Howlin Wuelf Media :: Aaron Peta

Left-handed people are more represented in artistic fields than right-handed people. Entertainers are Canada’s biggest export. Aaron Peta is a left-handed Canadian. Therefore he must be good, at something. Transplanting himself from his native Edmonton, Alberta, and absorbing the culture and character of New York City, Aaron has put together 10 of his best hook-filled pop-rock songs on his debut record, I’m Not A Hipster.

Influenced by a diverse group of artists from Pavement to Beck to Stone Temple Pilots to Motorhead, Aaron’s inspiration behind the disc is the overwhelming desire to capture a few of the hundreds of songs he has written and create a record that many others will enjoy.

Aaron’s eclectic taste in music is reflected on I’m Not A Hipster and the disc covers a multitude of lyrical and musical moods and observations, ranging from the wry and the witty to the achingly honest. From the psychedelic country-rock ballad “Way Home,” (whose bridge was inspired by the opening song from the 1952 classic movie “High Noon”), to the Ultra-modern “We’re Coming,” with its avant-jazz chorus and urban vocal feel, stylistic diversity is among the hallmarks of I’m Not A Hipster.

Using both traditional and modern rock techniques, the record incorporates elements from a wide variety of styles. Old overdriven tube-amps buzz alongside modern synths. Acoustic drum sounds are blended with snappy electro-snares, and the perennially cliché autotuned vocal effects are sprinkled sporadically in novel ways.

According to Aaron, the origins of the title track “I’m Not A Hipster”, derive from his intention to be separated from “Hipsters” after living in lofts in Williamsburg, Brooklyn for too long. His off-beat sense of humor separates him from those who “drink organic beer and smell weird.” As the title of the record states, Aaron Peta is not a hipster. He has a low carb diet. He likes light American beer, but not PBR. The contents of Aaron Peta’s fridge include broccoli, anchovies, nail polish, avocados, and reels of 16mm film, but no left over Chinese food.

On his debut record, he says, “I tried to give each song as much personality as possible.” The track, “Your Songs Have No Form”, was based upon abstract musical streams that lasted for 30 minutes or more, with random chords and strange lyrics from off the top of his head. His “Musicdreams” as he calls them, were inspired by a book about how to become a genius.

Another track from I’m Not A Hipster, called “We Are God”, Aaron refers to as, “a song about how when you fall in love with someone,” he continues, “You feel so powerful and everything is so beautiful and exciting that the two of you are like the Gods of your own Universe.”

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The song “Super Sexy” is Aaron’s “tongue in cheek homage” to Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” and he says, “It pokes fun of rich bratty chicks who are always on E, (the channel… also probably the drug).” Produced by up-and-coming NYC producer Stacy O’Dell, I’m Not A Hipster also features Killcode’s Pat Harrington’s searing lead guitar on the track “Break Down Gravity’s Weight.”

Growing up in the frozen wastelands of Alberta, Canada, Aaron’s earliest memories of music include listening to his father playing Glenn Miller’s In The Mood on the living room piano and his mother singing and playing acoustic guitar in church. He began dabbling in the art of spontaneous composition at an early age. By grade school, he started pounding on the piano, not randomly, but with the intention of figuring out the notes to the symphonies and concertos blasting from his father’s hi-fidelity turntable stereo.

Says Aaron, “I remember listening to my dad’s stereo and thinking, Hey I’m gonna transcribe Mozart’s 21st piano concerto, because – it’s easy. I mean, it sounds easy… Well it was freakin’ hard, and it made me mad! So I banged my head on the piano, like Beethoven in the Muppets.” He then took the mangled transcription and his bruised head to his piano teacher who said to him, “No no no, this is a piano lesson. You’re supposed to play the piano, not try to rewrite the music that composers already wrote.”

So instead of being a classical composer, Aaron wrote riffs. First piano riffs, then he picked up the bass at age 13 and began writing bass riffs, inspired by the hair metal of the time. He soon got a tape recorder and began cataloging his increasingly large collection of riffs and progressions, both transcribed and original. This ballooned into hundreds of songs, compositions, and fragments.

Aaron, who moved to New York City in 2005 to complete a degree in Integrative Media Practice, honed his songwriting craft when he apprenticed in music composition under Dr. Stephen Jablonsky, Chair of CCNY Music Department, an accomplished composer, music-theorist, and painter. The music department awarded Aaron the Ben Jablonsky Scholarship for Exceptional Talent in Composition of Jazz or Popular Music. Interestingly, Aaron’s musical mentorship can be traced back to early times as Jablonsky studied under Boulez who studied under Messiaen who studied under Dukas who studied under… the caveman with the beard who banged on a log.

More importantly than any of this formal kafuffle, Aaron is free from contradictions and hypocrisies as he contemplates the meaning of the word “hipster.” He asks, “So what is the function of a hipster on planet earth, other than just to exist for itself, and try to find a reason to exist?” He adds, “And the cool thing about making fun of hipsters is that no one thinks you’re making fun of them, because hipsters don’t actually realize they are hipsters, so you can never be called a hater… What is a hipster? There’s no such thing. I’m not a hipster.”

With his witty lyrics, charismatic presence, natural talent and musical chops, Aaron Peta presents I’m Not A Hipster, a warm, accessible collection of songs which is the perfect introduction to his music. The CD will be available on Amazon and for download on iTunes, Rhapsody, and all major online retailers.

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