Son of a Blitch
George Bowe Blitch has been a Wildlife Manager, 5th generation Texas Rancher, Professional Writer, Videographer, Photographer, Editor, Speaker, Brand Developer & Designer, Cartographer, Touring Musician, Teacher, Coach, Serial Entrepreneur, Finance Manager, and the owner of numerous businesses.
George has met some wildly interesting people in his lifetime, and this "Son of a Blitch” is sure to share some impactful stories, interviews, and messages that will be informative, educational, and highly entertaining!
Guests often include: #1 New York Times Best Selling Authors, Television Show Hosts, International Touring Musicians, Actors, James Beard Award-Winning Chefs, Leaders in the Outdoor Industry, Photographers, Filmmakers, Navy SEALS, Green Berets, Veterans and related Veteran Organizations, a Master BladeSmith, a Federal Judge, Professional Athletes, Business Leaders, Inventors, Survival & Wilderness Experts, Instructors, Publishers, Inventors, Cartel Fighting Game Wardens, other podcasters, and more!
"I've met some incredible people in my life, and I want to share their stories!" ~GB
Son of a Blitch
Ep. 158 - Peter Yanowitz of PRINCESS GOES: The Stories Behind the New Album “3”
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
In this episode of the Son of a Blitch Podcast, host George Blitch welcomes back Peter Yanowitz, drummer, songwriter, vocalist, and founding member of Princess Goes, the genre-defying band featuring Matt Katz-Bohen and Michael C. Hall (Dexter, Six Feet Under).
With the release of their third full-length album, “3,” Peter takes listeners behind the music, sharing the personal stories, unexpected discoveries, and creative collaborations that helped bring the band's latest collection of 11 songs to life.
One of the conversation's most fascinating moments centers on “Walking in Soho,” a song whose origins stretch back to 2001. Peter recalls walking through Washington Square Park on his way to meet a friend when a melody and lyrics suddenly came to him. Rather than let the idea disappear, he turned around, headed home, and began writing.
More than two decades later, an unexpected discovery buried in an old recording session helped transform that original idea into one of the standout tracks on 3. With new contributions from Michael C. Hall and producer Brandon Bost, the song evolved into something entirely new while retaining its deeply personal connection to New York City.
But that's just one of the remarkable stories Peter shares.
Throughout the conversation, George and Peter explore:
- The story behind “Walking in Soho”: How a song conceived nearly 25 years ago found its way onto the new Princess Goes album, and how a recording mistake helped inspire its transformation.
- Finding his voice: Peter discusses stepping further into the spotlight as a lyricist and lead vocalist, overcoming his initial hesitation, and rediscovering the emotional power of songwriting.
- The making of “3”: How working with producer Brandon Bost opened new creative possibilities and allowed the band to experiment beyond its familiar recording environment.
- Happy accidents and musical discovery: How spontaneous studio sessions and unexpected ideas shaped songs including “Snaggletooth” and “French Kiss.”
- The future of Princess Goes live: Peter shares his dream of expanding the band's live lineup with additional musicians, creating a more organic concert experience, and eventually returning to the road.
- A lifetime of musical exploration: Reflections on his work with The Wallflowers, Morningwood, musical theater, and the many artists and creative projects that have shaped his career.
- Life beyond the stage: An intimate conversation about aging, artistic fulfillment, reconnecting with nature, painting, and finding inspiration in unexpected places.
- The power of the fans: Why Princess Goes values its dedicated community of listeners and how word of mouth helps sustain the band's independent approach to releasing music.
Peter also reflects on his longstanding creative partnership with Michael C. Hall, the musical chemistry he shares with Matt Katz-Bohen, and why the collaborative spirit behind 3 makes this album particularly meaningful to him.
As the conversation unfolds, it becomes about much more than a new record. It's an exploration of how creativity evolves over time, how old ideas can become something extraordinary, and why making music remains a source of wonder even after decades in the industry.
Peter's enthusiasm for the music, gratitude toward the fans, and hopes for the future offer a fascinating glimpse into the heart of Princess Goes.
Whether you're a longtime fan or just discovering the band, this episode is a celebration of music, storytelling, creative exploration, and the remarkable journey behind “3.”
CONNECT WITH PRINCESS GOES
Official website, music, vinyl, and merchandise:
https://princessgoes.com
Bandcamp:
https://princessgoes.bandcamp.com
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/princessgoesofficial
ABOUT THE SON OF A BLITCH PODCAST
Hosted by George Blitch, the Son of a Blitch Podcast features authentic conversations with musicians, actors, authors, chefs, outdoor industry leaders, and fascinating personalities from all walks of life.
Website: https://sonofablitch.com
Podcast: https://podcast.sonofablitch.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@sonofablitch
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesonofablitch
Authentic Stories. Real People. Wild Lives.
Welcome And The New Release
George BlitchPeter, welcome back to the Son of a Bleach podcast. How are you doing today, sir?
PeterI'm good, George. Thanks. Thanks again for having me and Matt the other day. Um, appreciate it, Matt.
George BlitchYeah, man. Well, I'm excited for the new album, three, your third album, uh, full length. I know you got the EP that started it all off, but uh man, tell me a little bit about this now that it's out into the interwebs in the world and people are listening and streaming uh millions a day. Tell me what it's like for you to kind of have this project that you guys worked on for about 18 months uh finally uh available for everyone to check out.
PeterUh good question, George. Yeah, it's uh been out since Friday, so only a couple days. And uh I was just walking on the street a minute ago in New York City, and I was like, oh, let me see, you know, I just put the record on for a second. It's there. So I confirmed that. That was an awesome feeling. And uh, you know, it's it is surreal for us, you know. We we've been waiting for this day for so long, you know, and working towards this day. So I don't know, it it just feels still like a little bit, you know, surreal and dreamlike, but but it feels really, really good. And we are happy the music's out there and in into people's ears.
George BlitchWell, man, it's it's a phenomenal album. I love it. Like I was talking to Matt about it, man. It kind of there's so many emotional hides. There's I mean, I'd love it just driving around. Like there's so many great tracks on there that really get me going. And one of which was uh one walking in Soho, the second track on the album. But I I I know that there's a little bit of an a story there back in like 2013. Didn't you perform a show called Walking in Soho? I want to bring this back and know a little bit more about this. Is like the computer okay.
PeterWe'll dive into some Soho history.
The Long Origin Of Walking In Soho
PeterYeah. So actually, it goes black back even way before 2013, George. I um I think I I I think it goes all the way back to 2001, um, 25 years ago. Uh I had just gotten out of a relationship and was living in New York City. And one night I was going out uh to meet a friend in Soho at a I I live near Soho in Greenwich Village, and I was going to meet a friend at a hookah bar. There used to be a hookah bar in Soho and uh just one of those nights. I was going out, I got dressed, I I went out, was walking on my way through Washington Square Park, and I I was probably in the park where I just started, I I I got closer and I just started I I sing and and and write lyrics a lot when I walk. I don't know, it's just I found myself singing melodies and and making shit up just at to the beat of my feet, you know? And uh so yeah, I was just walking and uh got close to Soho and I got into Soho and I and I and it just the line I'm walking in Soho and I just want to go ho home tonight came into my head. So I just started singing it and I was like, oh that's dumb. And uh and like uh a block later I just kind of locked in on a melody and I was singing it, and I was like, hey, wait a minute, that's actually not dumb. That's pretty fucking good. Yeah, uh that's a pretty good line. And uh I just turned around. This was before cell phones. I think cell phones were just like at least in my consciousness, cell phones were just starting to happen, but I didn't have one. So I just ran home and blew off my friend in the hookah bar and uh and just got out my acoustic and kind of figured out what chords would go out of the melody that I was singing on the street. And uh and yeah, so I kind of started writing a song back then. It was it was a much different song than it it is on the princess record, but but it it went back all the way back to that. I uh I never released it, um the that old version. Um and and then I don't know, some of our some of our fans might know that I do a lot of work in theater. I was in Hedwig and Angry, and I I wrote a musical with the with the writer from Hedwig, and and I have a theater chapter of my life that is still still ongoing. Um and I did at one point toy with the idea of writing a a musical uh about being an artist in New York. And and I it's a it's a work in progress. I did do it at New York Musical Theater Festival back in 2012, as you mentioned, and uh haven't really worked on it much since then because I got really busy in bands and you know started Princess shortly after Hedwig and have been rolling with that for a while. But so the song has a lot of deep lineage and history with me. It this version I played it, I gave it to Mike a long time ago when we were still doing Hedwig together, and and uh he really loved it and was really supportive of some of my solo stuff. And you know, a lot of my solo stuff has ended up on Princess Records, you know, reworked. I I I I loved writing my own music, but I never felt this comp you know, I never felt this compulsion to release my own solo record. I don't know, something about solo artists just made me want to scarf. But but really I just I have a lot of songs that I've written over the years, and as a songwriter, I never really give up on any of my ideas. You know, I have ideas that I've been working on for years and years. Heart to heart is one of those ideas that goes back even before Soho. Uh it was a jam that I had that just once I was first starting to write songs, that was a melody and and a chord progression that I locked into. It just kind of reminded me of like what victory sounded like and this charge of you know, army, I don't know, whatever. It it just filled me with an energy. I'm talking about heart to heart now, but I'm getting off of Soho. But but Soho, yeah, so that that has been a song that uh that has been kicked around for a long time. And we we reinvented it in the studio. Our producer, Brandon Boast, really played a big role in that. He um he helped me sort of shape it a different way. And you know, but there's an accident that happened one day when I when I was going when I was going back into that old session a couple years ago, the old original Soho demo. Um is this okay that I'm just talking? Like, absolutely no. This is I don't want to like unlock any questions. I want to hear this. Yeah, a couple few years ago I opened up the session. Uh as I said, I never give up on songs. And I was like, damn, this is a good song. And I was just kind of going through all the tracks just in case I missed something. And there's a bunch of muted tracks that I had from way back in 2000 when I first wrote it. And I found this one muted track that I unmuted and just kind of looped it, and I was like, holy shit, that's a really cool accident that happened. I and I must have muted it back then because I thought it was a mistake. But I've since grown to realize that mistakes are usually you know awesome when they happen, and to try to follow them and and and see where they lead. And and we had a lot of mistakes on this album that kind of changed changed the album for the good, I think. But but I made a mistake in the chorus and it was a different progression, and I and all of a sudden a new idea came to me of how to do the song again. That's what we ended up with, Princess, a little more grungy, you know. Um and you know, and Mike wrote those amazing words and the verses and the bridge, and it became his New York story. And and there's a few other versions floating around that we're you know we might release in the new year on on some sort of bonus LP, but but um for now, it it is a story for New York and for New Yorkers, and everybody has their New York story, and I'm sure you do too. And it's literally like a song that hopefully people make their own in in many different ways.
Finding New Lyrics And Voices
PeterWell, that's one of the beautiful things about like being able to have, you know, I hear a lyric. There's some of the ones I heard uh in in the album. I'm like, man, it made me think about this. But you just, you know, sometimes I don't like to hear the origin story about certain things because you it's like, you know, because it could be anybody's own story, but something like that, it's it's cool because I was curious like where that came from. And this is something that maybe it's a little bit different. I mean, obviously the recording process is a little bit different, and we'll get into that as far as you know, where you guys had, you know, Brandon Studio and whatnot. But the idea of you having a little bit more contribution in vocals this time. I mean, Mike's a busy guy. We know that you know you and and and Matt have been putting to a lot of musical. I mean, some of these things like this one, it's 25 years old, this idea, this seed that was planted, and you know, here it is too. And there's a lot of other songs that you guys came up on the fly in the studio, some you brought for maybe years past and working, but you have a different um as far as uh, you know, I guess you have a little bit more of uh performance of vocals on this album than you have in the past. And and Mike encouraged you to kind of fill in for some of those spaces and the times to write. And I'd love to just kind of talk about that and what that was like for you because I know, you know, back in like college you made that uh accidental move into a poetry class and then you were an English major. By the way, I've also co-English major in Massachusetts as well. So a little connectivity. I love that you remember that. Yeah, man. I mean, it but that that that that writing is something that's always been with you, and that's something that I feel like you featured a little bit more here. And uh I'd love to just hear about that for you. What was that like? Uh kind of being able to contribute a little bit more and have a little more singing and uh being on the album in that way. Thanks for the question, George. Um yeah, so it's a good question. Um, you know, Mike is a busy man and he's been carrying all the lyrical load on all of our records to date. Uh occasionally, you know, we do vocals together, Mike and I, and you know, occasionally I'll suggest a word and he takes it, but he's he's our lyricist, and and thank God he is because he's he's a poet, you know. Um and but this year, a couple years ago, you know, when we were stumbling into making this record, um you know, he asked if I would sing a couple. And you know, I think at first I was just like terrified because I was just like, What what do what do you mean? Like, um I you know, I sing, I sang in Hedwig, I s I sang in Morning Wood, I sang in the Wallflowers, I I've sang in my bands um over the years. Um and and I sing in Princess Backup Live, you know. But even on the records before this, I think mostly we used Mike's vocal for the harmonies, you know. We we leaned heavily into Mike's amazing voice. So when he asked me, I was terrified, George. I was like, shit. Uh mainly because I was like, what the hell am I gonna sing about? You know, because Mike's been our lyricist, and I've been running with more of the songwriting, a little bit of producing, you know, producing our other records. And and so I I had a moment of like, oh shit, what am I gonna sing about? And I'm the kind of songwriter that sort of forgets how to write a song every time I finished writing a song. And I'm just like starting over every time. I don't know how to write music. They just, I don't know, it's sort of like haiku, you know, they kind of find you, I think, more than you find them. And and music, even being this deep into my music life, is still like a mystery to me. It's still like a a complete uh question mark of where what it is and how it's made and and it's magic, you know, sort of shit to me. But uh once I got over the fear, I uh I kind of just remembered a couple things happened in my life the last couple of years that really hit me hard. And I remembered like, oh, oh yeah, like I can I'm a writer, I can write about that shit and and I'll feel better about it after I write it. And and once I locked into that that thing, which I had to re-remember, which you know, thank God I did. I I it was just like off to the races and I I loved it so much. I loved the uh I loved the the I just loved that feeling of writing from the heart and and sending messages to the universe and remembering that and just falling back in love with songwriting. And now I'm like, Mike, I'm gonna write them all from now on. I'm just kidding. No, but it was just a great thing. So, so there was that, you know, like this record, like the singing and then the writing. I feel like one of the reasons why this might be my favorite princess record is just not not because I'm doing more, but because it really did become like a full, well-rounded sort of band record. And and we did a lot. We introduced my voice into the fold, not just as a background singer. And I think that you know can only be a good thing as we keep going forward, you know, to have more voices in there. We got Matt going too. Yeah, no, everybody. I would I'd like I love it, man. I mean, it you're you're you're you're an amazing musician and a great writer and a great singer, and it's really cool to have your sound on there and just you know, the the richness that can happen when you have layered uh vocalists and you know what you guys can each bring and the tonality and also kind of the emotions that can have from different people's voices. It it brings a different level of richness to it. Yeah, I'm glad you bring that up. And uh if not to cut you off, but that I'm so glad you bring that up. And as an English major and a writer, you would see that for me, it was like balancing some songs I felt about balanced by a different perspective or a different voice. And and then we you know, we found that Mike's and my I'm singing with Mike on almost every song, but under his voice. And it we found that our voices like together, unison can do something. But then if we separate them and counter them, there can be this like light dark thing going on that I think uh uh also I found really sort of fun to play through the album and try to change the energy of a song mid-song, you know, or you know, I don't know. Anyway, I'm glad you brought that up. No, a hundred percent, man. I mean, I being, you know, performing in different bands too, and being able to have different, you know, lyricists come in and vocalists, and I've I can see that kind of textual, uh, you know, what that kind of can do and the enrichment to a song. And so I was like listening back when I kind of read an interview about how, you know, because I got the album a few weeks ago, I've been listening to it just kind of every single day, man. Drive to work, it's just constantly on and really been studying it a lot. And uh that's been something that I was like, okay, cool. That's that's Peter's voice. And like, because at first I was like, that sounds a little different. Mike sounds a little different, and then I read an article about you know what you kind of brought to the table there in your recordings, and you're there. So I was like, oh shit, that because that's Peter, that's why that's not Mike, you know. It's like, but it was then I could kind of piece it together and I could hear we all are harmonizing and it's man, it's just it's really cool, man. I like that you guys are exploring that. And
Recording With Brandon Boast
Peteryou know, it kind of brought me to another idea of exploration that you guys have done a lot of stuff in your home studio. You've been kind of you know at at at at you know at Pro Tools at at your hands and kind of recording these things. But when now you guys moved into brand studio, which uh was something that you and I talked about three years ago when you were on the podcast, and you said it would be really cool to go into another studio and have someone else at the controls, and then you kind of walked that into existence. And then what was that like for you in that process of being able to maybe be a little more playful in the recording room and maybe not having to be as engineer production-minded? I mean, I'm I know you did that too, and every everyone's working together, but what was that like for you to be in a different set and setting for this album? And how did that kind of shape your experience for three? Nice. Um yeah, it it it was short answer. It was it was awesome getting out of our comfort zone. And it was also a little bit, you know adapting to somebody else being at the helm, you know, uh, you know, being at the piloting the plane, you know. Uh you know, that part of it can be a little bit trickier to navigate, but it was in general so great to have Brandon's expertise. He's he's mixed all of our other records before, our EP, our two full lengths. Uh the he's he sort of, you know, he not only sort of, he produced the come of age deluxe edition when we went back in the studio in North Carolina and recorded four of those songs again. You know, he produced those. And we so from that come of age deluxe, we were like, Brandon, you got to do the next record, just you you're the man. He has this tiny room out in the Green Point at a it the studio is gone now, but it was called Shifted Studios. Um, really cool little room, mostly a mix room. We threw a drum set in the uh corner, and I couldn't even fit a fifth floor tom. So it was just a kick drum, a rack tom, a hi-hat, and a ride symbol. So the most minimal drum set. He has an incredible analog gear, analog synths, um, a wide array of beautiful analog synthesizers and um and uh just amazing preamps, amazing, amazing place to make music. And Brandon's he's he's not only a great engineer, producer, mixer, he's a great songwriter too. And that I think also changed our energy in the studio. Um you know, he he's a whiz kid. He he's great. We we really, really loved working with him. He, you know, there were really never any bad ideas with him. Sometimes we'd go down a road and it would be the wrong road, and we would just kind of back out of it. And and sometimes it would be the wrong road and we'd keep going and it would become a different song. And we did that a few times on this record where we'd be working on one song, and then you know, a few hours later, it's just like we left that idea in the dust and we're already making a new song. And so that was really cool to be while we were making the record in real time, to have these new songs come out that we were writing with Brandon. And and you know, Matt and I do most did all the music writing up to now, and then to have a third sort of element thrown into that instrumental mix was was really, really awesome for us. Um, songs like Snaggle Tooth, which is one of my favorites on the album. Um Snaggletooth uh, another one of my favorite out on the album, and um French Kiss, another one. I mean, we wrote those with him. He wrote about five songs with us. And uh it was great. You know, it's it's frustrating when you're not, you know, when you're a control freak and you're not able to like get in there and like, you know, I love it. You know, it it it's good for me to to take the back seat, you know. And I felt like I was in the back seat a lot, sort of yelling into the front seat, like, hey Brandon, you know. Yeah, exactly. And he, you know, and I think a lot of this record was made that way, and he was he he gave me a lot of space to to voice my opinions as well, and I love that, you know. So it was awesome, George. He's a really cool dude, and um, we're really lucky to have met this guy who it's like he really understands since he's been there since the beginning, he understands what we're doing and and maybe has his own impression of what we're doing, and I think he's confident in that. And and so it really it does really sort of help us, you know, become bigger than we are, because it is a way it is bigger than us, you know. We don't we might be in there like playing a bass part, you know, but it's we're just part of this, you know, universal feeling. You know, now I'm getting deep, but I don't know if you feel that whole we're all part of, we're all writing on this shit, you know, we're channeling everything. And uh it was just a great experience overall. No, it I it it kind of echoes back. There's a book behind me by Rick Rubin talking about like the creative process and like those ideas of sometimes the best thing you can do as a musician or an artist is to kind of leave room for the art to come to you and to be able to work with it and that kind of connection with that universe, whatever it is that that is maybe something that is a kind of a maybe it's even you know described as spiritual, whatever it is that you're you're kind of just leaving that space, or even you know, the space between the notes and how things can grow. This, you know, all the all the different things, and some may sound cliche, but the idea of like letting that creation just happen and see where it goes, and then having another person like Brandon coming in brings another element at play. And then you guys, I mean, you've shifted so many things, and I know you've talked about this too with like your live shows and how the songs morph, and things are always evolving, and some some seed that you planted in your mind as you're walking around in 2001 in Soho and this cool, you know, lyric that came around, and then now here it is 25 years later, a little reshaped, a little reformed, but that idea was that something that evolved from 25 years ago and you walking around feeling what you felt then. And while it may be a different song and set and setting, that is still connected to that time and that kind of that cyclical thing of of art and what can come from it. Sometimes there's no explanation. And I love that idea of the strangeness and the beauty of it and kind of things that you're picking out of the ether or that's delivered to you, however you want to see a thing. Yeah, I mean, we're a small part of it. We just we just play the dumb parts and then yeah. But it does feel like that. The music's way bigger than us, and and we're kind of an audit too. We're like, wow, how did that happen? You know.
Dreaming Up A Bigger Live Band
PeterWell, this is something I I was gonna ask you about with I remember there's an interview where you guys were talking about, you know, I know that there's no tour lined up yet, and there, you know, no shows are on the horizon, but it's being talked about. But you had made a a a I think it was uh a a note on the idea of what it would be like to be able to have the show. with more musicians, with something a little bit larger of a of a tour. I mean, I remember when I was playing with my band Debia, there was two of us. We would record all these things in the studio. It was only two of us recording live and there's you're limited. As much as you can do you can have samplers, different things going on. It's not the same. But y'all songs are so I mean I could I could see an instrument, you know, like a a whole all these instrumentation, symphonic things. I can see all these, you know, a lot of musicians playing parts live. And you you had some mention about the idea of what your idea would be with that. And having a larger kind of presence on stage. Talk to me about like that idea and do you have an ideal in mind of what you would like to like kind of the set and setting and and how many musicians or what that looks like if you were able to say hey we can we're going to go on this tour, you know, no expenses spared, whatever we want to do, what does that look like for you in the ultimate Princess Go's live shows? I love that question. And yeah, it's live is its own thing. It's almost like a different form of entertainment altogether and making records. And and uh you know like like last this week in New York City I went and saw a really small like sort of private magazine party show of this band The Kills have you ever heard of them? This sounds very familiar. They're a they're English band um two people a woman and a man um and they're older they're sort of my age you know ish and around my 25 26 right exactly exactly and um and basically there's two people on stage she was singing he was playing guitar and they're they're they are sort of a white stripesish you know duo. I think they add a drummer when they play live but this there was no drummer there and I was blown away by you know how big two people could sound I highly recommend checking them out they're called the kills and just amazing band. And then at the same time I went and saw LCD sound system in New York City at one of their residencies a couple years ago and they had like 15 people on stage and and they were still probably using some tracks and loops that they were playing to but it was mostly all human generated on stage and and that was incredible too you know just this whole group of people making music and you know I think as you mentioned it is frustrating having just Matt and me being the musicians and if I'm on drums and then it just puts it all on Matt as being like he has to cover all this princess sort of ground um instrumentally but you know we've had we've toured that way you know played over a hundred shows of of that sort of or near a hundred shows of that sort of lineup on stage and I think we've we've sort of feel like with this album you know if we are going to ever play live I mean our dream scenario would be we'd add a couple more members and we'd not rely on a computer anymore and we would just make music. I mean it you know I go see a band and if I you know hear that they're using tracks I'm always like you know it depends how it's used and I don't want to I don't want us to say straight across the board and by for the listeners that don't know what we're talking about a lot of bands play live with a computer or two or three and they have you know all kinds of things playing from their record that would that's being pumped out into the speakers as they play along to it. So it's I'm not saying it's horrible. I mean I think you know because I love bands like you know Justice and you know Daft Punk and and bands that are playing with samples and loops and I don't I I think that's really cool too and it can be very it can be really really great when you're at a dance show. But but um I think I think what I'm interested in is just like human emotions and what humans can do and you know especially in this age of where you know we need to hang on to that humanness you know I mean I get sad when I just think about people growing up with all this other shit that they can use to you know and I think it's just gonna ultimately siphon out like emotions and and uh you know so I would love to see us on stage with a couple more guitar players maybe another drummer even you know so I can get up and play something you know like like when I was in my band Morningwood I was playing bass the whole time and we had a drummer and it was kind of awesome even though I was jealous that I wasn't playing drums too because I love playing drums. So maybe it'd be fun to be able to go to the drums when I want but then take a nice break and play some really grungy distorted guitar or bass, which I love as well. So I think ultimately you know our ideal show would be going out with maybe three more people um having a budget and and being able to support that with playing bigger shows you know I think we've also we also feel a little bit like you know when when Mike went back to Dexter and and he he's pretty busy with his other job you know it's it and with all of our families and response other responsibilities that we have it it it live very limits it limits very much what we're able to do live right now. And I would just say to our fans we are dying to play live but we know now is not the time and so so it's it's like a dream of ours to play but now is not the right time but we really do hope that you know our hope is that the music on this latest album three gets out there and and does some of the work for us for just spreading the word. We're still a band that is seeking an audience. We're we do have a lot of followers on our socials but we're also still an underground band. I mean if you know you know kind of thing and and that's cool to be a secret you know we want we love that I love when you know I have my little things that I love and nobody else knows. But we do we do want to be able to reach another level where we could afford to go on tour take out a few more members because that's what I think appeals to us. We've done it the other way and we felt we're really grateful that we did and met all those people on tour in Europe and here and but I think we need tour differently and that's going to require us being at a different level and we're we're just not there yet. So so we do want to we do want something to happen magic in the universe but we're we're we're also just happy to let the music go and out there and and hopefully someday we will make a move and be out on the road and be playing in beautiful places like Texas. Love San Antonio and Austin and Dallas and Houston all those great fucking cities um we miss it and we love it and we want to do it we just want to do it the next level which is five like this record was kind of we feel like in a weird way George we did like a reverse radiohead like where we started with our weird experimental stuff that was digital and recorded in my studio with loops and wherever the hell we could find beats you know in the fridge you know under the bed um just pasting songs together with scotch tape and and I love making music like that but this record we played live and you know we've been playing lot we've been playing our instruments for so many years that we just want to go out there and play our instruments and it's so much fun. You know when you're making that happen on stage live and you there's no computers around and you're just like what the fuck how is this happening? How does this work? It's incredible dude it's really really beautiful. So hopefully that is a long answer to the live question. Well that's great man I mean and you're playing those seeds and hopefully this thing does get you more attention and be able to have that demand and the budget and being able to find the right musicians to to come into place and you know speaking that into existence because I know a lot of people are waiting to see that next iteration of these songs live and see where those can grow as well and kind of connecting those new audiences because the music's there, the musicality's there. You guys are all brilliant musicians and just great guys and so you know we want to see that kind of you know growth for you as as fans and as friends. And you know I I love the fact that like you talked about you know with you know Mike and Dexter and you know Matt obviously Blondie and the other projects you got going on as well it's hard to sometimes keep things afloat that take a effort and require the time and you guys over over the time you know a couple years ago and you're like let's record another album let's make this happen you guys saw your way through that through those times it may be tough to get everyone in the same room and the same time and the same ideas and kind of work on that and you know whatever it is you did you kind of had the ball rolling and there was momentum that you guys kept and then at the end of the out of it all you got this amazing third full length album that is just a beautiful uh it's I think you know Matt was saying it's kind of like a snapshot of where you guys are in 2026 because I said yeah I heard there was an there was a recording where someone said or an interview that it was like the most definitive and he's like well I think it's definitive of where we are now but the idea that it there was you know some effort required to make this happen and to keep moving this forward but I love that you guys did that and that you're committed to working together as friends and as artists and what you guys came through and put together is just brilliant man. I I absolutely love this record you guys so much George I appreciate that I really appreciate that um and we've been getting so much love uh just from messages from people from all over the world and you know that definitely puts a smile on our face makes us feel like wow the music's getting out there so thank you for saying that man yeah man of course well you know this is something too Peter like I I mean the Rolodex of of things you've done you know obviously the wallflowers Natalie Merchant Morningwood Alan Ginsburg Yoko Ono Sesame Street you've done something with people all over you've written uh some amazing things that have been performed in the theater you've traveled around in in the theater and and singing and performing and things you've written like you've got so many things that you've put together and accomplished and shared of your artistry and you know I was thinking back to you know even when that interview about you being in that 20th century poetry class and your love for writing like is there ever something you want to do is there a book you want to accomplish is there something else that's on the horizon that you personally said I haven't checked that box off yet but damn it I'm I'm moving towards it and I want to do it. I love you
Nature, Aging, And What’s Next
Peterfor asking that um I know this this isn't gonna sound easy but like I yeah like I want I don't know I feel like I'm getting to a certain point in my life where I definitely want to like you know keep working on myself keep like you know I I feel like I've been I'm constantly like you know energizer bunning everything you know and and plowing through and you know and I'm a true leader for a lot of my projects and I get I put out a lot of energy and love a lot of people that I collaborate with and I think I kind of just want to take the chill and and just like work on myself a little bit and like connect with nature, connect with other humans, make some friends, you know, live a little bit be you know be in nature. I recently um just got a place out of the city and with my wife and it just being outside and and weeding doing shit like weeding I know this sounds boring and and bad but I don't know I I did put a studio up in that new house so I know the kind of music I want to make up there is is gonna be gonna be very um nature inspired. I don't know I think like I just kind of want to connect to human beings and chill and I know this is gonna people are gonna be like what is he talking about? Uh it's and it's hard to talk about because I don't really know but I'm feeling like it's the time to get deeper and when you look at life and you see like oh shit I don't know if how you you're a young man still it we both are we both are yeah shit goes faster when you get older and you see all of a sudden you get to a certain age and you're like you're looking at your calendar and you're like you can kind of see the rest of your life and it's a trip man I you know it's a trip to make that real realization like where you're you know it's not that your days are numbered but you can see the rest of your life and and that's that's an interesting place to be when you sorry it's all good my phone got all crazy there. Um yeah so I just I I'm interested in this whole thing I'm interested in humans and and I just I feel connected and and sometimes I don't so I there's just a lot of stuff I'm curious about. I I also I love painting I want to paint um I painted my whole life and uh I I do that that also sounds like a really boring old man kind of answer. I'm gonna start painting again but no painting is is a beautiful thing. So I want to do that um I love animals and I want to you know take care of as many of them as I can for the rest of my life. And um so anyway all that all that heavy stuff and then a couple nice things. Well I mean I love it. One of my favorite things to do therapeutically is go and spend some time in my garden and just turn some soil, water the plants, kind of be there and then see each day the growth and like something that's simple or walking around my my ranches and just kind of checking out oh man that was a really cool hawk over there or what sound was that or those turkeys that just ran by whatever and just kind of like waking up and just watching the everything unfold and the the the cities behind me. You know it's it's like I can kind of just be in that moment in that existence in nature and really connect to that and that grounds me and it makes me feel better when I come back to the city life and being able to okay I'm gonna go through the nine to five or whatever I'm doing but I feel energized. And so those answers to you I'm totally in sync with them. You know people can say whatever they want that's those things also it's like you know it's like the action of like when you're walking you feel better. Whenever you're moving around you feel like moving around more whenever you're in those moments I feel like they kind of they're they're they're so they're empowering and they there are things that kind of energize you to be able to pick up that you know inspirational song and that you wanted to work on and record it at your at your you know your new space up there. So I feel it man those are those are that's fuel for me. So yeah I I'm I'm all about it. Awesome dude awesome well you know before we go man I I want to kind of give you the opportunity to you know we'll we'll give sites and socials here in a minute but is there anything that you would like to share uh whether it's friends family supporters of you know your bandmates just something that like is on your mind that you're feeling about maybe you know with in in tune when and in tandem with the release of three and just kind of how you're feeling today?
Fans, DIY Survival, And Gratitude
PeterOof that's a good question. Um I mean you know I mean I think I said a lot the you know I'm so happy the music is out there and you know this I I do want to say thank you to our fans. I do feel like this band has been blessed with just an amazing group of people that have a lot of energy for us and what we do and and seem to have a lot of passion that I don't know I I see other bands I don't know if they have those amazing fans that we do and I I just want to shout out to them and and I would just say in general we I get messages every day that are like I just found out about you guys how did I not know and I think that's that's those are my favorite messages to get and you know my response is always the same. It's like welcome it's never too late and fucking enjoy listening you know like and you know we we rely on that so much more in a in a time when you know we are self-managing basically we're um we're self-releasing with AWAL you know but it's really they're just distributing we're we're our own record company we're our own merch store we voided you know any sort of corporate ties as much as we can and so we really do rely on people and word of mouth and and and our fans are also like incredible at this and they they're they're tireless in trying to share you know share anything about this band and so I I love that and I would say keep doing it thank you for the love that we get and you know and uh and that goes for yourself for helping us spread the word you know we really appreciate it we it's literally tough against everyone you know not against but like you know we're fighting the machine you know we all are and we're just trying to make a noise not because you know I mean we want this music together because we believe in it so much you know and we want like every artist we want our art seen and heard and and um so we thank you for your ears and eyes and your time and um we are all one cheers man
Where To Listen And Support
Peterhey and ask me what time it is by the way what time is it fucking look at that left uh it doesn't work uh but some some one of our amazing fans gave me this I think it was Robin um or Deborah but uh yeah I I uh I definitely want to represent um this is really should artists be wearing their own merch this is probably the worst thing that could happen but anyway I'm just kidding I love it no no we're trying to push it out the door so go to our store and bless you guys so let's let's give them if they don't already know the website let's guide them there and on socials and bandcamp go ahead and lay those out for us shit is it uh princessghost.com I'll give you everything um princessghost.com and then all the sites Princess Ghost official I'll have all the links down in the show notes below so it's an easy click you know you can support the guys buying the vinyl buying the merch uh getting your nice water bottle throw your electrolytes in there walk around Soho if you will sing these songs share them at nauseum to all your friends and family everyone should be listening to this album all the past ones and the EP they are phenomenal uh Peter I am just really honored that you came and joined me today it's been real fun kind of having a sit down with you and I look forward to doing this in person and then in all the future uh you know releases that you guys do because I know that there's more coming and can't wait to see where Princess goes next. Thank you so much for having me George I really appreciated talking to you guys. Cheers man will you have a great afternoon and uh yeah man take care of yourself. Have a great weekend at your ranch brother thank you buddy thank you
People on this episode
Podcasts we love
Check out these other fine podcasts recommended by us, not an algorithm.
The MeatEater Podcast
MeatEater