Peter Michael Rowan
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
Music
Press
Peter Michael Rowan is well known on the circuit and here, as well as organising things, he opened the evening's proceedings with a song called Fool. Original songs only is supposed to be the rule, but it's fairly flexible, which is just as well because otherwise his cover of Holly Tomas's I Love Him wouldn't have been heard.
His own material is easily as good though and it's well matched by his rich voice. He has a little of John Renbourne and Tom Paxton's style about him, but not nearly enough to overshadow his own obvious talent. - Edinburgh Evening News
Discography
First CD: NowHere (RBL7, 2004). You can also find him on Holly Tomas' CDs 'Tantrum Child' (RBL4, 1997) and 'Epiphany' (RBL6, 1999) and snuck into one track on Runrig's 'In Search Of Angels' (Ridge RR010, 1999).
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
PMR spent his early years listening to English & Celtic folk music and Deep Purple!! His singing and playing rolls back to anti-Dylan tunefulness - Tom Paxton, Gordon Lightfoot, Paul Simon. These days he'd rather hear Heather Nova than Norah Jones, and Dave Matthews than David Gray.
His long career includes sharing the stage with Darts, Silly Wizard, Glenn Tilbrook and Donnie Munro. His live and recording work has seen him alongside:
Martyn Campbell (Lightning Seeds)
Karine Polwart (Malinky, Macalias)
Rob Peters (Everything But The Girl)
Chris Rainbow (Camel, Alan Parsons Project)
Andy Stennett (Manfred Mann, Neneh Cherry, Yazz)
Runrig (on their Top 30 album In Search Of Angels).
In addition to performing he runs recording, management and royalties company RBL Music and Scottish acoustic promoter Acoustic Underground.
'Reportedly playing the fiddle before he was even born, Peter Michael Rowan has many connections with top-class musicians - Gus Dudgeon (RIP) (producer of David Bowie's 'Space Oddity' and Elton John's 'Candle In The Wind') once bought him a cup of coffee, Celine Dion's stage builders didn't walk out of a pub he was singing in, a mate of his lived next door to Aly Bain, his reverb unit was once used by Silly Wizard, his loudspeakers are the same type that Jimi Hendrix had at the Isle Of Wight Festival, the Duchess of York buys his brother-in-law's paintings (OK, she's not a musician, but she is famous). It's just non-stop stars in his life.'
Live and studio work a selection
Live
Albert Halls, Stirling supporting Donnie Munro
Rothes Halls, Glenrothes supporting Donnie Munro
Bitter End, New York + HT
Caird Hall, Dundee + HT supporting Donnie Munro
Café Royal Fringe Theatre, Edinburgh + Bite Me
Café Royal Fringe Theatre, Edinburgh with Karine Polwart
Eden Court Theatre, Inverness + HT supporting Donnie Munro
Edinburgh Fringe Sunday Main Stage, Edinburgh + HT
Gaiety Theatre, Ayr + HT supporting Donnie Munro
Liquid Rooms, Edinburgh T-Breaks + HT
Liquid Rooms, Edinburgh + HT (supporting Glenn Tilbrook - Squeeze)
Mean Fiddler, London +HT
Pasadena Arts Fair + HT
Pleasance Cabaret Bar, Edinburgh supporting Carol Laula
Pleasance Cabaret Bar, Edinburgh + HT
Portree Community Centre, Skye + HT supporting Donnie Munro
Ross Bandstand, Edinburgh + HT
T in the Park + HT
Recording
Runrig album backing vocals (In Search Of Angels)
Radio & TV
BBC Radio Scotland Live at The Lemon Tree + HT (alongside Martyn Bennett)
BBC Radio Scotland The Usual Suspects + HT
BBC Radio Scotland Celtic Connections + HT (x2)
BBC Radio Scotland Celtic Connections + Steve Roberts & Martyn Campbell
Grampian TV - Northern Nights + HT
Lanarkshire TV Live@Six
note: + HT denotes appearances with Holly Tomás / Holly Tomás Band
Links
