#366 Tommy Gonzalez of the Peawees
Six years after Italian rock 'n' roll band The Peawees gave us their critically acclaimed album “Moving Target,” they’ve finally returned with their 7th studio album, “One Ride.” It's been a long wait, one that includes line-up changes, divorces, lost loved ones, job troubles - whatever hardship was thrown at The Peawees, “One Ride” makes it clear that it only made them stronger. This album seethes with the rock 'n' roll swagger of a bygone era, and the band shows the rare ability to wear their influences on their sleeves with a sound that feels unique. The mix of rock 'n' roll, soul, punk, and garage spins on the record like it came straight out of a blender: one part The Sonics, one part Link Wray, two parts The Clash, a splash of Stax shaken over Phil Spector and served like it was thrown straight in your face. Approaching their 30-year mark, the band continues to defy convention and write their own epic on the vast canvas of contemporary rock 'n' roll. "One Ride" is "a true showcase for the criminally underrated songwriting talents of Hervé Peroncini." Once more, The Peawees do not disappoint: as the saying goes…all killers, no fillers. Reflecting on the album's journey, drummer Tommy Gonzalez shares, “We started working on 'One Ride' in 2019. We even recorded the title track then. We were riding the wave of ‘Moving Target,’ touring, playing festivals, and had planned to have an album ready for 2022 at the latest. We thought we would record a few songs, go on tour, record a few more, and continue like that until we had a full-length album. Of course, everything got messed up when Covid hit: no possibility to practice together and Hervé was stuck abroad on an island." Frontman/songwriter Hervé Peroncini adds, "We were coming off a beautiful and exhausting year of gigs and tours, and in the meantime, I had written some new material. We all agreed that we should start recording a new record until all that shit broke out just as I was due to return from the island I was supposed to be on for only a short period of time. Although it was a nice place to get stuck, I was still in a two-tiny-room apartment with nothing to do, and after managing to get a guitar, I started recording some stuff on my phone and sending the recordings to the guys. In the end, I stayed on the island for 6 months and wrote three-quarters of the album there. Fortunately, the restrictions were not so strict there, so after a short time, I had the opportunity to go out, see friends, and hear bizarre stories of various kinds - all things that in some way stimulated me to write." The isolation and the unexpected surroundings became fertile ground for creativity, turning adversity into an advantage. The unique circumstances under which "One Ride" was conceived added a layer of raw authenticity to the album. Stories of outsiders, dreamlike lyrics that drag you into nocturnal situations, a sick love, frustration, indecision, resignation, and moments of crazy euphoria suck you into the grooves of a record that exudes rock 'n' roll in every aspect. Tommy Gonzalez continues: "We tried to make demos from a distance. I remember programming a drum beat on some computer app for 'She Cries as She Kills' and sending it to Hervé. It was such a pain in the ass and so unfulfilling to go from hitting the drums to hitting the keyboards, but it was the only way we could keep going. When we finally got the chance to start playing again, we dove back into it as hard as we could." Hervé adds, "Yeah, when we got back on track, our long-time guitar player Carlo Landini told us he was moving to Berlin. So when Dario took his place, we thought it would be essential to play and tour as much as we could to break in the new lineup both music...
