday\”, \”Obsession\” and \”I Believe In You\”.
But finding a Producer in New Zealand to record the project with me was a frustrating year of yearning which kept resulting in dead ends. After I\’d had another \”going-nowhere cold-shoulder NZ Producer meeting\” my wife suggested \”How about recording in Australia?\”. I was feeling discouraged and not even slightly optimistic so the last thing I wanted to do was to pluck up my confidence and take on the larger Australian marketplace in the search for a Producer.
But one thing I know is Miriam has a God-given knack to catch a glimpse of things that are possible that I have no inkling of, so I\’ve learned to lean in when it makes sense to Miriam … but no sense to me. Needless to say within weeks I was booked with Andy Mak from Australia’s The Grove Studios in Sydney to make a record! This little song, penned in my little studio, now had an international team onboard and was embarking on a voyage across the Tasman Sea. We recorded the CD in Sydney, and then went on to master it in Melbourne, manufacture the CD\’s in the USA, to ship it all the way back to New Zealand!
I was asked a rather odd question by Sharon from Mercy Ships NZ during the project – she asked why I decided to write the second verse lyric “Scratched out a half-baked plan on a wrinkled serviette cos I won’t waste my life away”. I told her that I had loads of lyrical ideas describing how it would feel to face the journey to a hospital ship, but that I had cast all those ideas aside for these lyrics as they just felt “right” when there were so many others I could have used … she was shocked. She questioned me in an almost disbelieving tone “… you knew right, you knew about Don Stephens the Mercy Ships founder … right?” I stumbled a confused “…. no … what do you mean?!?!?!” Sharon then told me how Don had originally drawn out his idea for Mercy Ships on a serviette … just like the lyrics I had penned in my studio a world away. I was even more surprised and shocked than Sharon – I had no idea this had happened!
Just like the CD, the music video for the song “Hope On My Horizon” also packed it\’s bags and took flight after Australian video producer Madeleine Hetherton partnered with SBS Australia to shoot a documentary aboard Africa Mercy in Guinea and kindly offered this raw real-life footage to be combined with my studio recording footage … so the Hope On My Horizon music video was born. God only knows where things will lead when you simply say “Yes” to His whispers ….
If this wasn’t unexpected enough I recently received an email from Africa Mercy telling me they were going to play the ‘Hope On My Horizon’ music video to the entire crew onboard – this little tune had travelled all the way to sing for the real heroes of hope right there on the Surgery Ship .
Frankly, while I write this I am still dumbfounded as to how this has all happened – how responding to God\’s invitation to sit down with my guitar and notepad, turned into a song powering a ship in the poorest parts of our planet. I am amazed at how my simple “Yes” was used by God to do good and give hope. Never underestimate where simply saying “Yes …” to His stall small voice will lead you!
Leave a comment below about what’s happened to you when you’ve stepped out to do what God was saying to you and how your small “Yes…” turned into something you never expected.
Get the song from Peter\’s CD that inspired 15,000 people worldwide
Grab the courage to take that step listening to Peter\’s alt-rock anthem that featured on The Voice EMC!
Download your free song now!
Listen to what others are saying about Peter Woolston!
\”5 out of 5 Stars\”
Heath Andrews, Music Critic
\”kicking rock … grand confident vocals … layered guitars
… similar timbre to Switchfoot\” Kelly O’Neil (Foreigner, Kevin Max, Jaci Velasquez, CCM & CrossWalk magazines)
“… drawing comparisons to artists like Jon Foreman, Bono and Martin Smith\” Scoop Independent News
And now you can download Peter\’s latest single for free!
