Christopher Peifer

“Christopher Peifer put his nose to the grindstone, writing, recording, and releasing three albums over the course of two years. Now, with plenty of material to play, he’s assembled a pretty lean and mean band and is ready to show people what he has in store for them. After hearing his music, I was more than thrilled to chat with him. What follows is our discussion…” Lucas Garrett, Nippertown (Albany, NY) - Nippertown

Christopher Peifer feature / interview / cover story by Tom Hilton - Aldora Britain Magazine (UK)

"I am particulary enthusiastic about his recent solo work ... Peifer makes quality powerpop sound almost effortless.
Top notch songwriting skills. 'Sacred & Profane' has a warm production, well developed songs and is full of hints of Westerberg, Costello, Lowe and Chilton. Like these artists, Peifer takes his songwriting seriously while maintaining an authentic sense of rock’n’roll. 'Sacred & Profane' is a subtle record full of concise power pop gems, with a new favorite popping up on each play." - Niek, Add to Wantlist (Netherlands) - Add to Wantlist

“It was a little over two years ago when I first wrote about Christopher Peifer as a solo artist. His debut album Suicide Mission was an unexpected delight that left me publicly hoping for more. And as it turned out, I got what I wished for. Peifer's newest effort Sacred & Profane is his third album in as many years, and it brings into completion his remarkable COVID years trilogy. While still active in several bands (Joy Buzzer, Steve Shiffman & the Land of No, Todd Giudice's Pig Iron), he has established himself as one of the most dependable solo artists in today's power pop scene. He has quickly honed a signature sound built on tuneful melodies, sincere vocals, and relatable lyrics. The essential influences (Elvis Costello, The Replacements, Big Star, etc.) have remained constant, yet Peifer has achieved a wonderful progression across these three releases. In trying times, these albums have been like comfort food for the soul. They've traced our collective journey into the darkness and ultimately back into the light.
In Peifer's own words, Sacred & Profane explores themes of "love, loss, isolation, reconciliation, reunion, and forward motion." It was written in New York City, Indiana, and the Berkshire mountains of western Massachusetts and recorded in the Hudson Valley with Peifer's frequent collaborator Todd Giudice. Sticking to a winning formula, Peifer has again crafted a quintessential melodic guitar rock album. He's not trying to reinvent the wheel, but he's just so good at writing hooky rock songs that come from the heart. Like the previous two albums in this series, Sacred & Profane is full of autobiographical sketches and personal reflections. Song topics cover everything from unrequited love to the emotional ups and downs of living through unprecedented times to the yearning to return to a simpler life. I have to admit that I got a little choked-up listening to "Best Around," which is a sequel to Peifer's song "The Social Distance." In celebrating that experience of reuniting with loved ones, it reminds me of how far we've come in two years. Elsewhere, "Nowhere Fast" humorously details the frustrations of job hunting in a post-pandemic world. A couple of these tunes feature some of Peifer's finest lyrics to date: "The Long Goodbye" is an eloquent love letter to the city of New York, while "Ruthless Charm" finds its protagonist cleverly ruminating on an ages-ago crush from high school Spanish class. "Wide Receiver," which reflects on the joy of kicking back with an adult beverage and listening to records, makes me wish I did more of that sort of thing. It seems like I'm always listening to music while doing something else (driving, working, shaving, folding laundry, writing). Life is too short to not make time to just listen to music.
In a way, it seems like only yesterday that I first became aware of Chris Peifer's solo career. But in another way, it seems like a lifetime ago that Suicide Mission greeted my ears for the very first time. How has COVID come and (almost) gone in a flash yet managed to age us all ten years? Closing out with the lines "Dream of now and forever good," Sacred & Profane leaves us with the sense that we've finally turned a corner. Peifer has plans to finally tour in support of his three solo albums next year. He's also teasing some new singles due out in 2023. Sacred & Profane, like its two predecessors, is a reminder that even in an ever-changing world of music, well-crafted pop-rock will never go out of style. Now excuse me while I pour myself a tasty ale and savor these songs.” - Lord Rutledge, Faster and Louder - Faster and Louder

“Criminally underrated Christopher Peifer has a solid sound and tells musical tales akin to Paul Westerberg and Alex Chilton.” - Power Popaholic - Power Popaholic

"Especialmente para los amantes del Westerberg en solitario u última época Replacements es lo último de Peifer . Cantautor rock con corozancito powerpopero y aquí hay mucho de esa sangre corriendo por los surcos. Muy Muy Bueno."
"Especially for lovers of Westerberg solo or late-era Replacements is the latest from Peifer. Rock singer-songwriter with a power pop heart, and here there is a lot of that blood running through the grooves. Very very good." - Bernardo de Andres, Mi Tocadiscos Dual (Spain) - Mi Tocadiscos Dual (Spain)

#7. Christopher Peifer – Sacred & Profane - Power Popaholic

Christopher Peifer - Sweet Sweet Music Blog

"New & Now: 5 Things to Know in the New Year: This is the perfect time to press play on his most recent power-pop solo album." - Jeff Dingler, Capital Region Living Magazine - Capital Region Living Magazine

“New York powerpop maestro Christopher Peifer returns with his brand new single 'Nowhere Fast'. A relatable story for many, a tragicomic account of job hunting in post-pandemic times. It is a song of its time but with a classic sound. Driving, melodic and punchy. Peifer expertly brings together the worlds of punk, and vintage power pop. For fans of Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello, Big Star, Teenage Fanclub.” - Tom Hilton, Aldora Britain Records - Aldora Britain Records (UK)

“Sacred & Profane" is a rock record that delivers an engaging flow, memorable hooks, relatable lyrics and natural, warm production.” - Blair Ingenthron, Broadway World - Broadway World

"Don't call it a sequel, but Christopher Peifer has followed his excellent debut solo album Suicide Mission with a quite similar and equally strong effort titled The Social Distance. Peifer (The Kowalskis, SiR, Frances Farmer My Hero, Blockhouses, etc.) is quickly establishing himself as a solo artist of note after decades in the New York rock and roll scene. While Suicide Mission was described as "art and love in the time of Coronavirus", The Social Distance is Peifer's definitive "COVID record". It was written and recorded entirely during pandemic times and reflects what was going through his mind as he and the rest of the world battled through a year unlike any other in our lifetimes.Written in Fort Wayne, Indiana and recorded at Todd Giudice's Roots Cellar Studio in Cold Spring, New York, The Social Distance is an album that deals with loss, change, and upheaval on both a personal and political level. Yet it's also full of optimism, hope, and a highly contagious positive energy. Musically, Peifer continues to work in the medium of two-to-three minute pop-rock songs. Most of these ten tracks meet at the intersection of timeless power pop and 1980s indie rock. Peifer excels at writing songs with simple, appealing hooks. Yet beneath the surface, these songs are heartfelt, relatable, and quite profound. Here Peifer largely responds to the trials and tribulations of a pandemic year by looking forward to better times ahead. The title track is full of hope for reuniting with loved ones in person, while the Replacements inspired rocker "Meet Me At the Bar" is just as much about the bonds of friendship as it is about the joys of drinking. Spiritually inspired by Patti Smith's "People Have the Power" and Curtis Mayfield's "Power to the People", "Something To Believe In" is Peifer's humble stab at a rallying cry for positive change. "The Infernal Racket" is kind of like Peifer's own "Left of the Dial" -- a celebration of indie radio stations and the underground rock and roll bands they so steadfastly support. A Paul Westerberg influence looms large again on album closer "Can’t Dance At All" -- a song that encourages the pursuit of joy wherever one may find it. And of course this would not be a Chris Peifer album without a little bit of storytelling. A skilled chronicler of the rock and roll life, Peifer crafts real-life tales that are both heartbreaking ("The Ride") and highly amusing ("Let's Get the Band Back Together").
Like its predecessor, The Social Distance hooked me with well-crafted pop songs, but it has the staying power to keep me coming back for more. A good solo album should make you feel like you know the artist, and that is definitely the case with The Social Distance. On the excellent track "Midnight Radio", Peifer romanticizes long distance driving with music as a sole source of companionship. He has, no doubt, crafted an entire album that will enhance your enjoyment of any solitary pursuit. In a year full of excellent LPs, this is one of the very best." - Lord Rutledge, Faster and Louder - Faster and Louder

“Filled with highly melodic power-pop gems. Upbeat rockers. Catchy, celebratory.” - Kirsten Ferguson, Nippertown (Albany, NY) - Nippertown

“The Social Distance is 30 minutes of powerpop heaven. It’s how I imagine it would sound if Paul Westerberg and Nick Lowe started a band together. Peifer infuses his songs with just the right amount of punk and rock-‘n’-roll attitude, and his sandpaper voice has the perfect grit size. The Social Distance truly is an outstanding collection of songs with guaranteed lifetime replayability.” - Niek, Add to Wantlist (Netherlands) - Add to Wantlist (Netherlands)

”Christopher Peifer on ‘The Social Distance,’ his latest, surprisingly optimistic, record. Rousing, raucous, rallying.” - Indiana Nash, The Daily Gazette - The Daily Gazette

"Less than one year after his critically acclaimed debut solo album, “Suicide Mission,” musician, songwriter and theatrical sound designer Christopher Peifer releases his sophomore solo LP, “The Social Distance.”
The 10-track album was written and recorded entirely in the year of pandemic, lockdowns, unprecedented unemployment, death, political upheaval, and social distancing.
His band resume includes a recent collaboration with Guy Lyons of The Figgs, in Blockhouses.
Citing musical influences from Elvis Costello and Big Star, The Figgs and Hüsker Dü, explains Peifer, “The Social Distance” consists primarily of experiential and autobiographical sketches, exploring themes of love, loss, isolation, reconciliation and reunion.
“As always, music is my saving grace,” Peifer says. “It’s saved my life more than once. Writing and recording these songs this past year has been a cathartic, necessary endeavor.”
For more information about Peifer and about the new album, go to: www.chrispei.com. - Thomas Dimopoulos, Saratoga Today - Saratoga Today

”Christopher Peifer’s Sophomore Solo Album “The Social Distance” Captures the Loss and Recovery of the Last 15 Months” - Stephi Wild, Broadway World - Broadway World

"New York's Christopher Peifer has gained notoriety in rock 'n' roll circles with such outfits as the Kowalskis, Frances Farmer My Hero, and, currently, Blockhouses. Peifer (guitar, bass, lead vocals) makes his solo debut with able assistance from Cold Spring's Todd Giudice (drums, vocals), his collaborator in another band, Pig Iron. The 10 tracks here range from the crunching sun-blasted power pop of "Madrid" to the jangling lover's lament of "Poughkeepsie." The record has an intimate, bedroom song quality that was engineered and mixed at Giudice's Roots Cellar Studio. "This Broken Heart" boasts some fine, understated guitar work in the service of witty couplets recalling the jaundiced pop smarts of Elvis Costello." - Jeremy Schwartz, Chronogram - Chronogram

“Christopher Peifer, who you most likely know as a member of Blockhouses and The Kowalskis, is an underground rock and roll lifer. Over the past quarter century, he's also recorded and performed with Sir, Frances Farmer My Hero, Another Saturday Night, Heavy Creatures, Steve Shiffman & The Land of No, and Todd Giudice's Pig Iron. That's quite a resume! What Chris Peifer had not done until now was to make a record where he was the primary creative force. Suicide Mission is his first-ever solo album, which he recorded at Roots Cellar Studio in Cold Spring, New York with longtime collaborator Todd Giudice. He describes the album as "art and love in the time of Coronavirus". It's an impressive and long overdue solo debut - featuring ten well-crafted pop/rock songs emphasizing storytelling and personal reflections.
Peifer set out to create a debut album full of melodic pop songs in the range of two-to-three minutes. Well that's certainly something I can endorse! Suicide Mission was modeled to some degree after the Elvis Costello compilation album Taking Liberties. The influence of The Replacements, Paul Westerberg, Nick Lowe, Bob Mould, Big Star, and good buds The Figgs is also evident. I like that this is a power pop album at heart, yet it draws from numerous genres and eras of rock and pop music. The longtime sideman Peifer proves to be an appealing singer and exceptional songwriter. Of course he excels at writing catchy pop tunes with hooks. Just as importantly, he has put a great deal of himself into these songs. After listening to Suicide Mission several times, I feel like I have a good sense of who Chris Peifer is. Lyrically, he offers up a nice mix of heartfelt love songs, topical numbers, and autobiographical sketches. The title track likens a life in rock and roll to a suicide mission. This tale of one touring band's misadventures is so wild and bizarre that you know it has to be true! The anthemic "Stanton Drive" finds Peifer deeply nostalgic for his Midwestern childhood. As a fellow '70s kid, I'm really feeling what he's putting out there. "Poughkeepsie" is full of longing for a lost love, and it's executed with a beautiful simplicity. By contrast, "Throw You A Line" is a high-energy rocker that pays tribute to Greta Thunberg and a whole generation of young people who are stepping up to make the world a better place.
It goes without saying that fans of Blockhouses should be very interested in Chris Peifer's solo debut. Suicide Mission is a terrific indie rock/power pop album. It has all the attributes of a mature "singer/songwriter record", but it satisfies on a pure pop level as well. It feels weird to say this about a guy who's been in the rock and roll game for over 25 years, but I feel like we've been introduced to a bright new talent. I'm sure Peifer will continue to play in numerous bands, because that's what he does. But going forward, I look forward to much more from him as a solo artist and/or band leader.” - Lord Rutledge, Faster and Louder - Faster and Louder

“This spring, Christopher Peifer drove from his hometown of Fort Wayne back to the East Coast where he has lived for years.
Peifer's longtime friend and collaborator, Todd Giudice, owns a boutique recording studio he built within a converted barn in Cold Spring, New York. They were meeting to record Peifer's first solo album, “Suicide Mission.”
On the road trip, Peifer scribbled on a notepad in his passenger seat. The lyrics were longing – snapshots of Midwestern summers and childhood. “Summers spent on Stanton Drive; I wish they could never end; How could 1979 seem right around the bend.”
Stanton Drive is the street Peifer grew up on, in northeast Fort Wayne, and it's the title of the final song on his 10-track album – which, in its entirety, speaks to his life of rock 'n' roll.
Each song, in its own way, meanders lyrically over nostalgic vignettes coupled with strong hooks and catchy melodies – the kind that listeners will play on repeat.
Peifer has always been fascinated by the analog processes and techniques of music production. While he's no stranger to modern, digital methods, he still reminisces about the early days.
He recalls recording with Chuck Surack in the late 1980s, before the Sweetwater owner became a music mogul and household name around Fort Wayne. Those were the years that Peifer, from as young as 14, was playing local shows with neighborhood friends, his brother Matt and the group Tempest, which toured the region. Venue managers were quick to note that the teenage Peifer wasn't allowed near the bars – which was fine by him. He just wanted to play.
He spent much of those years gaining influence from late-'70s punk and '80s bands like Hüsker Dü, the Replacements and the Smithereens. He played in garage bands, networked with other local musicians and read up on the industry. He found himself drawn to the Village Voice, a publication based in New York City. He would pick up copies from Glenbrook Square and read about up-and-coming artists, such as Frances Farmer My Hero.
Shortly after moving to Manhattan, Peifer joined Frances Farmer My Hero as bass player; he found his first East Coast stage at CBGB – the legendary and now-closed East Village music club – while opening for Soundgarden.
These experiences were overwhelming, but more importantly, Peifer was adopting new sensibilities. This community he was intermingling with didn't seem to be concerned with imitating the greats – instead, it was unrelentingly curious and freewheeling.
Peifer has never been especially restrained when it comes to exploring new sounds and spilling out undiluted, authentic vocals.
Talking about his latest recording session, Peifer says, “There's something about being in a room with another person, or people, making music, creating and bouncing ideas, and it's just preferable to me – there are bands like Wilco, for example. I love the way their stuff sounds and I love their approach and it's just, to me, so organic and cool and has a vibe to it, that you just can't manufacture another way.”
Though he still resides in Upper Manhattan, Peifer is back in Fort Wayne, where he has been spending time during the pandemic. But his career has taken him all over. He has collaborated with numerous bands and toured throughout the U.S. and most of western Europe – more than a dozen countries in all.
Peifer says that along his journey, he has gained a deep appreciation for the authentic moments found in smaller venues.
In a larger venue such as the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center in New York, you're either viewing from a balcony, “with a comfortable padded ledge; ... you're way up there, and the acoustics are great, ... but you just feel like it's such an alienating experience.” Or, conversely, on the occasion that Peifer gets seats up front, “We'll be in the fifth row – you see the orchestra, you know, their bows are almost poking you in the eye and the opera singers are spitting on you,” he says. “And to me – this is like rock 'n' roll; ... there's sweat and there's danger involved to some extent, and they're right there. You're making eye contact with them. “To me, that's what I love about playing music – it's connecting with an audience.” Peifer says that as a kid growing up in Indiana, he imagined one day playing Madison Square Garden. But now, he says, “I'd think that there would be nothing worse.”
Whether he's touring through New York, Madrid or the Midwest, he prefers the gritty, up-close, intimate venues – such as, perhaps, the dive bar in Manhattan where he met his wife, Rachel.
As the industry continues to evolve past the analog days, musicians like Peifer sustain the essence of live music – whether he's playing for an audience or capturing his hardly rehearsed tracks with modern equipment.
New York and Indiana both can expect to hear more from Peifer, especially his solo work.
“Suicide Mission” is available to buy as a download or CD from chrispei.bandcamp.com. Beginning Saturday, it will be available on streaming platforms including Amazon, Apple Music, Spotify and iTunes. Peifer plans a vinyl release when live shows pick up.” - Feature by John McKinney, The Journal Gazette (Fort Wayne, IN) - Journal Gazette

“Music in the Time of Coronavirus: Christopher Peifer blasts out of lockdown with a bare-knuckle new album …” - Kirsten Ferguson, 518 Profiles Magazine (Albany, NY) - 518 Profiles Magazine

BEST OF 2023 - Radio Indie Alliance