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03.08.04
He's just about to release his first full-length album,
No Safe Bet. Now, Pete Schmidt talks to us about record
labels, snack packs and romantic duets.
 So
you are about to release your debut LP. Tell us a little
bit about the album, how it's different than your EP
and who collaborated with you on it.
No Safe Bet is the album I've wanted to make
for a while. I ended up working with a producer named
Dan Hannon from Atlanta. He used to be the front man
for a band called King Konga. Working with a fellow
singer/songwriter was probably the best thing I've ever
done. It gave us the chance to collaborate on a lot
of things and I feel like he had a better understanding
of what I wanted to go for unlike a producer not familiar
with this genre. The recording environment we worked
in was very relaxing and non-strenuous.
This record is different from my EP in that I feel
like I finally got to show a different side of me. I
used to listen to a lot of rock albums and I think this
album expresses it. The EP was more "Hey, let's
put 5 songs on a CD." With this LP I was more able
to bring out the feeling of the song and try to make
people feel the way I feel in the music.
What was your personal goal with No Safe
Bet?
 I
feel like I've learned a lot in this past year in that
the music industry is definitely a 'building' process.
I hope this LP will take me to the next level in my
career. I think having a solid album out really helps
and artist get their name out there. I think No Safe
Bet is a very well rounded album and my goal is
to convince you guys the same.
Oh you have, I love the album!!! So tell
us about the "chick" duet on the album. Who
is she, and where'd ya find her?
Lyndsay Wojcik a good friend of mine from Atlanta
that I went to high school with. We played music together
all through high school and when I first wrote "Just
So You Know" I thought it would be very cool to feature
a female singer on the album.
Yes, it added a lot of depth. So "Make It
Up to You" sounds aahhhh-mazing. Up until now I'd only
heard it live...tell us a bit about this song.
It's definitely one of my favorite songs on the album.
Dan helped a lot with rearranging some parts on it and
I just felt like everything flowed when we recorded
it in the studio. It's really hard to keep relationships
on the road and I feel like I'm always promising 'plans'
when I can't pull through with every one of them. I
feel like I overbook myself and this song is pretty
much saying "I'll make it up to you next time."
What's your favorite track on the album?
Holy moly. Right now it's "On Sunday." But
probably next week it'll change.
 When
you were writing these songs, where were you and are
they based on your experiences at the time, past experiences,
or just theoretical situations?
The best way to describe my songs is that most of them
are true situations in my life. I've never finished
a song in one particular spot. They always tend to grow
and change periodically. For instance, I think I've
rewritten the song "Lost in New York" many
many times. It keeps the song fresh and fun for me and
keeps the audience on their feet. For me to write a
song it definitely takes some 'drama' or being inspired
by something that had happened that day. I tend to write
between the hours of 11PM-4AM downstairs in my basement
that's kind of secluded from everything. Three months
ago I wrote a song called "Angel" that I wrote
for a girl I met who passed away in a terrible tragedy
in Chicago. She was my manager's roommate in college
and I feel like one of the main reasons I wrote that
song was to help my manager cope with the loss of her
good friend. So yeah, it's a little of everything in
terms of personal experiences and theoretical situations.
Very touching. So you've had quite a year, going
solo and all. How has solo been up until now and how
do you think the new album will be received since you're
no longer the title tag of a band?
Solo life has been great. I do miss having a band
though. But it's very very very difficult to travel
as a band when you can't afford it. But this way at
least being solo I feel like I am my own boss. And it
gives me the ability to change whatever, whenever...and
not have to ask my 'mother' (band). I don't feel like
there is going to be much difference in the way people
receive my music. I did a lot of solo traveling when
I had the band to so I feel like the transition was
a lot easier than it could have been.
Definitely. How has touring been?
Touring has been a blast. It's always great to go into
cities you've been before and every time I go to a new
city I feel like I find a new favorite thing to do.
The fans have been great and some are more excited about
this new album than I am and that really helps the momentum
of the sweaty rock & roll.
What is next for you?
Slip and slides. Dr. Pepper. Macaroni & Cheese.
To tell you the truth, I don't really know what is next
for me. Hopefully lots of fun and touring and just having
a good time with the release of No Safe Bet.
Ingram Hill, Ari Hest, Matt Nathanson and
Graham Colton...they're all starting to get signed and
putting out 'labeled' albums. Do you think a label is
a measure of success?
 Some
people might say so but I definitely think that my measure
of success is reaching your goal and these days if you
look at labels lots of artists are being dropped left
and right. I feel like that their career might come
to a 'halt' because of that. And being smart in the
industry is when I look at guys like Ari Hest and Matt
Nathanson as they 'built' their own fan base and developed
themselves before talking to a label...which brings
you more confidence.
And if the label ends up dropping you, you will still
be fine on your own. It's almost like- would you be
more proud of having someone give you a car or you buying
it on your own? I'd rather know that I can buy my own.
What's the most personally gratifying aspect of
your career as a musician?
Three things. 1) Snack packs 2) I do it for the love
of playing music. It's just satisfying for me to write
a song or play a live show. And to be in the middle
of this industry and see how it works is so fascinating.
Well, we know what Petes diet is like on the road.
Hey, thanks for d. Hey, thanks for taking a moment to
chat with us, we look forward to hearing from you in
the future.
For more, visit www.peteschmidtmusic.com.
Purchase No Safe Bet here!
Interviewed by Kristen
Fischer
DiscoveringArtists.com
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