Today we’d like to introduce you to Peter Lehman.
Hi Peter, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I first picked up the guitar when I was around 12 or 13. In high school, I wanted to start a punk/grunge band. That dream was interrupted when my family moved from Alaska to Missouri when I was 16.
After moving to Missouri, my musical interests changed after being exposed to bluegrass and gospel music in the area. An elder from church took me under his wing and taught me about bluegrass and gospel and I played in church and in bluegrass “picking” sessions.
Fast forward a few years. My dad became sick with cancer and passed away when I was 20. The music was put on hold and I went to trade school to become a welder and straight to work shortly thereafter. I worked on the road around the country for years on big industrial projects.
My guitar sat in the corner. I also self-medicated in the wake of my father’s death and I struggled with alcohol addiction for the majority of my 20s. Fast forward another few years. At age 28, I finally became sober and I started picking up my guitar again. I started writing songs and they just poured out of me. I dug into folk, blues, soul, and more and soaked it all up like a sponge.
Music healed me but it also became what I wanted to do with my life. I’ve dedicated myself to the craft and I continue to learn and improve and expand to this day. I still have my day job as a welder but I’m no longer on the road. I settled in Memphis, got married and I’m planting roots. I hope to one day become a full-time musician.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The first obstacle was my alcohol addiction. Once I got that out of the way and confronted my father’s death and made my peace with it, everything else became so much easier. Things just started falling into place.
In regards to the music, it’s been a constant battle balancing it with my day job but since I took a local job and got off the road it has been easier. I now work normal hours and I have more time to write and record music.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a solo artist and have yet to have had the band I’ve always dreamed of having so I’ve had to go at it alone. But I think the isolation informed my playing and songwriting style and as a result, I’ve developed a unique finger-picking style on the guitar where I play bass, lead, and rhythm simultaneously.
I also write, arrange, record, and produce all of my work in my home studio. If I don’t know how to play an instrument I’m hearing in my head, I’ll learn how to play it. I’ve added bass, keyboard, and percussion to my repertoire and I’m working on improving my skills on those instruments. I started with the blues but I’m influenced by so much more. I pull from many sources and I try to come out with something that’s a mix of my favorite genres but something that’s also my own. I believe in doing what best serves the song.
I would say my music is a mix of blues, soul, rock, psychedelia, and Americana.
I strive not be pigeonholed but also to not be all over the place. It’s a fine line. One of my singles attracted the attention of a small record label in France called Blackfish records. That led to a partnership to release my last album, Agnostic Spiritual, on vinyl. I’m very proud of that achievement and I’m happy to have a business relationship with the great people at that label. I’m looking forward to seeing where that goes. I’m also proud of my latest batch of recordings which have yet to be released.
I really expanded the sound and tried a lot of new things. I plan on releasing it all this year. An album plus several singles. I also plan on playing out more since the pandemic is winding down, although my favorite place to be is in the studio.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I love the rich musical history of Memphis.
Most of my favorite music was recorded right here and that’s like magic to me. I feel inspired by just living here and walking where the greats walked. You’ve got Stax, Sun, Royal, and more. It’s incredible. I’ve met a lot of great people in this city from many different walks of life and from all over. It feels like a small town.
There are a lot of great creatives here and a vibrant music and arts scene. It’s not without its crime, of course, and I could do without the rough roads and outdated power grid but I’m happy to call Memphis home.
Contact Info:
- Email: contact@peterjlehman.com
- Website: https://www.peterjlehman.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peterlehmanmusic/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/peterjlehman/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UC4309kSTlirdJGuplUXDgbg
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6WHCNfqSil7sCKqoPEM64D?si=nx7Pv6fSRPesVu2hI561lA
