Pete Herzog

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I started playing at the age of 8 on a lap steel. I learned the slide and playing using all the harmonics and overtones I could wring out of an instrument. As a teenager the lap steel wasn't "cool" and I switched to a regular guitar, but I eventually was drawn to playing bottleneck and various open tunings. I discovered blues , bluegrass, and other roots type music, most of which are played finger style, not knowing any better, ignorance being blissful, I learned to play this style with a flat-pick, not traditional but giving me a little different style and sound. When I first heard the blues I was instantly taken with the style, so similar to Hawaiian music in approach yet so different in sound and effect. Both types of music use the instrument as another voice, using all the harmonics and overtones to make the guitar sing.

I use several different guitars often tuned in several different modal tunings. One of my favorites is a Kay arch top from the 30's that I use for slide. It was bought in the 40's in a Chicago pawn shop by a friend of mine who gave it to me before he passed on. I'd clean it up but the essence of all those before me who have played it colors the tone, sometime I think it knows more about the blues than I do.

I spent time working on the railroad as a gandydancer on a traveling steel gang, learning arhoolies and steel driving songs sung as they were originally given voice. I learned "linin track" while lining track. I learned call and response style songs while driving rail road spikes into hard wood ties. As in blues, the beat and the rhythm are the most important things, it's dangerous to get mixed up swinging 12lb. Hammers.

I've always been attracted to a common sound that reaches back through the ages and touches all people at a basic level. Even when composing a contemporary song I strive to make connections with those ancient places and feelings. Born in the city but living most of my life in the country I relate strongly with rural music, the delta and country blues and the roots of bluegrass and jug band styles. I've lived most of my life in the country on a dirt road and spent countless hours pickin guitar on the back porch To me the blues has always been more than three chords and twelve bars, sometimes one chord is plenty to tell the story and convey the feeling I'm trying to put out. The blues is mostly about a man and woman, the yin and yang, the light and dark, the tension and release, but it doesn't always have to be sad. Some of my favorite blues are more about I'm happy to see you , let's do something about that.

I've played for many years, tried bands, but they had too much drama, did some solo stuff, finally became disillusioned with playing out and just spent my time pickin on the porch. After a hiatus from music I've come back to it. Now as an older and wiser fellow I'm back to playing music in public. It's been especially gratifying reconnecting with old friends and making new. Now I have a CD that has had many helping hands along the way from many friends whom I can't possibly thank enough.

I've been playing for about 50 years, started on a lap steel. Very early on I developed an interest in the blues, especially country blues, but I am also interested in many different styles of music. I've always been interested in using all the harmonics and overtones and in open tunings.

Taj Mahall, Robert Johnson, David Bromberg, everybody I've ever heard, played with, or talked to.