PETER MAYER: Elements

Peter Mayer

Elements

© 2001 Peter Mayer (683698120528)

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A welcoming voice, inventive guitar work, and insightful and humorous songs: the complete acoustic singer-songwriter package. Brought to you by Peppermint.

tracks

1 Molly O'Malley's
2 The Birthday Party
3 Skyblaster Man
4 Canoe Song
5 World of Dreams
6 The Dark
7 Scatterbrain
8 Running with the Buffalo
9 Astronaut Dreams
10 O Sun
11 Easy Street
12 Magic Beans
13 The Introvert Song
14 Moon River

notes

"Peter writes very smart songs, but the nice thing about them is they don't feel smart while you're listening to them. There's a lot of fun in them but also wisdom, which is the sort of thing that rewards repeated listening." -Minnesota Public Radio

"Mayer's songs are crafted like Shaker furniture, with no place for superfluous embellishment or throwaway lines."
- Acoustic Guitar Magazine

"This native of Minnesota is a master storyteller"
- Folks Roots Magazine

Mountains and motorcycles; pigs, pubs, and planets; insight, hope and humor--such are the ingredients one finds in the songs of Peter Mayer. Earthy and intimate, Mayer's songs invite the listener to consider the deeper aspects of life. The standard lyrical dish of love lost and found is not on his menu, rather, it consists of an eclectic blend of thoughtful songs about the collective human journey. His welcoming voice and inventive guitar work along with his honest delivery provide the perfect vehicle for his down-home wisdom.

Peter's discography:
"Elements" (2001)
"Million Year Mind" (1999)
"Bountiful" (1997)
"Straw House Down" (1995)
"Uncrowded Sky" (1993)

Peter's accolades and awards include:
1999 McKnight Fellowship for Performing Musicians
1998 NACA Midwest Hall of Fame Award
1998 Lyons Folk Festival Songwriting Competition Finalist
1998 Telluride Troubadour Songwriting Competition Finalist

Note - There are two musicians named Peter Mayer. This CD is by the Peter Mayer who is a solo acoustic singer-songwriter based in Minnesota. The other Peter Mayer plays guitar with Jimmy Buffett and has CDs including Green Eyed Radio and Romeo's Garage.

reviews

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  • author: David Kleiner

    Peter Mayer's "Elements" succeeds as an in-concert recording because it reveals what a studio recording cannot. It is an autobiographical Periodic Table charting the primary attributes of great performance, life's spiritual quest, and Peter Mayer himself. "Molly O'Malley," the opener (and one of only two studio cuts) establishes that "everybody's in the band," accompanying Mayer as musicians--whether joining in "with voices.." or simply listening "with attentive eyes and ears"--and as pilgrims together on the journey. Mayer welcomes us into a mystical watering hole where, over the door and above the bar, hang two questions which resonate throughout the CD: Is this a place of many souls or just one very large one? Are there many songs or just one that goes on and on? "Molly O'Malley" also demonstrates the elements of Mayer's appealing guitar style: alternately percussive ("Astronaut Dreams"), rhythmic ("Canoe Song"), melodic ("O Sun") or here, all of the above. In Mayer's capable hands the instrument sounds like a calliope one moment, an orchestra the next and then a cleanly picked guitar á la Dave Van Ronk ("The Dark"). As the concert continues, composed almost exclusively of cuts from venues throughout the U.S, we hear Mayer drawing in audiences with an embracing spirituality leavened with melody, poetry and humor (as in self-deprecating songs like the whimsical "Scatterbrain"). The lyrics discover universal truths in the dilemmas of individuals ("Running with the Buffalo," "Astronaut Dreams") and in the absurd. "The Birthday Party" finds Mohammed and Buddha trading "bits of news and stories from these thousand years" riding the train to Jesus' birthday bash. Jesus' departing message to the avatars and seekers who have joined him, "Hey, let's not be strangers," suits a world in which those of different faiths continue to be strangers and worse, but how sweet indeed to smile as we face such unpleasant truth. Mayer's melodies move unexpectedly enough to keep things interesting but never stray too far from something hum-able. Mayer's on-stage patter, at a minimum here, is a model for singer-songwriters, as is his work with the accompanists showcased in two tunes. Mayer is a performer at the top of his game who knows that the secret to living in a world of perplexing questions is enjoying the search for answers. "Elements" helps.

  • Spicing up the music scene with quaint and heart-born songs, this CD is the extr
    author: Tamara D. Turner

    A solo acoustic singer-songwriter based in Minnesota, he could be your neighbor next door, or an undeniable folk voice of the times with unpretentious, sensitive, open-hearted and spicy songwriting. This rival of David Wilcox (with pockets full of truths like loose change) fills in the gaps of modern male folk, addressing every day, yet operative issues in our normal or not so normal lives; everything from I/IE personality types to middle-aged fable heroes who have run out of hope. Intimate and engaging with a cafe atmosphere that conjures up smooth lattes and the space to ponder the creamy froth of life's lessons and trivialities, this is a CD that modern folk lovers will keep on 'repeat'.

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