Peter H Nilsson started working on ‘Little American Dream’ back in 2016 along with singer Chris Biano, drummer Jason Meekins and bassist Patrik Adiels. Now as a rule I’m not normally a huge fan of AOR but I do appreciate a great song, so when I first heard this album and it stuck like glue it really took me by surprise. There was just something about this release – nine tracks of melodic/AOR magic. We had to talk… And when we did I found a tale of one man’s ambition and vision, and a thoroughly modern way or making a record.
Mark: Hi Peter how are you?
Peter: Hi Mark, I’m good.
Mark: I think I better get straight to the point – what an album!
Peter: (laughs) do you like it?
Mark: I love it, it’s great and most surprisingly for me it’s not normally the sort of thing I enjoy. With AOR and that lighter sound, it takes quite an album to really connect with me, and yours did. And I can only put that down to the quality of the songs.
Peter: Well that’s fantastic, you know, I’m actually a little bit shocked at how well my album has been received. When I started in 2016 I just had some ideas for some songs and I didn’t have a singer, so I got in touch with Chris Biano from Nashville and I sent ‘You Better Run’ as a trial for him to see what he could come up with. And when he sent back the audio files with the lyrics and everything, I thought ‘wow’ and I opened up and told him “You will get eight more!” (laughs)
Mark: (laughs) So where’s the connection with Chris how did you get to know him?
Peter: I got a tip from one of my friends here in Gothenburg, there’s a marketplace in the U.S. Called ‘SoundBetter’ to find musicians. If you need someone to play guitar, or play the flute, singers – both female and male. If you need someone to mix your songs or produce you can find it there. Then I started to look on that page and then I found Chris and got in contact with him. So we have actually not spoken, like you and me, like we are doing now only by e-mail.
Mark: And did Chris find the other players or did you track them down?
Peter: Well the bass player Patrik, he’s from Gothenburg, and we used to play together in a Top 40 band in Sweden in the mid-90’s, we did a lot of touring together in Sweden. The funny thing with Patrik was he refused at first, I asked him several times if he wanted to play bass on my songs and he said “No I don’t have the time” (laughs) he really didn’t understand what I was doing. Then I told him “I have a singer from Nashville” and then he immediately said “OK I’m in!” (laughs)
Mark: So how long have you wanted to do this? Is this your first solo album?
Peter: Yeah, it’s my first solo album. You know from the beginning when everything was done and recorded and mastered and mixed and everything it was just an idea to release it digitally and print 50 promotional CDs just for my friends. But even though I was hoping that someone would like it and listen, I was not prepared for this at all.
Mark: And it’s hard to get heard too. We’ve been going ten years this year and some weeks we get a thousand submissions, maybe a few hundred on average and it’s impossible to listen to everything. But physical copies have become less and less frequent, so we do try and so I try and at least listen to everything we receive. So when I put it in the player and heard ‘You Better Run’ I had to keep playing and the real highlights for me on the album, and I’m sure everyone will have their own favourites, were tracks like ‘Me and You’ – what a song that is! Where did your inspiration come from for that one?
Peter: I really don’t know, I woke up early and I had some guitar riffs in my head and after a couple of weeks I found myself sat in my studio and I just picked up the guitar and it started from there. Then I put some keys on it and drums and then I sent it over to Chris and he told me that he just found it so easy to write lyrics and the vocals to the song and I know that without him it just wouldn’t have been as good!
Mark: There’s so many like that, which I love, I love the hook he’s put in ‘Rumours’ but the music is wonderful, did you play everything on the album?
Peter: Yes I did play everything, the drums later on I contacted Jason Meekins, he’s a session drummer from Austin Texas. But ‘Rumours’ – we we’re very close to scrapping that song (laughs)
Mark: Wow! I’m so glad you didn’t!
Mark: You mentioned that you played in a covers band in the 90’s but where did your love of music start?
Peter: Well I’m 53 years old now so I’ve loved music for a very long time now, but my first guitar hero was Michael Schenker, I started to play when I was 13 years old and there were some older guys at my school who introduced me to him and other music
Mark: Did you start with UFO or the Scorpions?
Peter: Yeah it was UFO!
Mark: Great to hear!
Peter: I absolutely loved them, the melodies and Michael Schenker he has this special way of playing, and I still think that I have some traces sometimes, that come from Michael. But then 1978 that was a big year – the year when Toto released their first album
Mark: So many great albums too that year and to think it’s 41 years ago now!
Peter: Then of course there was Journey when they released the album ’Escape’ in the early 80’s and from there on I was hooked on that type of music. But I think Steve Lukather is my absolute favourite.
Mark: A great player and a lovely guy. I appreciate its late where you are and sorry for keeping you up, I just wanted to let you know that when I heard your album, I knew we had to talk, I had to talk to the man who made these songs, and in doing so I hope a few more people will have a listen.
Peter: Thank you so much.
Mark: So the next question must be – where would you like to take this? You mentioned that the feedback has been far more than you imagined so what are your thoughts now- what would you like to happen?
Peter: I mean the dream for me would be to let’s say bring over Chris and Jason from the US and get us all together and actually do some gigs and play those songs. That would be the dream and I don’t know! I need some sponsor or some ‘Go Fund Me’ or something to make it work.
Mark: These are songs that need to be heard!
Peter: Thank you.
Mark: And now it’s time for our two traditional closing questions – the first is: if you could have been a fly on the wall in the studio for the creation of any great album just to see how the magic happened what would that album be for you and why?
Peter: Actually my favourite album of all time is ‘Tambu’ by ‘Toto’ and the reason for that is, and I mean the songs are amazing, and the sound on the album is absolutely fantastic, but when Simon Phillips hits the drums on ‘I Will Remember’ – man it’s amazing. And the first time I ever heard ‘Gift of Faith’ – they were playing in Sweden in an open arena and they opened with that song and I was laying on the grass – wow!
Mark: Amazing album. And the easy question then to end: What is the meaning of life?
Peter: The meaning of life? For me I would say to get my music out and leave something for my sons and their children, to make a mark.
Mark: Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us today Peter, please keep in touch!
Peter: Thank you, I will and thank you for your kind words in the review I was humbled by them.
Mark: You deserve it, I just hope you keep on going, I’d love to hear more one day.
It’s great to hear from Peter that it’s not just us that appreciate great music – AOR Heaven will release the album worldwide on 22 March 2019.
