I released my second album "Missing Anchor" this time last year. The album featured songs about Abraham Lincoln, Trayvon Martin, Occupy Wall Street, off-shore money sheltering, and finding a birthday home. I'm very happy with the overall effort, and every time I listen to it I count my blessings for working with talented folks like Andrew Sole, Christopher Elam, Shelley Miller, Rick Riggs and more. While it is available on iTunes (search for "peebler"), you can listen to it here now in full:
I had hoped to continue the one-album per year pace, and squeeze something into the end of 2013, but I think recording and launching a new album at the beginning of 2014 that I can promote all year long might make better sense. On the plus side, I've been writing more music this year than all my previous years of doing this, and I've been using SoundCloud to drop a few demos here and there. But recent experiences at the 2013 Folk Alliance Region Midwest conference, especially spending time with Charlie Mosbrook and post-conference dialog with Dan Weber, along with a deeper sense of purpose and confidence as an artist should yield something pretty compelling as I go back and add some much needed depth and careful intention to each of the songs I'd like to have on the new album, "Fire and Steam".
This past year I've had a chance to perform at some terrific venues with many talented people in Chicago -- the community in the city is mind-blowingly supportive, and some of my favorite nights have been participating in the Chicago Songwriter Alliance at venues like Hungry Brain, Tonic Room and Uncommon Ground. These nights also guided my thinking on the new album. Ideas I gathered at the Chicago Music Summit hosted by the City of Chicago also may prove to be invaluable as I also have to devote equal time to what happens after I release the new album compared to what I have to do to write and record the songs.
Immediate news though: this coming weekend I'll be doing two sets as part of ChillFest Chicago. I'll be performing new songs that likely will end up on my new album. Hope you can come by and be a part of this new festival I hope becomes an annual tradition! Plus, it's FREE and you can walk around and hear music all afternoon long in the Wicker Park Bucktown neighborhood! I'm performing at Doggie Style Pet Shop at 12:30 and Alliance Bakery at 2:00 -- follow the link for more details!
November 16th, 2013