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Full Throttle Rock

Full Throttle Rock

Big House Pete

Article By: Curt “Dudley” Miller

Originally Published In The May 2014 Issue Of Cycle Source Magazine

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I can already hear my inbox filling up. Big House Pete — the editorin- chief’s band — gets featured in Full Throttle Rock. Oh, that’s not showing favoritism. Well my friend, it really isn’t. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m straight up — plain and simple. Even if Chris gave this column to someone else should I have refused to write about Big House Pete, I would have done just that if I believed that the band was anything but the real McCoy. When I first met Chris Callen, I was introduced to two things within minutes. One was his H-D Electra Glide Ultra Classic, affectionately dubbed “The Black Pearl.” The other was his ESP Tom Araya Signature Bass. It was clear that this man had many passions, motorcycles and music being two of them. Fast forward several years and Chris was now playing bass with Big House Pete. He asked me to shoot some promotional photos of the band rehearsing and I was quite literally taken aback. This was no side project or “bunch-o-guys” cover band. Big House Pete is an original material, loaded-with-talent, power trio that is serious about making good music.

 

Chris has known Paul Peterson, the “Pete” behind Big House Pete, for years and had come across Paul just after finishing The Ticket, his custom ’49 Panhead. At the time, Chris was likely in the worst physical shape of his life and had made a promise that with the completion of The Ticket, he’d get back to a state of good health. Paul is not only an amazingly talented guitarist, but he’s also a skilled mixed martial arts and pugilist trainer. Their friendship long-established, the two immediately began training together, and as most know, Chris accomplished a profound, positive physical transformation, which he has been able to maintain. It was during this time training together that the bassist position in Big House Pete opened up. The two artists, having wanted to collaborate for quite a while, seized the opportunity. Chris was a perfect fit as Big House Pete’s next bassist.

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Big House Pete was no new act. This was an established band with several studio releases and a solid following. Paul explained, “My uncle turned me on to Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath when I was just a kid. It was kind of a screwed up time, you know? The sound of Tony Iommi’s guitar and the stuff Ozzy Osbourne was singing about really filled a hole for me. Just like every other kid, I was ‘air guitaring’ thinking I could play all of those songs. Then, one day I did pick up a guitar and began to learn it for real. People have made the comment, ‘Oh, you’re a natural.’ No I’m not. It took me a long time to learn. That’s how I fell in love with it. I’ve pretty much been writing songs ever since.”

From his humble air guitar beginnings, Paul made his way to the Guitar Institute of Technology in Hollywood, CA at the age of 19 with $800 in his pocket. While there, Paul enjoyed the opportunity to study from and with guitar/bass legends Paul Gilbert, Frank Gambale, Scott Henderson, Joe DiOrio, Jeff Berlin, and Keith Wyatt among others. Paul’s path would eventually lead him back to his hometown near Pittsburgh, PA. “Songwriting became a type of ‘psycho-removal therapy’ for me. I was in a very toxic relationship, and had the responsibility of raising a young child. Much of the inspiration for my music at that time came from my feelings of anger or being trapped,” said Paul.

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Though Paul was in several other bands after he got back home, he was always writing material for “his” band. Paul told me, “I was broke when I came back and needed a job. A friend of mine knew of a good paying job doing construction work, but the owner of the company had this thing about only wanting to hire ex-convicts. I guess he thought it put him at some kind of advantage that way. So, my buddy told this guy I’d just gotten out of jail to help land me the job. At work the owner would always say, ‘You better work harder or I’ll send you back to the big house, Pete.’ After a while, it kind of grew on me; the name Big House Pete stuck as the perfect name for my band. “To be honest, it turned out to be a really good job. I made great money and during the day when I had a spare minute, I’d write my song lyrics out on 2” x 4”s. At the end of the day, I’d leave with a back seat full of lumber. Then, once home, I’d sort it all out and add in music to go along with it.”

On the cusp of releasing the band’s fourth studio record since Big House Pete’s inception in 1993, the band’s music has very much evolved. Chris explained, “Paul’s music has changed in much the same way a man’s life does. Following the timeline of this music follows the timeline of a man, particularly the life and struggles of the average, blue-collar man much associated with the Pittsburgh area. From the days of being an angry young man, to the days of learning to deal with yourself, to when you ultimately begin to find the good things about life, I’ve heard all of that play out on Big House Pete’s consecutive releases.” The band’s upcoming release not only turns the next page in the story of man’s journey through life, but it also brings several fresh beginnings for the group. Paul credits some of the band’s latest sound and his new sense of inner peace to his recent marriage to his beloved wife, Stacy.

Chris, despite his unbelievable schedule as editor-in-chief of this publication in addition to all of the many other endeavors he’s engrossed in, has stated that it’s the time in Big House Pete that truly keeps him grounded and gives him the stress relief to maintain his hectic lifestyle. The other very big news that accompanies the band’s latest release is the addition of drummer Brian Forsha. Brian is the perfect fit for Big House Pete. He’s a 30 plus year veteran behind the kit who’s quick to catch-up on the band’s existing songs and an equal player when writing new material.

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Brian said, “I grew up just wanting to be a drummer. I remember really digging playing along to KISS tunes with their steady, hard-driving rhythms. I tried the whole school band thing for a bit, but it just wasn’t for me. No, I’m really just a rock drummer. “I started playing in bands, some which toured the East Coast, right out of high school. Big House Pete is the first original material band I’ve been in and it’s really put the fire back in me. I like the fact that each of us has an equal say in what direction the music takes. Whether it’s in practice or in the studio, we’ll try a bunch of different options until we nail it. Then we’ll play the whole track through with all of our revisions knowing we got it just right.

 

“I love that lastrun- through jam. I think it was Paul who said, ‘So many musicians and bands seem to have forgotten that playing music is supposed to be fun.’ Being a part of Big House Pete is fun, and we make great music, too.” Brian’s right. I love going to Big House Pete shows. The music is fantastic and it’s a great time. Big House will be playing shows at all of the major motorcycle rallies around the country this season and you can always find them in and around the Pittsburgh area between rallies or during the off-season. Also, don’t miss Big House Pete’s release due out soon. Oh, and about showing favoritism… guilty as charged. Big House Pete is one of my favorite bands regardless of who their bass player happens to be. That’s just the plain and simple truth

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