Rose Of Jericho [demo]

Thought it would be cool to do a cover again. Recorded this one live with my 8 track. Lovely song from one of my favorite artists.

Fever Dream (Iron & Wine)

Recorded this song for the first time somewhere in July 2023. This one has a special meaning to me, 'cause it's one of the first songs I wrote after a long creative dry spell. It's an early version, and I fleshed out the lyrics more as time went on. But thusfar I never managed to capture the magical feeling of this take...

Hope you enjoy!

Center Of My Soul (demo)

This one's an older tune. Didn't bother to come up with a proper title for years. Until my wife suggested that she really liked the last sentence of the song ("...like two winter birds in spring") 

The recording itself was part of a local radio show called "Rekorder FM", where I featured as a musical guest in the summer of 2023. It was a fun and interesting evening, with a lot of music talk, listening and playing. All of the windows and doors were open, when I hit the record button in one of the hosts' living room - where the show was recorded. So there's crickets in the background. Lots of them (!)  

I really enjoyed it. Hope you do too.

Winter Birds In Spring (live)

I was working on a couple of my own songs the other day, and noticed there was a similarity in some of the voicings I used. So then I decided to record one my favorite Dylan songs off the cuff (only to realize too late that I accidentally sung the lyrics of the duet version, the one he recorded with Cash, not the freewheelin' version). 

Yes, I agree with Keith Richards on this one, Bob got it right the first time.
Hope you like this spontaneous interpretation.

Girl From The North Country (Dylan cover)

Recorded this a while ago with my phone back in Holland. Forgot to close the windows, so you can hear that big black car driving by a few times...

This guy writes great songs. And I just love the images he conjures up here with just a few sentences.

Gregory Alan Isakov - Big Black Car [phone recording]

The tempo is slow, 'cause life can be dragging. Said it's my fault. Hope you believe me...

Arkansas (Damien Jurado cover)

Carry Me, Ohio (Sun Kil Moon cover)

The original song is written by Jerry Jeff Walker, but I think Sammy Davis Jr.'s version outshines them all. That's why I couldn't stop myself trying to croon while recording this. Just love it so much.

(sorry for the brief stop and the mouseclick at 2:29, forgot the lyrics again...)

Mr Bojangles

Michigan (Leif Vollebekk)

Sticks & Stones (live)

In A New Light (demo)

This classic song, written by Jackson C. Frank, speaks to my soul. It has been covered many, many times, by various artists. But after seeing 'The Old Man & The Gun' yesterday I thought I'd have a go at it myself...

Blues Run The Game (Jackson C. Frank)

Recorded this one a couple months back. It has unfinished lyrics, finished them a couple days later. Sort of. Still feels like a work in progress. 

Anyway, the song is about missing home, obviously, but maybe it's more about missing a certain idea of home. A romanticized image that was not even there in the first place. 'Cause things change. People change. Our lives change. A year ago I didn't see myself living here in Germany for a longer period of time at all. Guess it different now. I've adjusted and settle in to my life here, got to meet some amazing people along the way, and it seems like good things are finally about to happen with my music here in Cologne.

The background noise you're hearing is my phone and (later) my better half cleaning up the table after dinner. Hope I'll be able to do a more professional recording when I get back from my tour next month.


26/05/2019
"i used to know"(first demo take)    
words & music by Robert J. Peter         

take me back ...
to the place I know ...
where sunlight kisses 
dew on the meadow...

where we would lie ...
 in the grass below ...
under the trees
 in the moonlight glow...

and see the stars ...
come out at night ...
across the sky
burning so bright ...

we'd laugh and talk ...
and drink our wine ...
oh things were slow 
but we'd take our time ...

never ... thought ... that I'd miss it so ....
seeing faces ... i used to know ... 
i used to know ...

take me back ...
to the place I know ...
where sunlight kisses 
dew on the meadow...

'cause these concrete blocks...
and neon lights ...
they make me tired 
dissatisfied ...

so when I take that train ...
or subway below ...
i close my eyes 
and my mind just goes ...

never thought ... that I'd miss it so ...
just seeing faces ... i used to know ...

never ... thought ... that I'd miss it so ....
just seeing faces ... i used to know ...

©excerpt from painting 'The Harvesters' (1565), by Pieter Bruegel the Elder.

I Used To Know (demo)

Hope Can Find You (demo)

Rite Of Passage (live)

Was at a friend's house earlier this year where we did a couple of spontaneous live takes in his living room studio. Thought it would be cool to post these stripped down versions here, since these songs are also going to be featured on the album I've worked on with my band The Gimmick.

This is the first one of the series. It's called 'She'll Come Around'.

She'll Come Around (live demo recording)

Was at a friend's house in October last year year when we did a couple of spontaneous live takes in his living room studio. Thought it would be cool to post these stripped down versions here, since these songs are also featured on the album I've worked on with my band The Gimmick - which is available on all streaming platforms (give it listen if you're curious).

This is the third - and last one - of the series. The song is called 'Honeysuckle Blues', a somewhat free flowing outpour of personal stuff I was dealing with at the time. During pre-production, the guys in the band strongly felt that this stripped down solo version was the definitive version of the song.

Honeysuckle Blues (live demo recording)

Indie Folk Singer/Songwriter living in Germany. 

Hope you enjoy my channel. 
Thanks for listening.

Robert J. Peter

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