PETER FRIESTEDT
Questions asked by Jon Wilde, added to Rock Realms 22nd August 2011.
After reviewing the debut Williams Friestedt album a few months back, it seemed fair to have a chat with a least one of the chaps to find out more. Peter Friestedt was on hand to do just that.
Hi Peter, thanks for taking a moment to answer these questions. Hope you are well?
Peter: Thanks for having me here Jon!! All is great thanks!! Been busy, but that’s no real problem!
First of all, before we get on the record, what’s your musical history? How and when did you get into playing, and when did you realise you had a real talent for it?
Peter: At quite an early age, really. I grew up playing both acoustic guitar and piano and now, I’m really very thankful for that, as I got the harmonic part of music down early on. I got my first electric guitar at the age of 13. And started to study music full time when I was 18. That’s when it all got serious!
Do you come from a musical family then?
Peter: Yes, on my mothers side. There are a lot of musicians in her family and she also plays the piano herself.
Who were your early influences?
Peter: There are many, many different people, but if we’re talking rock groups, my first record was The Beatles “20 Golden Hits”, and then I got into heavier rock like AC/DC! I don’t remember the first album of there’s, but I love all the classic stuff.
How and when did you meet Joseph Williams, who you’ve just recorded with; and did you hit it off straight away?
Peter: We actually first met at a barbeque at Bill Champlin's house (the famous Chicago singer), and had a lot of laughs!! When Bill and Joseph get together there is not a dull moment, I can tell you. We seemed to hit it off right away, and that initial meeting led to Joseph singing on my first “LA Project” record and later, eventually, coming over to Scandinavia to tour with the “LA Project” in 2009 and 2010!
Had you been discussing recording an album together for a long time, or was this more of a snap decision?
Peter: A bit of both realistically. During that initial bout of touring in Scandinavia (in 2009), we’d looked into it and in 2010 had also recorded a few tracks that felt really good but it took a little longer to really gestate. We’d always had a lot of fun in the studio so we knew it was possible and it slowly evolved into what now is the Williams / Friestedt album!!
How was the direction of the music decided? Did you sit down and discuss what the album should sound like, or did you simply let it flow organically?
Peter: I would say it all came together very naturally actually. We had these songs that all fitted very well together and we took away a few that didn't really work for the album as well; but adding some great songwriting by Jay Graydon, Randy Goodrum and Andreas Carlson; it all clicked!
How did the recording process work? Talk us through the creation of a typical track...
Peter: Well, OK…. We pretty much recorded most of this record here in Stockholm as Joseph's studio in LA has been ‘down’ for a while, but it was nice to be able to work together on final lead and backing vocals for a change! Less people have been involved in this record than some I’ve done, and when a lot of the work is done in our home studio it really keeps it vital. It’s easier this way to keep the end result closer to your original idea of what the album should sound like and I’d do another record like this in the future because it has so much more! We had so much fun doing this record; I would do it again in a second!
Was the aforementioned recording process hard work, fun, or a bit of both? Any good stories from your time in the studio?
Peter: No, not so many but it was a bit of everything really. The album was done in several sessions during a two year period so it did make it a little frustrating that we were touring at the same time as recording Joseph's lead vocals for example! But we would send mixes to each other by email to get over that and then, when I did the final work in January this year with the mixes and mastering, we got together to see the final result, which was great fun!
Are there any particular tracks you’re especially proud of, or is it all totally brilliant?
Peter: I like all the songs on the record actually! It's kind of hard to pick out any certain song for you, but right now I really like “Swear Your Love” for its uplifting feel, and “Say Goodbye”, that has a certain groove to it brought out by John "JR" Robinson who really nailed the groove perfectly! I'm very happy with my guitar work overall, and there are some very nicely arranged backing vocals handled by Joseph, Lars and Bill Champlin!
I should also mention the instrumental track "Going Home", as I am very proud of composing that piece of music.
Where do you go from here? Is this a one off, do you think there may be another album in the future, or are you really going to push this partnership with touring etc.?
Peter: Well, it’s hard to say. Joseph has been touring with Toto recently, but it's been a blast working on this record and we are really proud of the work. Joe is set to be busy with Toto right through ‘the fall’, but after that I hope we'll get together and work again! Right now, the main focus is on promoting this record! I know we’re in a really busy period for releases, but Joe and I hope to do a few record store signings this summer and I hope everyone will go and check this record out! It’s something we are both very excited about for sure!
Any question you love being asked that I’ve missed? If so, what’s the answer?
Peter: No, nothing really!!
What are you up to once you’ve finished answering these questions?
Peter: I'll try to enjoy the last part of the Swedish summer! It’s lovely here at the moment!
Anything else you would like to mention?
Peter: No, not too much Jon! Just to say that it was a real blast recording this record with Joe and I hope that everyone will enjoy it! Right now we’re just finishing the Japanese edition of the album, which features 3 bonus tracks and 4 karaoke tracks, with a modified ‘Art‘ cover, so that looks like it'll be very cool!!!
Thanks for your time!
Peter: Thanks to you Jon!
Thanks again to Peter for his time. You can check out the Rock Realms review of the new Williams Friestedt album by clicking here.
Label: AOR Heaven
Artist's website(s): Peter Friestedt | Facebook
