Peter Mayer (singer-songwriter)
Peter Mayer | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1963 St. Paul, Minnesota |
| Genres | Folk, singer-songwriter |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Labels | Blue Boat |
| Website | petermayer.net |
Peter Mayer (born 1963) is a Minnesota-based singer-songwriter.[1]
Early life[edit]
Mayer grew up in Maplewood, Minnesota.[1] When he was 15, he borrowed a guitar, taught himself to play, and began writing songs.[2] He attended the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, earning a degree in theology with a concentration in music.[1] He then spent two years studying at a Jesuit seminary, dropping out after deciding against becoming a priest.[2] He served as music director at St. Gregory’s Catholic Church in St. Paul from 1987 to 1995.[1]
Career[edit]
While at St. Gregory’s, Mayer performed regularly in local clubs and on college campuses.[3] He also released his first two albums of original songs – Uncrowded Sky in 1993 and Straw House Down in 1995.[4] In 1995, Mayer left St. Gregory’s to write songs and tour full time.[5]
Since then, Mayer has released nine more albums, all now published by his own independent label, Blue Boat.[6] He has performed at coffeehouses, churches, theaters, and concert halls in 48 U.S. states and Canada, including the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.[1]
Mayer’s songwriting explores the themes of spirituality, science, the natural world, the cosmos, and the meaning of life. “Mayer long ago challenged himself to avoid the commonplace topics of love and lust that most songwriters never get beyond,” wrote one reviewer. “He peers into the philosophical dimensions of life. His music gently ponders the ‘big questions’ and the many mysteries of life itself.”[4]
Mayer has said his music was influenced by the singer-songwriters he grew up with in the 1960s and 1970s, including James Taylor, Simon and Garfunkel, Cat Stevens, and Elton John.[2] He also credits Michael Hedges, Leo Kottke, and other fingerstyle guitarists for influencing his guitar-playing style.[7]
Mayer’s songwriting and fingerstyle guitar skills have garnered praise from critics, with one writer noting he has “built up a stellar reputation among the nation’s music critics and music lovers.”[8] Marilyn Rea-Beyer of folk music station WUMB in Boston said of Mayer: “His guitar work is breath-taking, his lyrics mind-spinning, his singing soul-soothing and his feet-on-the-ground optimism nothing short of healing.”[8] Acoustic Guitar magazine wrote: “Mayer’s songs are crafted like Shaker furniture, with no place for superfluous embellishments or throwaway lines…. Mayer’s fluid, clean and tremendously intriguing guitar playing is topped with warm, rich vocals. This is music for the soul.”[9]
“There is a wonderful childlike (not childish) quality to Mayer's best material,” wrote another reviewer. He added: “Mayer's music is like an elegant piece of old architecture: exquisite lines, well-crafted and sturdy, balanced and functional. It seeks to unite rather than divide. It looks at what we all have in common rather than what separates us.”[4]
Mayer has been nominated for multiple Minnesota Music Awards, including for Best Folk Artist, Best Album, and Best Male Songwriter. He's also been a finalist in songwriting competitions, including the Telluride Festival Songwriters Competition (twice) and Lyons Folk Festival Songwriting Competition.[10]
In 1999, Mayer won a McKnight Fellowship for Performing Musicians, and in 2009, he was awarded a $50,000 Bush Fellowship.[3]
Over the years, Mayer’s songs have been performed by numerous other musicians, including Kathy Mattea, Ronny Cox, David Wilcox, Billy Jonas, Anne Hills, Conspirare, and the Schubert Club.[6]
Two of his pieces have been included in church songbooks. “Blue Boat Home,” a song from his Earth Town Square album, is included in the Unitarian Universalists’ supplementary hymnal. “Holy Now,” from his Million Year Mind album, was the title selection of the Association of United Church’s 2006 songbook.[9]
Mayer is sometimes confused with another musician of the same name who plays in Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band.[8]
Discography[edit]
Uncrowded Sky (1993)
Straw House Down (1995)
Bountiful (1997)
Million Year Mind (1999)
Elements (2001)
Earth Town Square (2002)
Midwinter (2005)
Novelties (2007)
Heaven Below (2010)
Third Street (2014)
Catching Rain (2018)
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Emerson, Dan (December 2016). "Folksinger Peter Mayer Performs from Stillwater to San Diego and Beyond". St. Croix Valley Magazine. Retrieved 2021-01-23. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Singer-Songwriter Peter Mayer to Perform in Bedford". The Boston Globe. 2012-09-27. Retrieved 2021-01-23. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 Kink, Julie (2010-02-18). "Peter Mayer: 'Songs are the most unique thing I have to offer'". The Lowdown. Retrieved 2021-01-23. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Review: Singer-songwriter Mayer gently ponders life's big questions". Duluth News Tribune. 2008-02-25. Retrieved 2021-01-23. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Oliver, Kevin (2014-05-09). "Interview: Peter Mayer". Post and Courier. Retrieved 2021-01-23. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 6.0 6.1 Virtusio, Jessi (2019-06-05). "Minnesota singer, songwriter Peter Mayer ready to return to Front Porch Music". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2021-01-23. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Minor 7th Interviews Peter Mayer". www.minor7th.com. 2003. Retrieved 2021-01-23. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Martin, Michael (2017-01-26). "Folk singer Peter Mayer finds music is magical". La Crosse Tribune. Retrieved 2021-01-23. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 9.0 9.1 Gilmore, Molly (2017-05-17). "Peter Mayer's unique music blends his beliefs in science and religion". The Olympian. Retrieved 2021-01-23. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Folk singer Mayer to play Rocky Saturday". The Billings Gazette. 2002-09-19. Retrieved 2021-01-23. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help)
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