Alternative Artist Peter Landi Releases Energetic, Arena-Ready Track “Somewhere”
Peter Landi is a multi-instrumentalist hailing from the East End of Long Island, New York. Currently living in Canada, he has called Toronto home for the better part of a decade. From the start, he’s had a singular drive: make great music. From his formative years in hometown basements to gigging on the Lower East Side, to now touring the globe with a myriad of artists, he does just that.
Shortly after moving to Toronto, Landi joined forces with Canadian punks, Single Mothers, and has since become an in-demand touring and studio drummer for artists like Julianna Riolino, Espanola, Eamon McGrath, The Drew Thomson Foundation, and many more. Like his peers, Landi was uncertain about his future during March of 2020. Canceled tours gave him time to comb through his demos, sparking a new phase in his songwriting. The result was a collection of singles that were lyrically personal in a new sonic landscape. His first single, “High,” was featured in this year’s critically acclaimed IFC Canadian slasher film, In a Violent Nature.
The latest offering from that collection, “Somewhere,” is about the unknown. It was a very unstable time for both Landi and his partner – and for the entire world – when he wrote this song. Displaced from regular life, staying with their families and at times living in separate countries. The couple didn’t know what was going to happen that day, let alone later that month or year, but as long as they were able to be together, it was okay. They would go on long daily walks with no place in mind, so their daily adventures and the greater journey of what they were going through are what inspired Landi.
On Friday, January 24, Landi will be playing Shots For Schatz Benefit At Houndstooth, Toronto, ON, along with Ian Blurton’s Future Now, Dead Broke, and Eamon McGrath at 9 pm. $20 or PWYC.
Hi Peter. First off, care to introduce yourself a bit more in-depth for our readers?
Hey, my name is Peter Landi, I’m a singer/songwriter, touring/studio session drummer, and multi-instrumentalist based in Toronto, Ontario. I’m originally from Long Island, New Yor,k and have lived in Canada for the past 8 years, touring and recording with the bands and artists Single Mothers, Julianna Riolino, Espanola, Eamon McGrath, The Drew Thomson Foundation, Nicolette & The Nobodies, among others.
Growing up in the East End of Long Island, what role did music play in your formative years, and how did that shape your path?
Music has always been the main driving force in my life since a young age. I started playing the drums when I was 7, and I started playing guitar and forming bands as a teenager.
Growing up out on the East End the music scene was small but fertile, and the close proximity to the city made it possible to drive in to play shows and see your favourite bands coming through on tour. It was very inspiring and deepened my drive to get in the van and see the world.
How did your move to Toronto influence your sound and opportunities as an artist?
I had been to Toronto a few times over the years before moving here. I loved it and was always bummed when I had to leave. There was a great music scene, I was meeting a lot of really talented people and I just felt like it was pulling me in.
Shortly after I decided to make the move, I was introduced to the guys in Single Mothers through a mutual friend. They had put out a new record that year and were looking for a guitar player to join the lineup for the upcoming touring cycle they had scheduled. I had heard of the band and was familiar with their music because my partner Kristen (MacCulloch) is an actor and had recently been in a music video of theirs. It all connected and started unfolding in a natural way. I joined the band as a guitar player, but due to the rotating nature of the band’s lineup, I also became the drummer for a couple of years. I had never been in a band where I could be both things, I felt like a Swiss Army knife, it was great.
We were touring pretty heavily at that time and I started meeting their friends who were musicians and playing with bands that were in the Southern Ontario scene. Over the years I started getting calls from different bands to play a show or on a recording session which has now led me to also have a career as a hired gun, so to speak.
Toronto has been very good to me, I love it here and am very grateful for all of the friendships I have made through music.
Your latest single, “Somewhere” reflects a time of instability and uncertainty. How did your personal experiences shape the writing and recording process of the song?
I wrote and recorded “Somewhere” over the course of the pandemic. I didn’t want to write a pandemic song by any means, but I wanted to write a song that was relatable in some way. The word “Somewhere” made me think of endless possibilities but also a random place to kill time, so I wanted to have those two worlds have their place in the lyrics. The verses expressing, “Hey, let’s get out of the house and go somewhere” and the chorus kind of saying “I don’t care how far or where Somewhere is, but let’s get there and do it together.” My partner and I were displaced from our regular lives, staying with our families and at times living in separate countries. We didn’t know what was going to happen that day, let alone later that month or year, but as long as we were able to be together, it was going to be okay.
Your single “High” was featured in the IFC film In a Violent Nature. How did that opportunity come about, and what was it like hearing your music in a film?
My partner and I worked on the film together, she was the Assistant Director and I was helping out in the lighting department as a grip/swing. Chris Nash (director/writer) and I became friends on set and would chat a lot about music. When it came time to score the film he reached out and asked if I could send him some of my music to see if it would be a good fit in the film and he ended up really liking “High”.
I didn’t know where it was going to be in the film, so the first time I heard it was at the cast and crew screening. I don’t want to give any scenes away, but I thought it was placed perfectly. People seem to be liking and finding my music since the film’s release, which has been very cool.
Looking ahead, what themes or ideas are you exploring in your upcoming projects?
I’ve been playing a lot of drums lately, so my time has been devoted to learning other artists’ material for some upcoming shows and tours.
As for any new solo material, I have a couple more singles that I’m releasing over the next few months that are similar in theme to “Somewhere”, and I have some ideas and riffs kicking around that excite me. When It comes time to start writing again, we’ll see what those new ideas will be about.
I’m just gonna continue trying to write the best songs that I can and hope that they connect with people in some way.
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