Reviews & Press
IN THE PRESS
J Peter’s “Empty Roads” voted in the TOP 4 FOLK SONGS — JOHN LENNON (INTERNATIONAL) SONGWRITING CONTEST
Peter’s “Bard Lane/Sweet Eagle Dreams” voted in the TOP 500 SONGS — BILLBOARD WORLD SONG CONTEST
LOS ANGELES TIMES [Peter] “has a strong clear voice, up there with Gordon Lightfoot, John Stewart and the other folk hot guys”. . . Bill Locey
LOS ANGELES TIMES “A FRIENDLY VENUE FOR FOLK SINGERS” by Bill Locey
…Boles, a small guy with a big set of lungs, has that classic folk voice with a rich range that fills the room and obliterates the idle chitchat… Read the full article >>
ANCHORAGE TIMES “a warm, sensuous harmonica that always seemed to be in the right place at the right time”
11-10 “CHRISTMAS SKY” REVIEW — Orient Lodge “Music Monday – J Peter Boles” Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Mon, 11/22/2010 – 11:18
| It is another cold rainy Monday which probably affects my choices of music for Music Mondays. Whose idea was it anyway to blog about music on Mondays. Sure, the alliteration is good, but really?So, I sat down with my cup of coffee and listened to some of the latest submissions on Sonicbids for the Music Review section of Orient Lodge.There is a young musician who did session work for Barney. Upbeat pop sort of stuff. Nice. Perhaps good going into the holiday season, but it didn’t really fit my mood. Anyway, I should have my daughter review that submission.Clicking through the pages, I came to J Peter Boles. He has a new Christmas EP out. In my book, it is still too early to be Christmas shopping. There is still a month to go before the serious Christmas shopping begins. I’m not ready to listen to Silent Night or Go Tell It On the Mountain. Yet I like to give each musician a fair chance and listen to their music.I listened to the guitar intro to Silent Night, and I half expected Boles to start off with “Annie laid her head down in the roses”, except maybe singing Mary instead of Annie. I flipped over to the website to read about The Resinator, a guitar that Boles built with “ocean-swept driftwood & found abalone in a custom polymer resin composite”… Fascinating. So, if you want to really mix up your music for the holidays, add Boles’ Christmas Sky to your mix.
Yet there is much more to Boles than his Christmas EP. His debut album has some great songs on them. Perhaps the song that resonates best with me is “Bard Lane / Sweet Eagle Dreams”. There stands the man that I used to be Yeah, another comrade in arms. Boles sings about hobos, the December rain, and tides ebbing and flowing. It’s some good music to listen to on a rainy Monday morning. |
LOS ANGELES TIMES “FROM THE CAMPFIRE TO THE BREW PUB” by Bill Locey
“J Peter Boles, a local country-flavored folkie of vast experience … After traveling thousands of miles over the years, J Peter Boles brings his old guitar and vast repertoire of ‘folkabilly’ to Ojai… Boles could probably play longer than the Grateful Dead in their heyday … While Boles’ concoction of folk and country influences sounds seamless, he’s fully aware of the nuances.” Read the full article >>
VENTURA COUNTY REPORTER [CD rated “A-“] “Boles is a local country-flavored folkie –judging from a twang like that, he must be from South Ventura. Imagine a local version of John Prine. Boles has the songwriting thing figured out, as proven by his sound advice from the first cut, [Don’t Cherish Your Regrets]. He’s ably assisted by a number of the best local players including Jim Monahan and Danny Wilson. This Hoyt Axton-inspired former oil patch worker sings about dusty roads, lonesome highways, bad women and all those recurring themes for country singers and folkies alike”. . . Solomon Bass, 2000
VENTURA COUNTY STAR — “DISCOVER FOLKABILLY” by Bill Locey — “Folk singers are like firemen … and waterfalls — everybody likes them”. One particularly affable folkie is Ventura local J Peter Boles… Read the full article>>
VENTURA STAR FREE PRESS —Local singer songwriter J Peter Boles has just released a simple and beautiful self-titled acoustic disc. Featuring original folk tunes with some tasty playing by the likes of Dan and Mary Wilson to Chris Hillman, it’s one of the best local releases of the year … Perhaps Ventura is gearing up for an acoustic renaissance. It’s about time . . . Chris Jay
LISTENER REVIEWS Awesome music that can only touch the heart and the soul! My heart runneth over with love for such inspirational music of life itself. Thank you, Peter! — Carol
There is depth to this man and his music. I’ve listened to this album many times. I’m surprised that each time I listen, I really feel like I’ve lived through some of Peter’s experiences. His voice does really have a depth to it that speaks of experience. It is melodious, but at the same time he brings a feeling of something I guess I would call joyful melancholy to his songs. Not all of them are this way, but there are stories here that I think are worth listening to. This is a man who is a musical storyteller, one who does it in the best way. His band does an excellent job of supporting the songs and giving each one a very unique and intimate feeling. It seems that with a musician like Peter, one hears a man who wants so deeply to share his feelings with you. He does this very well. — Chris Aynesworth
I think this album is really neat! As far as I’m concerned, the songs get my toes tappin’ – even despite myself!! So, if you’re in the mood for some music to make you smile, J Peter Boles is definitely the man to listen to. Go buy the CD now!! — Maria Ramos
A nearly religious experience. The music touched my soul like a three foot cattle prod, but without the pain. — Richard Givot
It has been so long since I have listened to a CD that I loved this much! J Peter Boles has offered a recording with such a vital tone. Just listen to Tides and Bard Lane. This CD could change the mind of the most jaded listener. — John Lindsey
Rating: 10 — The first time I ever heard his music was when my current wife was getting married to her now ex-husband. I was so inspired, I hung around until she got divorced so I could marry her and possibly get to meet J Peter, the brother of the ex. It all came together a couple years ago. I have never been so happy. God bless. — Rick Martinelli
Rating: 10 — I remember the first time I heard the old ones: Marty Robbins, Patsy Cline, Ray Charles, and so on. They each in their own way brought word and song together. Now, J Peter Boles has done that for me again. The world looks as good as a “rose on the morning of the first day of battle.” Thanks, Peter. — Joseph May
