Music makin' man
Current Projects:
The Maids
www.reverbnation.com/themaids
I'm currently drummin for an amazing song writer and friend of mine, Zack Kelley. Uncle Zax has assembled a fun and talented group of musicians for this outfit. We've been rehearsing a lot lately and have played some groovy gigs here in Oberlin the past few months. We just started laying down tracks for our first demo. Check out our page:
www.reverbnation.com/themaids
Check out Zack's MySpace page here.
Projects past:
Open Mic @ Agave
For just over a year, I helped run and MC a weekly open mic night at our local beloved burrito bar and tequilaria, Agave. We sure had a blast and witnessed some AMAZING acts during my time as MC. The open mic lives on, but I had to duck out of the scene 'cause I just had too darn much going on.
One of these days, I'm gonna make my way back to Open Mic and sing some Warren Zevon, Neil Young andend the night with our traditional closer by the Band, The Weight.
One of these days, I'm gonna make my way back to Open Mic and sing some Warren Zevon, Neil Young andend the night with our traditional closer by the Band, The Weight.
Will Butler and James Peake
Zack Kelley and Bobby Stevens
Jazz for Men
Bria Bonet
Compass Rose
A few years back I made a conscious effort to start learning cover songs by other artists. This was largely due to my involvement in the Open Mic scene where I had a weekly incentive to learn new tunes. Plus, you gotta know cover songs if you want to perform music but you don't write too many songs of your own. Thus, the creation of Compass Rose, my folk rock country cover band. This is an outfit that has had a few different incarnations. The first consisted of me, singer Leah Gage and violinist Andrew Parsons. We sang an eclectic set of music including songs by George Harrison, Tears for Fears and Warren Zevon.
Andrew Parsons, James Peake and Leah Gage performing at Mike's Barn. Photo by Bud Mesker.
Last winter, I was given the opportunity to put together a band to perform at a local benefit concert to raise money for an 8th Grade field trip to Washington D.C. I had always wanted to put together a country swing band, and this benefit gave me the chance. The country incarnation of Compass Rose included Janie Cowan on the upright bass, Aiden Plank on the accordion, Andy Cook on Drums, and Kevin Jones on the lap steel, banjo and mandolin. We played a lot of Hank Williams tunes, plus a few others by Buck Owens and Jerry Jeff Walker. Kevin and I are already working on some new tunes for a Compass Rose reunion.