Peter Blast "A Plush Horse...with a Monkey on a String" By: Chris Rockson / Soundcheck-Magazine / UK Track Listing Hurt Dead Or Alive If Only I Had A Crystal Ball Butterflies & Damsels In Distres Roller Coasters & Carousels Lay Down Here Chinese Dragonflies Crashing Through Twilight My Right Arm, Wrong Vain The Last Word Number 2 A Silhouette In The Sun On A Derailed Train I Ain't Cursed Peter Blast dazzles. Peter Blast shines. Peter Blast rocks... in fact Peter Blast makes me sick! How can one person be so talented? I tell ya, it’s just unfair! He has a habit of writing some of the most catchy, beautiful and dream-tastic music, with just enough rock to make it all roll. This latest release doesn’t deviate one bit from this winning formula and in fact, improves it slightly!! I love it! He’s like a fine Barolo, aged nicely and well-rounded as a performer. On this disc, he drafted in the assistance of some other equally talented friends, Bob Lizik [Brian Wilson Group] and Steve Conte [ New York Dolls] being two. The show gets itself on the road with the opening track ‘Hurt’, an upbeat rocker, with shades of the guitar styles of Wood and Richards thrown in for good measure. This is a good sign, the production is right on the money, Blast’s own work! Kudos!! Next up is the tribute to Johnny Thunders. Blast drafted in Steve Conte for this one, ‘Dead Or Alive’ Thunders’ classic from 1978. Adding Conte into the fray is a masterstroke of genius, the guitar work of these two complement each other perfectly, and the use of the classic combination of a P90, screaming through a Fender Twin, manages to reproduce Johnny’s sound. It’s not a ‘Copy Cat’ though, this is a complete re-working of an old friends work. It rocks! Get the volume up to eleven for this one!! There is extensive use of slide, acoustic and percussion throughout the collection of beautifully crafted songs on this disc, it’s a pure joy to listen to! ‘If Only I Had A Crystal Ball’ is quite psychedelic in its approach and breaks up the action just long enough and then the moving ‘Butterflies & Damsels In Distress’ kicks in. Man, this cat can write a song! With its “Fly Away” choruses and backwards e-bowed guitar work in the shadows, it’s a tear jerker for sure! The next three songs show what a diverse writing style Blast has, with the lovely ‘Roller Coasters & Carousels’, ‘Lay Down Here’ and the wonderful ‘ Chinese Dragonflies’ with its beautiful guitar solo, and almost ‘Waltz-like’ timing. Has Lou Reed walked in on the action? The wonderful piece of work known as ‘Crashing Through Twilight’ could feature on any of Reeds’ later albums, with its massively overdriven, feed-back and louder than loud guitar blitz. He’s testing us…making sure he has your attention right before we’re treated to the best song on the CD, ‘My Right Arm, Wrong Vain’…. ”The Gypsy Woman Got It All Wrong” goes the lyric amongst a sea of acoustic and low-key electric guitar work. ‘The Last Word number 2’ steps up the action one more time. This is a killer track which will surely become a major crowd pleaser. There is a buzz about this CD, Blast has crafted something unique here…. ”every dog gotta have it’s day” well surely soon, Blast will get the recognition he so rightly deserves!! Did I mention the best track on the disc already? Oh, no, I’ve had to change my mind again…’cos there’s something better than the last one and it’s captured the feeling beautifully..’A Silhouette In The Sun’ is a most pleasing instrumental piece and contains some gorgeous guitar work. How do you get a sound like that? This guy has got it all wrapped up in a perfect package! Not only is he a killer musician, he’s a lovely family guy too! Blast seals the deal with the inclusion of a coupla old ones, ‘On A Derailed Train’ and ‘I Ain’t Cursed’ which have both been featured here before, but still don’t fail you…they’re pure, guitar blasting rockers… ’He ain’t cursed, poisoned or condemned y’know!’ Do yourselves a favour, get a copy of this CD right now, you know it makes sense! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18. November, 2008 **Ringo Kid** / RockandRollCental / Norway Two rockers upfront and I like it! Peter Blast sure gets that cool guitar sound rolling, and this time he even got some wonderful guitar-playing by New York Doll, Steve Conte. Check out the two first numbers, Hurt and Johnny Thunders' Dead or Alive and you'll hear what these two guys sound like together. What a pair! Hope they'll do more together in the future. But it's not only rockers and it's a challenging album, that's for sure! "If I Only Had a Crystal Ball" is quite different from anything else I've heard from Blast, and as gypsy as ever. I'm not sure if I really get it, but it got a sense of mystique, and that's alright. "A Plush Horse..." is a strong album. The songs are really good, with lots of beautiful melodies and clever arrangements. It don't exactly sound like this is just wham-bam hammered in the studio in a day. There's lots of thoughts and passion put into this album, I bet, and maybe that makes some of the songs a bit tough to get hold of right away. If you're the impatient kind of guy, like myself, you better have some time for yourself, poor yourself a nice drink and relax and play them over again. There certainly are a couple of juicy song-titles to choose from. "Butterflies & Damsels In Distress", being one, and two instrumentals shines bright on the track-list as "Crashing Through Twilight" and "Silhouettes In The Sun". The most beautiful song of them all, is one called Chinese Dragonflies. Really lovely guitar-playing and Blast sings it really well. For sure a new favourite for me. Another cool thing he's done - he's given "The Last Word" (originally on the album Explode) a well earned and rocking treatment. It suits the song and must be a showstopper live. Two well known tracks close it all up, both already used on the very good "Pure Organic Junk" compilation, and though I would've loved to get another pair of rockers like these, "On A Derailed Train" and "I Ain't Cursed" are nothing but smashing. So I'm satisfied, and that's not every day! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The New York Waste By: Victoria Cross Peter: Portrait of a Serial Rocker Veteran Chicago guitar slinger and rock’n roll singer Peter Blast blew through NYC over Columbus Day weekend on a dive bar tour of Desmond’s Tavern, Hanks Saloon (Brooklyn) and everyone’s favorite tiki lounge, Otto’s Shrunken Head. Mr. Blast was joined on stage by longtime drummer/collaborator Dan Curry (ex Hi-Fi and the Roadburners), badass bassist Spyder Darling and lead guitar superstar Charles Darling of local glam-punks Detox Darlings. The three night adventure in high decibel debauchery was in support of Mr. Blast’s new CD “Pure Organic Junk” (Poptown) a 15-track anthology of signature songs, rarities and two new tracks recorded especially for the album. Extensive as it is, covering the past 15 years of Blast’s career, that still leaves the first fifteen years unaccounted for. A time that included associations with Johnny Thunders, Stiv Bators, ‘80s hair metal mavens Enuff Z’nuff and the contribution of a song for the soundtrack of the cult film classic “Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer.” “It cost five dollars to get in, it’s gonna cost $10 to get out!” Blast said to the post Mets game crowd at Desmond’s and after a brief instrumental intro the set left the station with “On a Derailed Train” one of the new songs recorded for “Pure Organic Junk”. Blast’s voice was surprisingly strong considering innumerable Newport cigarettes, raspberry vodka shots and a physique so switchblade skinny he barely outweighs his guitar, a Gibson Les Paul TV Special that, like most of Peter’s act, is remarkably similar to his dear departed friend Johnny Thunders’ yet unique enough to call Peter’s own. Oh and Peter’s still alive, big difference there. Together Blast and band played with an astonishing intent and cohesion that belied their brief history: one rehearsal the night before. Spyder’s bass rumbled like my stomach on McDonalds’ Quarter Pounders with Cheese, yet locked in a hot pocket with Curry’s spicy meat and potatoes drumming, while Charles’s scorching leads topped off the mix like a fine crème brûle. A gourmet rock’n roll recipe indeed and like a good pot of chili it got even better over the next couple nights. Meanwhile back at the microphone, Mr. Blast’s vocals and attitude recalled the before mentioned Johnny Thunders and Stiv Bators as well as Kevin K, another rock’n roll gypsy keeping the torch of Rolling Stones/New York Dolls style rock aflame in an era where most band’s excitement level begins and end with their name: Panic At the Disco, My Chemical Romance and those God awful Queens of the Stone Age. At twice most of those so-called rockers age Peter still rolls with an authority proving he’s very much alive, well and “As Sharp As a Knife” as ever. He reaffirmed his status as a survivor with “I Ain’t Cursed” before paying homage to his Chicago blues roots with the slow twelve bar boogie of “It’s a Cruel, Cruel World”. Later, the middle-eastern rhythms of “If I Had a Crystal Ball” showcased the diversity of Blast’s influences. After 45 minutes the rock’n roller coaster ride concluded with a pharmaceutical strength rendition of “Pills” Bo Diddley’s oft covered ode to rock’n roll nurses and their heady bedside manner. Peter’s next blast-terrific show the following night at Hank’s Saloon in Brooklyn showed the band developing faster than Lindsay Lohan on human growth hormone and was a Hell of a lot more hospitable in terms of venue than Desmond’s. From its flame painted walls and dimly lit interior, to the back-line of house amps and drum kit, Hank’s is miles more musician friendly than Desmond’s and the band even gets two free cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon, each. Welcome to the big time boys. On stage Peter and co. flamed through a hot rocking set and that met the approval of Hank’s lively, paycheck-drinking patrons as opposed to the usual fluorescent lights, barflies and surly bartenders of Desmond’s. Ain’t it funny (strange, not ha-ha) how Brooklyn bands used to rehearse and dream of playing in Manhattan and now with CBGB closed and Continental without a stage, Manhattan bands have to come to Brooklyn to get a decent gig. I’m all for irony but this is friggin’ ridiculous. The last night of a rock’n roll tour is always bittersweet and Sunday evening’s gig at Otto’s Shrunken Head was no exception, especially since Blast and the new band were congealing like Jell-o shots at a July 4th picnic, but when their next show will be is yet to be determined. Following Otto’s late afternoon rock’n roll flea market, Peter and the group incinerated a short set to make room for the other acts on cigar chomping, promoter-at-large, Frank Wood’s weekly “Wind Down Sunday”. Though it was a night without “Orange Sunshine” Blast’s sonic flashback to a five day acid trip taken by he and his late ‘70s band Degeneration (no relation to Jesse Malin and co.) the abbreviated set left more time for fond farewells over fancy umbrella drinks at the tiki bar. It was an explosive time following Peter, Spyder, Charles and Dan around and you’d be advised to do the same next time Chicago’s serial rocker comes to town. Spring dates are in the works, but hopefully the “Windy City” will blow Mr. Blast back sooner. Meanwhile, pick up a copy of “Pure Organic Junk” today. It’s just what the rock’n roll doctor ordered to keep your ears ringing, head banging and toes tapping till Peter’s “Derailed Train” rolls into NYC again. Go For It Baby!!! This CD is also Available on Amazon for physical sales and Downloads, itunes, etc..-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------