RGG June 2016 - p.8
RGG:
How would you describe your sound?
PTR :
Hmmm... varied, emotional. My song lyrics
have generally come before the music so they
tend to direct the music. I'm not a trained
musician but I get by. I'm into a broad range of
music and don't try to sound like anyone but my
sound is probably most influenced my the music
of Eels, Neil Young, Pulp, Crowded House, The
White Stripes & The Beautiful South. I'm currently
flirting with a more punkier sound too - I'm not one
to stick to a particular way of doing things, that
would get boring.
"I'm not a musician, I'm just
trying to let it all out"
'Let it all out'
RGG:
You came to music later in life than most,
how did that happen?
PTR:
It was a necessity. Growing up, I had very
little exposure to music other than 80s pop charts
which wasn't particularly inspiring. Most of my life
I shied away from pushing & testing myself. I had
let myself become dull & unhappy and that
needed to change. I began writing songs as I tried
to make sense of the fears and internal conflicts
that had built up in my head throughout my life.
The songs helped me realise what I needed from
life and that life was there to be lived. My songs
helped me resolve my issues and taught me to
embrace life. I'd never seriously tried to play an
instrument before but when I was 37 I walked into
my local guitar shop Rockstar Guitars in
Blackheath, feeling like a fish out of water. They
helped me with the basics and encouraged me to
put music to my songs - something I'd never
thought possible.
"Get up and face the day,
you're no use where you lay"
'Face The Day'
RGG:
What do you hope to achieve from making
music?
PTR:
I'm not out to be an entertainer but I'd love
my songs to be heard more widely in the hope
that they might help other people in the way they
helped me to overcome my fears and make the
most of life. I want people to realise that they can
be the person they want to be, without having to
conform to other people's expectations or way of
doing things.
“Life is a jumper you wear as
best as you can, embrace all
the holes and the loose
threads, it's the mistakes
that make the man”
'It's my jumper'
JUNE
11
PLAYING LIVE AT
WOLVESFEST 2016
Williams
Peter Williams (the use of “PTR” is to prevent confusion with the former member
of Birmingham's Dexys of the same name) is a solo singer/songwriter based in
Halesowen, playing both acoustic & electric guitar. He's performing at this years
Wolves Fest on Saturday June 11th at the Wolverhampton Rugby Club and RGG
recently caught up with him for some deeper insight into the music.
