In the last few months I’ve gotten air-play on 2 radio stations and was interviewed by Vents Mag too.

All interviews have the standard “who are your influences” and “what is your style” type questions which all seem kind of “blah blah blah” after you’ve read a few of them. But somehow Vents Mag uncovered one story I’d like to forget. It’s something I’m not proud of. It’s something that would disturb any musician if it happened. It was a troubling time but I need to bare my soul with you my fans …

During the dry-mouthed dusty-shoe Sweetwaters music festival (that was eventually closed down because of continuos out-of-control chaos) I was working with OAC doing outreach to the mad masses. We had setup a sketchboard stage on Main Street and while I thrashed my guitar and spat out “Sipping whiskey from a paper cup you drown your sorrows till you can’t stand up …” the crowd’s mood darkened and a XXXL muscle bulging beer drenched t-shirt slunk away.

Just as I hit the religiously redeeming chorus “Why don’t you look into Jesus? He’s got the answer ….” I snatched a glimpse of his BIC orange lighter fevered flick at side of stage which would be closely followed by a dancing orange crackle. Ending my song in an andrenaline induced increased tempo before things heated up even more I exited to the side of stage and caught the hot-handed pyromaniac before his plans burst into their full glory.

It wasn’t till after the relieving laughter subsided that I got to thinking what does it say when you’re singing your heart out and someone in the audience tries setting fire to the stage you’re standing on! I had a compelling realization that not everyone liked what I sang about. There are definitely some people who don’t like my voice or my message. And I can’t say everyone will.

It’s still the same today … I sing about having hope in God and making a difference in this world and not everyone is going to like  that. I continue to reach out to people and give them the courage to keep going with God and I hope that in the process that I don’t upset too many people to the point that they get in the way of what God might be doing … or that I light up any more aspiring arsonists!

You might say I could have been burned on the stage for my faith but no matter what I plan to keep telling everyone how much God loves them … even when they don’t want to hear!

Pete