Bio

At the place where soul meets folk, pop meets rock and earnestness meets wit stands.....well nothing stands there but if something did, it would be the music of Austin based singer/songwriter/guitarist/producer Pete Minda. A self-described music listening junkie for most of his adult life, Pete has been writing and recording his unique brand of folk rock since the early nineties, releasing the all acoustic compact disc, Fringe Of Happiness in 1999 while living in Austin, Texas. A self-titled release followed in 2002 while Pete was living in his hometown of Kansas City, Missouri.

Released in March of '06 while he was living in Brooklyn, NY, Long Way was Pete's first full scale CD recording. Featuring some of NYC' s finest producers and players, it is a collection of tunes from the first 15 years of his songwriting career. This very personal collection of music is a rollicking ride through the American music form with touches of blues, gospel, folk, country and singer/songwriter pop.

A versatile and skilled performer, Pete is capable of playing shows solo or with a full ensemble. Over the years he has appeared on: Americana OK with Tom Fahey, The Austin Music Network, KKFI Kansas City Community Radio, Texas Radio One and many others.

His live playing experience encompasses playing for hundreds of people at festivals, solo gigs in coffeehouses, campfires and even a nursing home.

His song Fifteen Minutes Of Fame was the theme song for Director Mike Akel’s sleeper, indie film hit Butcher's 15 in 1999 and in 2009 his song Time Warp was picked for the best of CD compilation for RAD (Recording Artist Development) a NYC based not for profit that works with emerging recording artists.

Over the years, Pete has also collaborated with other recording artists including, Annie Keating, Breck Alan and Vicky Emerson. He currently resides in Austin, TX with his Wife Eleanor and cats Clark and Penny.

Press

"Pete Minda's singing can easily stand up to any one of his folk influences. His voice is touched with that boxcar tone found in some of the early American crooners but with a more relevant passion and richer vocal and guitar tones."

Eric Shea
Listen.com

"Here on AmericanaOK we are always being asked, “what is Americana”. I used to try and give a definition which invariably left the questioner bemused. Now I say take a listen to “Long Way” by Pete Minda. It’s a collection of very fine songs that embrace many of the influences that form the genre known as Americana. But, don’t listen as an academic exercise; listen for the pure joy of hearing a collection of songs that will stay with you for a very long time. Pete Minda has come a “Long Way” from his hometown of Kansas City via Austin to Brooklyn so welcome his arrival by listening to this fine collection of songs."

Tom Fahey
AmericanaOK

Fans of local heroes such as Freedy Johnston, Chad Rex and former Pedaljet Mike Allmayer will find a lot to like about Pete Minda, a Kansas City native who's been working quietly in our midst since last year. After stints in New York and Austin, Texas, Minda is making music here in his home studio. Clearly moved by such damn fine influences as Dylan and Lennon but also more than comfortable with country choices, Minda ranges from talking-blues numbers such as "Long Way" to "Four Chord Waltz," maybe the best-ever explanation of a musician's fragile love.

Mike Warren
Pitch Magazine from 2002

Holly Moors
MazzMusikas Free-zine formerly RootsTown Music

Solidly written and performed "adult contemporary" music is difficult to create, and it's equally difficult to pinpoint what separates good work in this field from the unimaginative and impersonal material that gluts it. It's hard work doing uncool well, which is why James Taylor is still packing theaters even though critics and hip musicians refuse to recognize his influence. Also Chicago and Steely Dan.

Austin's Pete Minda doesn't knock every track on Long Way out of the park, but he makes a lot of solid contact. His songwriting is band-conscious, using the rhythm section and added touches like the accordion of "Memory to Me" to distinguish the tunes from each other. There's a foundation of acoustic strumming in the mix, but it doesn't dominate and importantly it doesn't push every song into the same kind of feel. Lead guitar parts diversify the tracks and play off of the vocals nicely.

Lyrically Long Way has some fine moments and some missed opportunities. The chorus hook to "Thing About Love" ("the incidents of late tell me I don't know a thing about love") is clumsy in just the right way -- the charm of the song is the way the singer doesn't use another's words to make his point. "There's Never Been Any Peace" sometimes sacrifices the clarity of the melody in its onrush of words, but Minda has some solid points to make. Sometimes he tends to lose focus, as a few songs have second verses that don't entirely flow logically, as if he cribbed some ideas from an entirely different lyric. "She's Not the Little Girl" has a resonant theme and a lovely duet part, but the words are too unspecific to really cut to the heart the way they should.

The strongly arranged main body of the record is well-complemented by the final track, a solo acoustic take of the fine "Kansas City Coming Home" that displays that Minda is highly skilled at maintaining the drama of his full-band performances in a solo setting. The way he adapts his vocal style, very understated through most of the record, to really sell "Kansas City" is representative of his subtle but refined skills. Long Way isn't currently stylish, but heartfelt and honest never go entirely out of style either.

BigWesternFlavor.Blogspot.com

"Pete Minda's new album, Long Way, is Austin Americana goodness from start to finish. Original lyrics, gritty vocals ala Slaid Cleaves make this album a must have."

Vicky Emerson
Songwriter/Recording Artist