Pete Pidgeon & Arcoda

Artist Information

Biography

Recognized in five categories in the first round of voting for the 2012 Grammy Awards, Pete Pidgeon’s “credibly original approach,” as stated by Rolling Stone contributor Jesse Jarnow, is rooted in stories of perseverance and overcoming struggle – reflections of Pete’s true-life experiences – designed to uplift the listener as much as his own spirit. Pidgeon believes that nothing is impossible and no goal is too lofty – proven by his collaborations with Grammy and Platinum Record recipients Levon Helm (The Band), David LaBruyere (John Mayer), Nikki Glaspie (Beyoncé) and Fareed Haque (Sting).

Jack Bookbinder, former member of Jeff Buckley’s management team, recognizes Pete’s passion and has advised him since discovering his talents at the 2008 Jeff Buckley Tribute Concert in New York City, a performance Jack described as, “Amazing.” Jack recalls he was “struck by Pete’s jaw-dropping vocals and approach to artistry reminiscent of the Lower East Side’s Cafe Sin-e-era scene.” Similarly, Jambands.com elaborates, “Pidgeon’s singing chops have always set him apart from the pack ... he displays a simply fearless mastery of feel-the-note-and-it-will-come vocals.”

Pete’s lyrics and “acute songwriting prowess,” as described by Relix Magazine, have been recognized by the Sony BMG and Tompkins Square labels, FOX Television, MTV, BET and The Blue Man Group who hired Pete as a band member at Boston’s Charles Playhouse. Pete's music has been placed in films that have won awards at the Boston International Movie Festival, Los Angeles Reel Film Festival, Boston International Movie Festival, Bare Bones Film Festival and Honolulu Film Festival.

Radio airplay on 238 international stations, including a #3 college radio peak, support from core stations KEXP (Seattle) and WERS (Boston) and placement on WKZE’s “Top 10 Indie Releases of The Year” has has resulted in worldwide exposure.

Based in New York City, Pidgeon frequently performs at Lower East Side staples Rockwood Music Hall, The Living Room and Arlene’s Grocery, the later two of which he has filled. U.S. tours from Boston’s House of Blues to Hollywood’s Pig N’ Whistle and Nashville’s famous Bluebird Café have given rise to physical cd sales in North America and internationally on iTunes and Amazon.

Pete’s current EP “Growing Pains” was recorded at Sony Studios in Nashville, with a rhythm section of bassist David LaBruyere (John Mayer) and drummer Steve Brewster (Jewel) and debuted at #9 on the college radio charts. Grammy-winning engineer Eric Gorman (Herbie Hancock) mixed the three-song collection. The music video for the first single, “Will,” stars Danish actress/ Chanel model Kristina Korsholm and Ford model Lasse Larsen and was shot by Sundance Film Festival Nominee Ryan Dickie. The short film, produced and directed by Pidgeon, unapologetically confronts the currently rampant societal issues of suicide and relationship abuse.

Giving back to the community, Pete volunteers with addiction-addled teens at the New York City-based organization Road Recovery. Pete, now sober, proclaims, “Coming from a similar background, it is enriching to contribute in ways that improve the mental and physical health of so many through the medicine of music.”

Instrumentation

Pete Pidgeon - Guitar, Lead Vocals
Jake St. John - Drums, Backing Vocals
Marty Isenberg - Bass, Backing Vocals

Discography

Radio airplay on 238 international stations, including a #3 college radio peak, support from core stations KEXP (Seattle) and WERS (Boston) and placement on WKZE’s “Top 10 Indie Releases of The Year”.

ORIGINAL DISCOGRAPHY:
Growing Pains (2010)
In the Name of Megan Smith (2010)
Revolution In Thought - soundtrack (2010)
Toy Soldier - soundtrack (2009)
Doubt Is For Losers (2007)
Happy Song EP (2005)
Overserved - soundtrack (2004)
...At First Sight (2003)
...At First Sight Sampler (2003 )
Live In Boston (2002)
Arcoda Sampler 2002 (2002)
Live At Harpers Ferry (2001)
New Paltz - soundtrack (2001)
Open Mic - soundtrack (2000)
Raise the Roof (1998)
Pete Pidgeon - demo EP (1997)

VIDEOGRAPHY:
Will - music video (2011)
I Give Up (by R.H. Bless) - music video (2011)
Relax Ya Mind (by R.H. Bless) - music video (2011)
Unprotected - music video (2010)
The Showcase Presents (by Check Stubs) - tv series (2010)
Revolution In Thought (by Monica Watkins) - DVD (2010)
The Clifford Ball (by Phish) - DVD (2009)
Made - MTV tv series (2008)
Music Instruction Online Video Series (Expert Village) (2008)
Mira's Song (by Glen River) - feature film (2002)
Hard Rock Live (VH1) - tv series (2000)
Open Mic (by Glen River) - documentary (2000)
Phish - Clifford Ball MTV Special (MTV) (1996)

SESSION DISCOGRAPHY:
Sleep In the Morning/ Comeback, Jessica Betts (2011)
Body, Lajune Grant (2011)
Wide Awake, Poppa Sim (2011)
What’s Good, R.H. Bless (2011)
I Give Up, R.H. Bless (2011)
The Recovery, Michelle Cruz (2010)
The Clubs (CD w/ bonus tracks), The Clubs (2010)
The Clubs (vinyl), The Clubs (2010)
Signs In the Present, Daniel Cohen (2010)
All That I Didn’t Say, Sheila Griffin (2010)
Let Her Go, Randall McFarlane (2010)
Indica Dove Sei, Vonrenzo (2009)
Not Saying Never, Michelle Cruz (2009)
Pop Radio Sampler Volume IX #2, Various Artists (2009)
Into the Park Tonight, Jon Hildenstein (2009)
Anthem, Sam Kininger Band (2008)
Weight, Stairs To the Roof (2006)
The Benways, The Benways (2006)
River Run 06, The Benways (2006)
Raya’s Suite, Jeremy Stein (2005)
Tell Me, Kourtni Danner (2003)
Live at Great Scott, Jester’s Dead (2001)

Links

• Facebook
• MySpace
• ReverbNation

Audio

• Will
  Listen  
• Growing Pains
  Listen  
• Don't Say Goodnight
  Listen  
• Dreamland Lovers
  Listen  
• Dream With Me
  Listen  

Lyrics

• Will
• Growing Pains
• Don't Say Goodnight
• Dreamland Lovers
• Dream With Me

Video

Will (Official Music Video) - Pete Pidgeon and Arcoda

Photo Gallery

Press

• Pete Pidgeon – Growing Pains EP [+ Show ]
  

  It’s not often I’m first grabbed by a voice. Normally it’s the production or plainly the overall sou...It’s not often I’m first grabbed by a voice. Normally it’s the production or plainly the overall sound of what I’m hearing. Rarely do I focus in on one piece and say “YES, I LOVE THIS”.
  
  Listening to Pete Pidgeon I’m immediately drawn to his voice. So strong yet so smooth. It’s no wonder that the former manager of Jeff Buckley, Jack Bookbinder is now [advising] Pete. The comparison is there but one you wouldn’t immediately pick up on.
  
  For all the NYC folks out there, Pete Pidgeon is having his CD release party this Saturday, October 9th at The Living Room in NYC. From the sounds of the EP, this is going to be a show not to miss.
  
  Recorded in Nashville at the amazing Sony Studios “A Room”, the EP sounds phenomenal, is phenomenal, and will be a record to put on repeat. Need further proof of the awesomeness? Mr. Eric Gorman (Herbie Hancock) mixed this EP. Trust me, it’s great.
  
  But most importantly I recommend all in NYC to make out to The Living Room for the CD release party. I can pretty much promise an amazing night of music.

• "In the Name of Megan Smith" Review [+ Show ]
  

  Get out your handkerchiefs, folks. Not only does Pete Pidgeon’s In the Name of Megan Smith featur...Get out your handkerchiefs, folks.
  
  Not only does Pete Pidgeon’s In the Name of Megan Smith feature the result of some serious vocal woodshedding by the Brooklyn-based musician – he’s also mastered the art of turning your heart totally inside-out. Pidgeon’s singing chops have always set him apart from the pack (beginning with his work on 2003’s …At First Sight), but on his latest album, he displays a simply fearless mastery of feel-the-note-and-it-will-come vocals. Combine that with a collection of soul-baring tunes and you have an album whose beauty and openness are almost enough to make you blush.
  
  If Pidgeon’s past efforts established him as conversant in the art of jampop, Megan Smith finds him a talented translator of the language of the heart. There’s no smoke or mirrors on this album – the instrumentation is sparse (and mostly acoustic) and Pidgeon’s vocals are as untreated as they are untethered. (No Auto-Tune gimmickry here, folks.)
  
  “Love is love is love is love,” Pidgeon assures us over a gently-rippling piano on “Soon To Be Sunday”, while “This Opening” feels as familiar on the first listen as an old Harry Nilsson tune. On “Enlightened”, Pidgeon’s guitar easily swings from moments of flamenco-flavored percussion to lovely Stephen Stills-ish chording while dancing with his vocals. The righteous centerpiece of the album, however, is the title tune.
  
  Go back to Joshua Tree-era U2, give Edge a mandolin instead of an electric guitar and loop pedal, and you might come close to the slow-building wallop of “In the Name of Megan Smith”. (By the way, the tune is named for a long-vanished love from Pidgeon’s elementary school days.) The emotion rolls in like gentle surf through the first couple of verses, gathering momentum until it peaks in a lovely cascade of sweetly trilling mando, timpani-entwined acoustic guitar, and heartfelt vocals by Pidgeon. The music subsides (the surf retreats back along the sand) and the listener is left knowing that it doesn’t get much more real and open than that. Take a deep breath and go on … just as a young Pete Pidgeon did all those years ago.

• "In the Name of Megan Smith" Review [+ Show ]
  

  Soulful personal reflections is perhaps the optimal way to describe the musical journey Pete Pidgeon...Soulful personal reflections is perhaps the optimal way to describe the musical journey Pete Pidgeon guides listeners through in his latest solo offering "In The Name of Megan Smith". Gone are the high-energy pop sounds Pete Pidgeon and Arcoda released on its 2007 album "Doubt Is For Losers". Pidgeon’s solo sound consists entirely of gently woven acoustic guitars, violins and soft percussion behind tender, sometimes pleading, vocals finessing lyrics such as “Find your strength within/ don’t let ‘em get you down/” and “Is it just the voice inside/ the echoes of conversations ever had.” Consider these musical musings from the dark night of the soul.

• SPOTLIGHT [+ Show ]
  

  "Doubt Is, Indeed, For Losers" By Julie Min Pete Pidgeon imagines himself standing alone in the ..."Doubt Is, Indeed, For Losers"
  By Julie Min
  
  Pete Pidgeon imagines himself standing alone in the middle of a field, totally stripped of everything, isolated from the world. The lead singer and creative force behind Pete Pidgeon and Arcoda - the Boston-based rock/jazz/funk/ band - has very specific ideas of how music and creativity should manifest themselves. “If you can isolate yourself from the world around you, that’s when the ideas creep into your consciousness. Having an open mind and no one telling you what to do changes your creative flow,” says Pidgeon.
  
  Inspiration comes to him suddenly, in flashes of vision, and he will do anything to stay true to it. For his newest album, Doubt Is For Losers, Pidgeon was set on having fully orchestrated arrangements. He then decided to arrange each part separately and then spend extra money and time in recording and producing each instrument individually. Conceptually, like a jazz-influenced Sgt. Pepper’s or a less moody Pet Sounds, the album is an example of genre-defining pop excellence. With twists and turns of lush chords and arrangements, Pidgeon is very aware of the fact that he can get a bit excessive, in a good way.
  
  “I have visions of grandeur,” he says. “I don’t have realistic boundaries.” The process of songwriting and production is, to him, a constant mission. He says, “I’m a songwriter by birth and by nature of who I am. It’s my spirit.”
  
  But even this unshakable faith in his creative prophecy is susceptible to the human forces of insecurity and indecision. Doubt Is For Losers is an attempt to address and confront these struggles with doubt. The album begins optimistically with upbeat melodies and orchestral arrangements with titles like “Dream With Me,” “You’re My Girl,” and the title track. However, the album gets darker (and a lot more rock n’ roll) as songs such as “Treading Water” and “The Crusher” roll onto the scene. Things don’t look up again until the end of the album, with upbeat songs like “Julie” and “(I’m) Here With You.”
  
  Indeed, Pidgeon has had to overcome artistic and financial hurdles to get this latest album produced. He’s been through trying periods of doubt and debt - moments when he’s wondered if it was all worth it. Though with a small support system of friends, he’s been able to keep an optimistic outlook on his art. “I know what I want. It doesn’t matter how much money or time it’s going to take. I’m going to do it right. Even if it takes tens of thousands of dollars and two years.”
  
  The challenges he’s overcome in doggedly pursuing his artistic vision has led him to believe that, surely enough, doubt is for losers. “When you start to doubt that you can accomplish something, you’ve already lost. In that instant, you’re over. As long as you don’t doubt yourself, you can do anything you want,” Pidgeon adds.
  
  And through the melodic pop grandeur of Doubt, Pidgeon has yet to reconcile himself to the idea that perhaps there’s more to life than a relentless faith in his artistry. What he desires most is recognition from his peers. “The long term goal for me is respect of my peers, and that if somebody asked who I was, they would know who I was, and understand how much work I put into music.”
  
  This is a constant struggle for Pidgeon. His music is something that he wants to make independently and pursue relentlessly, regardless of convention or tradition. But what he longs for most of all is recognition and acceptance from the world around him.
  
  Pete Pidgeon has overcome his doubt. It’s obvious. But it seems he’s still looking for more. When he finds it - if he does - maybe his strict notions of art and being will evolve to something else. When he comes to reconcile his artistic vision with his more worldly needs, perhaps he’ll no longer be standing alone in the middle of his field of dreams.

• CD OF THE MONTH [+ Show ]
  

  "Walk with the confidence of the victor and he you shall become. Doubt is for losers." Pete Pidgeo..."Walk with the confidence of the victor and he you shall become. Doubt is for losers." Pete Pidgeon preaches his message of confidence through "Doubt Is For Losers", a playfully schizophrenic mix of Americana, hard rock, funk, jazz, folk, gospel, pop. Surprisingly, it works. Each track conveys a sense of hope, independence and optimism without beating the listener over the head with cheesy life-lessons. The catchy and theatrical vocal hooks don't fall far from Sufjan Stevens and Paul Simon, though the direct comparisons end there.
  
  The album features highly extensive production and instrumentation within the oft-shifting arrangements. "Faz" is a two-and-a-half-minute, hard-hitting, King Crimson-esque track featuring full string orchestrations and manic vocals. The following track, "What?," which also offers tightly orchestrated horn, string and timpani parts, sounds straight out of a Broadway songbook. Throughout the album, Pidgeon's vocals maintain a sense of purpose and confidence, in turn allowing a cohesive sonic voice to emerge through this seemingly random collection of shifting styles.
  
  Although the album's all-star cast is huge (with musicians' credits in the liner notes reading like a phone book), drummer Erick Kalb (DAP Kings, John Scofield) and Nate Edgar (John Brown's Body) serve as worthy contributors, though it's clear that Pidgeon is inarguably the music's driving force, serving as the key songwriter, producer and even art director.
  
  "Doubt Is For Losers" is a masterful record that deserves serious listens.

• "Doubt Is For Losers" UK Review [+ Show ]
  

  "Doubt Is For Losers" is an album of elevated pop songs from the acclaimed Boston band. Ambitious ar..."Doubt Is For Losers" is an album of elevated pop songs from the acclaimed Boston band. Ambitious arrangements and intrumentation (over 80 instruments are listed), proper tunes and sweet vocal harmonies come together with a comfortable Americana vibe and it’s no surprise that Levon Helm played on the debut album. From interviews online, they seem to be going for broke with this release, and so they should. It oozes confidence and class - what can possibly go wrong? Inspired pop for the masses, done right, and great artwork, too. www.petepidgeon.com
  Rob Forbes

• "Doubt Is.." Review - Boston Metro [+ Show ]
  

  by Linda Laban, December 17, 2007 The songs on Pete Pidgeon and Arcoda's "Doubt is For Losers" ar...by Linda Laban, December 17, 2007
  
  The songs on Pete Pidgeon and Arcoda's "Doubt is For Losers" are as sparklingly positive as its title suggests. This self-produced, self-released effort (one of several, mostly live discs, released since 1998) combines funk, gospel, AM radio pop, Broadway, and jazz. Conviction, if not downright fervor, carries him far. That and a solid band, which includes Dap Kings/ John Scofield drummer Eric Kalb. Oddly, or not, the disc isn't touched by any musical influences past the mid 1970s.

• "Doubt Is..." Review - BostonMusicSpotlight [+ Show ]
  

  "Pete Pidgeon Aims High With Arcoda" Locals to celebrate new release at Bill's Bar Friday Night by..."Pete Pidgeon Aims High With Arcoda"
  Locals to celebrate new release at Bill's Bar Friday Night
  by Jed Heneberry, Managing Editor
  November 9, 2007
  
  You can’t say Pete Pidgeon isn’t trying. On his new full-length album with his band Arcoda, Doubt Is For Losers, Pidgeon plays over 30 of the 89 odd instruments on the record, all while serving as the producer, art director, manager, booking agent, and songwriter. “The important thing is that I’ll be getting more sleep in the next week or so than I have in the last year and a half,” Pidgeon quips.
  
  That grueling recording process is a result of Pidgeon’s intense drive to succeed in his desire to make music for a living. “When I realized I was going to be turning 30 soon I realized I had to get my act together,” says Pidgeon. “If I’m gonna do it I’m gonna do it now. I really went all out and did everything I could possibly do on this record so that if it didn’t succeed, then I could look back and say that there was nothing else I could have done.”
  
  The result is an album steeped in the staples of pop tradition, importing blues from Motown, horns from soul, strings from The Beatles, and filtering it all through a virtuosity which stems from the jazz tradition. Standout song “What?” contains many of these influences all within its constantly shifting arrangement.
  
  “There was just so much work going into that tune,” Pidgeon says of the song. “It started out as just me playing the chords on the acoustic guitar, but it had so much more potential that I decided to go all out and get the whole orchestra involved. Even just tracking down someone who played the tympani was a process.”
  
  Doubt’s grandiose ambitions are a far cry from Arcoda’s beginnings at SUNY New Paltz in the Hudson River Valley. Pidgeon moved to Boston after outgrowing the local scene and linked up with The Slip and members of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones during Arcoda’s early time in the hub.
  
  “That scene was really bumping at the time,” Pidgeon explains. “Then about a year after it dried up. And not until about a year ago did it seem like anything was happening. There’s a good scene now that’s starting to brew up in the Boston area, Zox, Bon Savants, Bang Camaro, all those bands are starting to make a great buzz for the scene now.”
  
  Pidgeon and Arcoda will celebrate the release of Doubt Is For Losers this Friday at Bill’s Bar on Lansdowne Street. Accompanying the band will be four-piece horn section Two Dolla Crack Horns.
  
  “If the amount of work that I’ve put into the album is any display of the potential of the live show then people should expect a lot from it,” promises Pidgeon. “The show is very tight. Think of a James Brown Soul review where it hits very hard and the tension is there the whole time, we don’t let up. It’s going to be a very exciting show. We’re not going out there to just play the songs.”
  
  Indeed, Pidgeon is way past just playing the songs. He’s now playing them with a definite purpose, a sense of ambition with a hint of desperation that reveals just how important making music is to him. And if Pidgeon’s own personal dedication and intensity is any indication, Arcoda will continue to make music for a long time to come.
  
  Pete Pidgeon and Arcoda play Bill’s Bar Friday, November 9. Doubt Is For Losers is available at www.petepidgeon.com, along with more information about the band.

• Live Review - Heritage Tavern [+ Show ]
  

  Pete Pidgeon and Arcoda Deliver Inventive, Original Music by Michael Witthaus I wanted to write ...Pete Pidgeon and Arcoda Deliver Inventive, Original Music
  by Michael Witthaus
  
  I wanted to write about the Grammys this week. I was pleased by the Academy's awkward yet spirited defense of free speech evidenced in the Dixie Chicks sweep of all their nominations. The only thing worse than stealing music, they said, is trying to stop musicians from creating it. They closed ranks around The Chicks - a noble thing. But I lost interest in the broadcast the moment The Police finished playing "Roxanne." Don't feel bad if you missed it. You should have seen Pete Pidgeon and Arcoda's set last Saturday at The Heritage, however. Those who did enjoyed an inventive and thoroughly enjoyable band. I'd heard some of their MP3s, but really wasn't sure what to expect. Their most recent EP, "Happy Song," is smoother than 20 dollar gin. In particular, "The Myth" blusters with Lucretia McEvil horn charts; Pete Pidgeon holds down the center with wicked guitar triplets and fifth-gear-on-an-icy-road vocals. On record, they take all that's great about melting pot Americana music and add a few drops of high-energy hot sauce. But what if it was all overdubs, multitracking and multiple takes? How would they sound in a bar surrounded by pool tables, milling patrons and NASCAR beer lights? Turns out I needn't have worried. My first indication that Arcoda has a knack for pulling musical rabbits out of their hat was their arrangement of Howlin' Wolf's "Little Red Rooster." Most everyone does it as a slow growling blues. Arcoda gave it their own stamp by turning it into a booty-shaking jump shuffle. Pete Pidgeon plays guitar like a roadhouse Pat Metheny, with a dash of prog-rock spiderfingers thrown in, on a big, hollowbodied Gibson six-string more typically seen in the hands of guys working behind monogrammed bandstands. He has the easy, natural touch of George Benson combined with the frenetic fret-ranging of Yes's Steve Howe. My favorite number of the evening was "Funk #49," a James Gang song from 30 years back. Arcoda gave it their own shape, playing the 4/4 intro as a Jimi Hendrix burlesque, then shifting into blistering solo trade-offs between Pidgeon and talented second guitarist Kurt Schellenberg. Don't miss them on their next trip to town.

• Live Review - Harper's Ferry [+ Show ]
  

  ~Sixth Anniversary~ Pete Pidgeon and Arcoda Friends, Funk and Crack Horns. So where are all the ... ~Sixth Anniversary~
  Pete Pidgeon and Arcoda
  Friends, Funk and Crack Horns.
  So where are all the groupies?
  Harper's Ferry, Boston, MA
  
  Despite the fact that it was Sunday night, people were out to see Pete’s new Duane Allman anti-goatee ‘stash in force. Pete Pidgeon and Arcoda played Boston’s Harpers Ferry to commemorate their sixth anniversary as a band with friends and family showing their respect for the band through the good times. The setlist featured a healthy repetorie of Arcoda classics, including lots of songs about making love—but who doesn’t like to make love? The brass backing from the Two Dolla Crack Horns capitalizes the progress the band has made over the last six years. Their simple presence commanded respect from the audience.
  
  The hyper fusion jazz of Color and Talea opened the show. Caveman came on the stage next with their floating, story-telling jams. The loose rootsy, dream music was in stark contrast to Color and Talea’s hyper fusion jazz set and Arcoda’s melodic song-oriented set to come.
  
  As the Caveman set concluded and Arcoda began to set up, a noticeable change occurred in the crowd. The sparse Sunday crowd suddenly swelled to a group you’d expect to see on a Thursday or Friday night. Doubling in size, the crowd took on new life. The previous two performances more closely resembled a recital you’d see at Berklee School of Music, where people stood around concentrating wholly on the music, saying nothing to their neighbors. Everyone held a stoic glance, quietly examining the new music in front of them.
  
  When Arcoda took the stage however, people seemed to stream in out of nowhere as if there was a party in another room that had just been unleashed on the venue. Not only did the numbers pickup, there was suddenly a loud distinctive party noise echoing throughout. Whereas not many people were dancing before, by the time Pete Pidgeon took the first strum on his guitar, the dance floor was packed.
  
  Pictured here, the Two Dollar Crack Horns consist of Sam Kininger on alto sax, Brian Thomas on trombone, and Chris "C Money" Welter on trumpet. Johnny Trauma, guitar, also joined the band several times throughout the evening.
  
  Warming the crowd up nicely, the four core members of the band, Adam Beamer on keys, Ben Hoadley on bass, and Aaron Jackson on drums opened with "The Way." By the time the Two Dolla Crack Horns took the stage on "You’re My Girl" to kick it up a notch, the crowd was hoppin’. It turned from a listening party to a dancing party! Over the past six years, Arcoda’s lineup has seen many faces come and go. With Pete Pidgeon as the common denominator, the band has had impressive members pass through it, all contributing to today’s sound.
  
  Perhaps the most influential addition to the band in recent years is Adam Beamer. Bringing continuity, complementary vocals and much of his own material. The band hasn’t been the same since.
  
  While Arcoda breaches the jamband category, they retain their own niche with emphasis placed melodically in the song writing. They pull influence from jazz, jam, and 80s culture to produce an elegant energetic folk sound.
  
  In their third year in Boston, the band stays busy touring around the Northeast and promoting their recent album, “...At First Sight.” While the album is a gentle collection of easy going folk rhythms, the shows are anything but mellow.
  
  Freedom and love flow about the crowd of beautiful people that are latched to the driving inspiration of live music. Deep folk roots and elegant simplicity comes through every note Arcoda plays. Pete, we wish you the best for your next six years! Keep on rockin’!
  
  Jon Heinrich

• "...At First Sight" Review - PK Journal [+ Show ]
  

  On the Record: Pete Pidgeon's Music A Multi-Layered Sound by John W. Barry Published May 16, 2003 ...On the Record: Pete Pidgeon's Music A Multi-Layered Sound
  by John W. Barry
  Published May 16, 2003
  
  Last call has passed and the party is moving from the dance floor to the sidewalk.
  
  The morning sun pours down Main Street in New Paltz like dreams down a drain and Pete Pidgeon finds himself alone on an empty stage at Snug Harbor, a downtown bar where countless broken-hearted poets and musicians have cried in their beers before accidentally spilling them on the floor.
  
  As the band breaks down, Pidgeon begins to sing in a voice that captures the gritty side of Trey Anastasio and the earnestness of Dave Matthews. He launches into a song about girls, two-timing best friends and moonlit nights when the only bright side of life comes beaming in from outer space.
  
  Welcome to perhaps the best song on ''...At First Sight,'' the new CD from Pete Pidgeon and Arcoda. ''When the Devils Come to Take My Angels Away'' takes the listener on a stilt-walking expedition through chord progressions that conjure the Grateful Dead's ''Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo'' and lyrics that straddle the line between college innocence and adult callousness.
  
  Feels like you're there
  Pidgeon and his band have created a CD that tugs on your heart while massaging your ears. Some of the songs are much better than others, but the collection overall is a keeper.
  
  The ensemble manages to maintain the feeling of a live gig, where an enraptured crowd of close friends would remain quiet and polite during the softer, jazzy tunes but let loose with excitement during the rockers by hurling raw emotion and empty beer cups at the stage.
  
  Draw your own conclusions tonight when Pete Pidgeon and Arcoda plays The Loft in Poughkeepsie, which is part of The Chance entertainment complex on Crannell Street. Doors open at 8:30 p.m. for the show, which also includes Five Minute Riot and Still Casting Shadows on the bill.
  
  Pidgeon and his bandmates are based in Boston but maintain strong links to the Hudson Valley. Pidgeon was a jazz major at the State University of New York at New Paltz and graduated in 2000. Bass player Seth Rivers graduated from Poughkeepsie High School and is attending the legendary Berklee School of Music in Boston. Completing the band's lineup is Randy Wooten on drums and Adam Beamer on keyboards.
  
  Pidgeon's musical interests range from jazz to classical to Phish, a band he has traveled hundreds of miles to see more than a hundred times. But the songs on ''... At First Sight'' recall Queen, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, the jam band Percy Hill, straight-ahead jazz and down home bluegrass.
  
  And Woodstock musical legend Levon Helm, former drummer for The Band, plays drums and mandolins on several tunes.
  
  '' ... If I'm going at a certain style of music, [I'm] going fully in that direction rather than compiling a bunch of different styles and bundling them down to one style, which I see a lot in the jam band scene,'' Pidgeon said. ''It always ends up sounding like the same band.''
  
  John W. Barry is the music writer for the Poughkeepsie Journal. Call him at call (845) 437-4822 or email him at jobarry@poughkee.gannett.com. Hear music from Pete Pidgeon and local artists at http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/entertainment/groove.

• "...At First Sight" Review - MoHeads [+ Show ]
  

  Pete Pidgeon & Arcoda ...At First Sight Fowl River Productions http://www.petepidgeon.com/ I ...Pete Pidgeon & Arcoda
  ...At First Sight
  Fowl River Productions
  http://www.petepidgeon.com/
  
  I first heard of Pete Pidgeon a few years ago. I was sent a link to a few mp3's and I liked what I heard. I exchanged a few emails with Pete and then lost touch. A few months ago I saw a news item on jambands.com that announced Pete's album and I dropped him a line, hoping to get a promo copy of the album. The CD came on a lazy Saturday afternoon and I spent the next hour absorbing this great music.
  
  The album, ...At First Sight, opens with a song that sets the tone for the rest of the album. With it's cool jazzy feel and distorted whispering vocals, "Left Wing Politics In A Vacuum" is a nice showcase for Pidgeon's jazz-influenced guitar playing. It's a subtle song, both musically and lyrically, suggesting in it's whispers that "in the end you will find / If relaxed you'll be fine / So sit back and recline and unwind." In some way or another, this relaxed feeling finds itself into nearly every song on the album. No matter how much colorful noise is being made, a laid back vibe can be found in almost everything.
  
  The first instrumental, "Dang, Somebody Done Stolded My Wheels," is an aggressive groove-fest. Drummer Jeremy Gustin crashes about belligerently while bassist Seth Rivers pounds out a funky groove. Keyboardist Adam Beamer bangs out some catchy piano while Pidgeon rides on top of it all with his guitar. It's a short song, but fulfilling on a number of levels.
  
  Levon Helm of The Band joins Pidgeon and crew on "But It Don't Worry Me" on drums and mandolin. It's a rootsy acoustic song about losing love and moving forward. A great drinking song, for sure. Helm's mandolin is sprinkled throughout and along with some acoustic slide work it feels so authentic. So often bands try to do a country or bluegrass tune, but it always sounds like a rock band doing country. "But It Don't Worry Me" sounds like the real thing.
  
  Along the same lines is "When The Devils Come To Take My Angels Away, " a song that sounds like something The Band might have played back in their heyday. This song also features Levon Helm on the drumset as well as Paul Wolstencroft on organ. It's a relatively simple song, but it's catchy chorus and great lyrics give it a warm feeling.
  
  Pidgeon does a very short and very pretty solo acoustic number called "Backup 40,000 lb. Love Ship" before the band glides into the very laid back ska-influenced "Come To Me." This song features Nate Albert (formerly of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones) on lead guitar. This song is one of the best examples of Pidgeon's excellent vocal ability. With the spacious instrumentation his voice is left more open to shine on its own. The horn arrangements perfectly complement the song and makes it one of the best songs on the album.
  
  ...At First Sight closes with "The Way" and it's companion, "The Way Out." The former is a fun song about love and has a chorus that makes you want to sing along. The latter is an expansion on the chorus of the previous song and it closes the album with smiles.
  
  The best thing about Pete Pidgeon's songwriting is that it always sounds so genuine, regardless of the genre. The lyrics always fit the song perfectly and nothing ever feels out of place. He has a knack for digging into the soul of a song, finding its root, and then crafting the rest of the song around that base. In most cases the results could not be better.
  
  - brooks williams

• Levon Helm Recoding Date Review [+ Show ]
  

  SPECIAL GUEST RECORDS WITH PETE PIDGEON Sixty years down a long musical road, drummer Levon Helm ...SPECIAL GUEST RECORDS WITH PETE PIDGEON
  
  Sixty years down a long musical road, drummer Levon Helm stopped in to the studio with Pete Pidgeon & Arcoda on Tuesday, October 29, 2002. Levon laid down drum tracks on Pidgeon originals "When the Devils Take My Angels Away," "Pretty Women Don't Follow Me," and "But It Don't Worry Me," as well as an arrangement of the Bob Dylan tune "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You." Mr. Helm also contributed his beautiful mandolin playing to “But It Don’t Worry Me.” Full-time Arcoda members Pete Pidgeon on acoustic and electric guitars, Jeremy Gustin (normally on drums) on percussion, Adam Beamer on piano, and Seth Rivers on upright and electric basses filled out the lineup for the session.
  
  Levon Helm began his career with The Hawks back in the 1950’s. From there he graduated to a position in the rhythm section for Bob Dylan’s first electric tour. This unit, minus Bob, then historically turned into The Band. The Band recorded for over 30 years and performed at America's largest concert at Watkins Glen. Currently, Levon is playing with his bands The Barn Burners and The Last Hombres and was recently inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame.
  
  This recent daylong session was the second in a series of studio dates for Arcoda who are working closely with producer Craig Welsch to complete their upcoming debut studio CD. Craig is one of the Boston area’s most respected producers having worked with bands John Brown's Body, The Slip, Addison Groove Project, and Soulive among many others. Arcoda’s full-length disc should be out in early 2003.
  
  Other confirmed guest appearances on the album include Addison Groove Project saxophonist Ben Groppe, trombonist Brian Thomas of Pocket, trumpet player Dave Szebeda of Peter Prince & The Trauma Unit, baritone saxophonist Jared Sims of Miracle Orchestra, and percussionist Scooter from Nikulydin. For more information on Pete Pidgeon & Arcoda including tourdates, booking, news and e-mail list, please go to http://www.petepidgeon.com.
  
  [Published on 10/30/02]

Setlist

Shows are mainly originals with one or two covers unless requested otherwise. Set length is usually at the venue's discretion and can be as short as one song or as long as several hours.

originals (129):

10 - Pidgeon
26 Waves - Pidgeon
At Once - Pidgeon, Mahle
Apple Core - Pidgeon, Beamer
Ausfunk - Pidgeon
Backup 40,000lb. Love Ship - Pidgeon
Bitches On Parole - Pidgeon
Bla-dowh - Arcoda
Bless Me - Starr
Blonde Blue-Eyed - Pidgeon
Blow Me - Pidgeon
Boatman - Pidgeon
Booty Boots - Pidgeon
But It Don't Worry Me - Pidgeon
Can't Beat New Orleans - Pidgeon
Catherine Left - Mahle
Clearly - Pidgeon
Come To Me - Pidgeon
Corn - Pidgeon, Furey, Beccerra, Starr
Countrie Crock - Pidgeon
Coyote Loco - Furey
The Crusher - Pidgeon
Dang, Somebody Done Stolded My Wheels - Beamer, Pidgeon
Delivery Tactics - Johnson
Die Is Dead - Starr
Don't Say Goodnight - Pidgeon
Doubt Is For Losers - Pidgeon
Dream With Me - Pidgeon
Dreamland Lovers - Pidgeon
Dugout - Pidgeon
(How Could It Be So) Easy - Beamer
Enlightened - Pidgeon
Expression - Acceptance Of All Things - Pidgeon
Faz - Pidgeon
Float - Pidgeon
The French Guy Song - Beamer
Funk Salad-Tossed - Arcoda
Funky Ol' Cheese - Beamer
Goals - Pidgeon
Greenwood - Pidgeon
Growing Pains - Pidgeon
The Happy Song - Pidgeon
(I'm) Here With You - Pidgeon
HTG - Mahle
Hump You In the Ass - Pidgeon
I Have Been Alive - Pidgeon
I Like Drugs - Furey
I Stayed Home - Pidgeon
In the A.M. - Furey
In the Evening - Pidgeon
In the Name Of Megan Smith - Pidgeon
Intermission Jam - Starr
It Is Time - Pidgeon
J.C. (G.C.) - Pidgeon
Joy - Pidgeon
Julie - Pidgeon
Last Lullaby - Pidgeon
Left-Wing Politics In A Vacuum - Beamer, Pidgeon
Lonely Silent Night - Pidgeon
Marissa - Pidgeon
Marissa (Part I) - Pidgeon
Meadows - Pidgeon
My Angel - Pidgeon
My Destiny - Pidgeon
The Myth - Pidgeon
The Myth Intro - Pidgeon
New Moon - Pidgeon
Nuts Is Friend Of Mine - Pidgeon
Old Saying - Beamer
On the Road - Pidgeon
One More Time - Beamer
The Path - Pidgeon
Peacock - Stern, Pidgeon
Pigeon - Pidgeon
Pledge Of Allegiance - Rivers, Arcoda
Pretty Women Don't Follow Me - Pidgeon
Rather Be - Pidgeon
Religion - Pidgeon
Revolve - Pidgeon, McCormick
Righteous Man - Starr
Rise Above - Pidgeon
Riva - Arcoda
Rocka Bye - Pidgeon
St. Patrick's Day - Pidgeon
Samosa Blues - Pidgeon
Say Baby - Pidgeon
Say Love - Pidgeon
The Shocker - Pidgeon
Simplistic - Pidgeon
"The Skip" - Pidgeon
Soft - Pidgeon
Something Else - Stern
Something So Far - Pidgeon
Song For Stevie - Pidgeon
Soon To Be Sunday - Pidgeon
Spatula - Pidgeon
Special K - Pidgeon
Speed of Now - Pidgeon
Stand Up Straight - Beamer
Static - Pidgeon
Stripped Down - Pidgeon
Suite 316 in E Major - Pidgeon
The Sun - Pidgeon
The Taser - Arcoda
Tea For Two - Pidgeon
Technical Difficulties - Arcoda
Thank You - Pidgeon
The Theme Song to Gianny Ghetto the Movie - Arcoda
This Opening - Pidgeon
Today - Pidgeon
Treading Water - Pidgeon
Two Dolla Crack Ho - Beamer, Pidgeon
Two Guitars - Beamer
Vagabond - Pidgeon
Vegetables In the Morning - Pidgeon
Walk Out Into the Ocean - Pidgeon
Walking In Circles - Furey
Wasted Child - Pidgeon
Watching Rain Turn To Snow - Pidgeon
The Way - Beamer, Pidgeon
The Way Out - Pidgeon
The Ways We Change - Pidgeon
Wet Noodle - Pidgeon, Starr
What? - Pidgeon
Will - Pidgeon
You're My Girl - Pidgeon
You Don't Know Me At All - Beamer
You've Got My Heart - Beamer
Ying Yang - Pidgeon, Quinn

covers (139):

316 - Eddie Van Halen
Afro Blue - Mongo Santamaria
All Blues - Miles Davis
Another Saturday Night - Sam Cooke
Asshole - Dennis Leary
Baby Bitch - Ween
Bananas and Blow - Ween
Be Your Husband - Andy Stroud (Nina Simone)
The Best Of What's Around - Dave Matthews
Big River - Johnny Cash
Bingo - Traditional
Big Black Furry Creature From Mars - Mike Gordon (Phish)
Black - Gossard/ Vedder (Pearl Jam)
Black Peter - Garcia/ Hunter (The Grateful Dead)
Boob Job - David Wilcox
Boozer - John Scofield
Bring It On Home To Me - Sam Cooke
Broken Down Palace - Garcia/ Hunter (The Grateful Dead)
Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison
Camel Walk - Jeff Holdsworth (Phish)
Cannibal Joke - who knows...it's a joke.
Cantaloupe Island - Herbie Hancock
The Chicken - Pee Wee Ellis
Cissy Strut - Modeliste/Neville/Nocentelli/Porter (The Meters)
China Cat Sunflower - Hunter/ Garcia/ Lesh (The Grateful Dead)
Dark Star - Garcia/ Hart/ Hunter/ Kreutzmann/ Lesh/ McKernan/ Weir (The Grateful Dead)
Death Don't Have No Mercy - Rev. Gary Davis
Donna Lee - Charlie Parker
Earache My Eye - Chong/ DeLorme/ Moore (Cheech and Chong)
Elderly Woman Behind the Counter In A Small Town - Abbruzzese/ Ament/ Gossard/ McCready/ Vedder (Pearl Jam)
Eruption - Eddie Van Halen
Fake Plastic Trees - Radiohead
Farmhouse - Trey Anastasio/ Tom Marshall (Phish)
Father Figure - George Michael
Feelin' Alright - Dave Mason (Traffic)
Fire On the Mountain - Garcia/ Hunter (The Grateful Dead)
(Listen to the) Flower People - Guest/McKean/Reiner/Shearer (Spinal Tap)
Fool In the Rain - John Paul Jones/ Jimmy Page/ Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin)
Footprints - Wayne Shorter
Free Bird - Collins/ VanZant (Lynard Skynard)
Fried Grease - Karl Denson (The Greyboy Allstars)
Fuck Wit Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin') - Doctor Dre/ Snoop/ Wolfe
Funk #49 - Jim Fox, Dale Peters, Joe Walsh (James Gang)
Get On the Good Foot - James Brown/ Mims/ Fred Wesley
Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine - James Brown/ Byrd/ Lenhoff
Ghostbusters - Ray Parker Jr.
Gloria - Van Morrison
Going To California - Page/ Plant (Led Zeppelin)
The Girls Don't Like the Job - Kool Keith
The Gift - Peter Prince (Moon Boot Lover)
Gingerbread Boy - Jimmy Heath
Good Times - Sam Cooke
Happy Birthday - Mildred J. Hill/ Patty Smith Hill
He Was A Friend of Mine - Traditional/ Bob Dylan
Heavenly - Harry Connick Jr./ McLean
Hey Pocky A-Way - Ziggy Modeliste/ Art Neville/ Leo Nocentelli/ George Porter, Jr. (The Meters)
Hollywood Nights - Bob Seger
Hot In Herre - Brown/ Hugo/ Nelly/ Williams
Hot For Teacher - Van Halen
Hottentot - John Scofield
Humpty Dance - Humphrey/ Jacobs (Digital Underground)
I Know You Rider - Traditional
I Shall Be Released - Bob Dylan
Impressions - John Coltrane
In Da Club - Elizondo/ Jackson/ Young (50 Cent)
In Memory of Elizabeth Reed - Dickey Betts (The Allman Brothers Band)
Josie - Becker/ Fagen (Steely Dan)
Jungle Boogie - Kool and the Gang/ Redd
Just Kissed My Baby - Ziggy Modeliste/ Art Neville/ Leo Nocentelli/ George Porter, Jr. (The Meters)
Kidney In A Cooler - Keller Williams
Kumbaya - Traditional
Landlady - Trey Anastasio (Phish)
Lawn Boy - Trey Anastasio/ Tom Marshall (Phish)
Lean On Me - Bill Withers
Lifeboy - Trey Anastasio/ Tom Marshall (Phish)
Little Red Rooster - Chester "Howlin' Wolf" Burnett, Willie Dixon
Little Wing - Jimi Hendrix
Louie Louie - Richard Berry
Loving Cup - Jagger/ Richards (Rolling Stones)
Makisupa Policeman - Trey Anastasio (Phish)
Mary Jane's Last Dance - Tom Petty
The Man In Me - Bob Dylan
Mercy, Mercy, Mercy - Joe Zawinul
Message In A Bottle - Sting (The Police)
Mr. Brownstone - Guns and Roses
Money Ain't A Thang - Arrington/ Carter/ Dupri/ Hank/ Jay-Z/ Parker
More Than Words - Bettencourt/ Cherone (Extreme)
Mud Slide Slim - James Taylor
Nica's Dream - Horace Silver
No Woman, No Cry - Bob Marley - Vincent Ford, Bob Marley
One Headlight - Jakob Dylan (The Wallflowers)
One Way Out - James/ Sehorn/ Williamson
O-o-h Child - Stan Vincent
Paradise City - Guns and Roses
Peggy-O - Traditional
Porch - Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam)
Purple Rain - Prince
Ramble on Rose - Garcia/ Hunter (The Grateful Dead)
Rambling, Gambling Willie - Bob Dylan
Red Baron - Billy Cobham
Red Clay - Freddie Hubbard
Red House - Jimi Hendrix
Rentstrike - Maron/ Roseman/ Shur/ Siraisi (Groove Collective)
Rock at the Block - Traditional
Rock With You - Rod Temperton (written for Michael Jackson)
Roses Are Free - Ween
Row, Row, Row Your Boat - Traditional
Sample In A Jar - Anastasio/ Marshall (Phish)
Say It Loud (I'm Black and I'm Proud) - James Brown/ Ellis
Seventeen - Reb Beach/ Beau Hill/ Kip Winger (Winger)
Shakedown Street - Garcia/ Hunter (The Grateful Dead)
Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours - Hardaway/ Garrett/ Wonder/ Wright (Stevie Wonder)
Sister Sadie - Horace Silver
Smoke Stack Lightning - Chester "Howlin' Wolf" Burnett
So What - Miles Davis
Stella Blue - Garcia/ Hunter (The Grateful Dead)
Stormy Monday Blues - Aaron "T-Bone" Walker
Straight, No Chaser - Thelonious Monk
Take Me Out To the Ballgame - Norworth/ von Tilzer
That's It For the Other One - Kreutzman/ Weir (The Grateful Dead)
Them Belly Full (But We Hungry) - Barrett/ Corgil
These Days - Jackson Browne
They Love Each Other - Garcia/ Hunter (The Grateful Dead)
Thrill Is Gone - Darnell/ Hawkins
Timeless - John Abercrombie
Tiny Dancer - Elton John/ Bernie Taupin
Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You - Bob Dylan
Trench Town Rock - Bob Marley
Viola Lee Blues - Noah Lewis
Walk Like An Egyptian - Sternberg (written for The Bangles)
Wanted Dead or Alive - Bon Jovi
We Are the World - Michael Jackson/ Lionel Richie (USA For Africa)
We Bid You Goodnight - Traditional
We Built This City - Starship
Where'd the Cheese Go - Ween
Who Knows? - Jimi Hendrix
You Can Close Your Eyes - James Taylor
You Send Me - Sam Cooke
Zoloft - Ween

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