Peter Cooper "Mission Door"
Country Music Hall of Famers Tom T. Hall and Kris Kristofferson already love this thing. You gonna argue?
If so, or even if not, we'll start at the start.
"Mission Door" is the debut album from Peter Cooper, a songwriter from East Nashville, Tennessee.
It's an incredible collection, and it's Cooper's first. And it's the work of a man who's spent the better part of his adult life as a music writer and critic for The Tennessean newspaper, Esquire, No Depression, Mix magazine, and the Encyclopedia Britannica, among many others. His published work conveys a fan's enthusiasm and a scholar's knowledge. And so why not quit right there? After all, there's a notion that folks who write about music just aren't that good at making it. Well, Cooper's not good at it. He's great at it.
He writes of the pains and joys of life with sympathy and honesty. Brutal honesty sometimes, but somehow that just adds to the songs' considerable beauty. There's so much truth in Cooper's tunes-so much that's just absolutely right—it's a good bet you'll soon be hearing his name mentioned in the same breath as folks like John Prine, Kris Kristofferson, Tom T. Hall and Todd Snider.
That makes sense when you know that those fellows are on Cooper's list of songwriting heroes. And rarely has a student learned so well from the masters. And the masters agree:
"Peter Cooper looks at the world with an artist's eye and a human heart and soul. His songs are the work of an original, creative imagination, alive with humor and heartbreak and irony and intelligence, with truth and beauty in the details. Deep stuff. And they get better every time you listen to them."
-Kris Kristofferson
Cooper was seven-years-old when he caught his first Kristofferson show in Charlotte, NC, not too far from Cooper's hometown of Spartanburg, SC. Something about the experience must have stuck, and from there it was on to Bobby Bare, Bob Dylan, Mickey Newbury, Emmylou Harris, Guy Clark, Eric Taylor and others who manage emotional literacy without ever seeming unduly literary. That's a tough trick to learn and "Mission Door" is proof that Cooper studied well.
It was Todd Snider who pushed Cooper to record his first batch of songs. They'd met while Cooper was interviewing him for a story. They co-wrote the song "Thin Wild Mercury," included on Snider's "The Devil You Know" album and named one of USA Today's "Songs of the Week," as well as one of MOJO magazine's "Songs of the Month" (As it turns out, MOJO is a monthly). Cooper also played bass and sang on "The Devil You Know," produced Snider's "Peace, Love and Anarchy" album and played bass sang harmonies for Snider on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and "The Late Show with David Letterman."
For the "Mission Door" sessions, Cooper gathered a collection of his favorite musicians at Nashville's fabled House of David studio (Elvis recorded there!), and set out to make something different.
He knew he wanted to give prominence to the pedal steel guitar of Lloyd Green, for whom the word "legendary" is an understatement. Green has played on more than 100 No. 1 country songs, was featured on the groundbreaking "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" album by the Byrds, as well as key works by Charley Pride, Don Williams, Tammy Wynette, Nanci Griffith, and Paul McCartney.
But "Mission Door" isn't a country album. It's simply a musical collaboration between a great songwriter and a great steel player. From his pin-your-ears-back solo on "All The Way To Heaven" to the staggering beauty of his parts on "Wine" and "Thin Wild Mercury," Green is an elegant revolutionary, reinventing the instrument that he helped to dignify in the first place. He retired in the late 1980s and only recently returned to record with Alan Jackson, Nanci Griffith, Steve Wariner and plenty of chart-toppers. But Green calls "Mission Door" something far beyond the usual workings of Music Row: "This album is the most intellectually and emotionally satisfying music I've been a part of since returning to the arena," Green said. "This one was as special to me as any I've been a part of."
Cooper's other collaborators on "Mission Door" are stellar in their own right: Jason Ringenberg of Jason & the Scorchers played harmonica; Bill Lloyd, known for his work with Foster & Lloyd and as a hit country songwriter, played electric guitar and sang harmonies; Jen Gunderma - formerly of The Jayhawks and currently of Last Train Home - pitched in on piano, Wurlitzer and accordion; Dave Roe, who has toured in the bands of Johnny Cash and Dwight Yoakam, laid down acoustic and electric bass lines; and ace percussionists Pat McInerney and Paul Griffith completed the rhythm section. On a version of the Eric Taylor-penned "Mission Door," Snider, Nanci Griffith and Fayssoux McLean (who provided harmony vocals on some of Emmylou Harris's finest albums) all took verses.
"Most of these songs were mine, but the song 'Mission Door' allowed me to sing my favorite song with my favorite singers," Cooper said. "Who gets to do that? I had some stories to tell, and I told them with the help of some of the greatest musicians on the planet, including the most accomplished steel guitarist in the world. I'm hoping it brings a smile or two to whomever is listening. Most of all, I'm happy that Lloyd Green likes it enough to stand behind this thing. My most cherished moment in this process was when I played the album for Tom T. Hall, and he said, 'There's not one steel guitar lick on this thing.' I said, 'What do you mean? There's more steel guitar on here than anyone uses.' And he said, 'Yeah, I know. But there's not one steel guitar lick here. I guess that's why he's Lloyd Green. He plays the songs, not the licks.'"
Tour updates and other information are available at www.petercoopermusic.com and myspace.com/petercoopermusic.
"The enticing allure of Nashville is that there is always something new coming down the pike. Put this record on and you'll hear footsteps."
-Tom T. Hall
Country Music Hall of Famers Tom T. Hall and Kris Kristofferson already love this thing. You gonna argue?
If so, or even if not, we'll start at the start.
"Mission Door" is the debut album from Peter Cooper, a songwriter from East Nashville, Tennessee.
It's an incredible collection, and it's Cooper's first. And it's the work of a man who's spent the better part of his adult life as a music writer and critic for The Tennessean newspaper, Esquire, No Depression, Mix magazine, and the Encyclopedia Britannica, among many others. His published work conveys a fan's enthusiasm and a scholar's knowledge. And so why not quit right there? After all, there's a notion that folks who write about music just aren't that good at making it. Well, Cooper's not good at it. He's great at it.
He writes of the pains and joys of life with sympathy and honesty. Brutal honesty sometimes, but somehow that just adds to the songs' considerable beauty. There's so much truth in Cooper's tunes-so much that's just absolutely right—it's a good bet you'll soon be hearing his name mentioned in the same breath as folks like John Prine, Kris Kristofferson, Tom T. Hall and Todd Snider.
That makes sense when you know that those fellows are on Cooper's list of songwriting heroes. And rarely has a student learned so well from the masters. And the masters agree:
"Peter Cooper looks at the world with an artist's eye and a human heart and soul. His songs are the work of an original, creative imagination, alive with humor and heartbreak and irony and intelligence, with truth and beauty in the details. Deep stuff. And they get better every time you listen to them."
-Kris Kristofferson
Cooper was seven-years-old when he caught his first Kristofferson show in Charlotte, NC, not too far from Cooper's hometown of Spartanburg, SC. Something about the experience must have stuck, and from there it was on to Bobby Bare, Bob Dylan, Mickey Newbury, Emmylou Harris, Guy Clark, Eric Taylor and others who manage emotional literacy without ever seeming unduly literary. That's a tough trick to learn and "Mission Door" is proof that Cooper studied well.
It was Todd Snider who pushed Cooper to record his first batch of songs. They'd met while Cooper was interviewing him for a story. They co-wrote the song "Thin Wild Mercury," included on Snider's "The Devil You Know" album and named one of USA Today's "Songs of the Week," as well as one of MOJO magazine's "Songs of the Month" (As it turns out, MOJO is a monthly). Cooper also played bass and sang on "The Devil You Know," produced Snider's "Peace, Love and Anarchy" album and played bass sang harmonies for Snider on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and "The Late Show with David Letterman."
For the "Mission Door" sessions, Cooper gathered a collection of his favorite musicians at Nashville's fabled House of David studio (Elvis recorded there!), and set out to make something different.
He knew he wanted to give prominence to the pedal steel guitar of Lloyd Green, for whom the word "legendary" is an understatement. Green has played on more than 100 No. 1 country songs, was featured on the groundbreaking "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" album by the Byrds, as well as key works by Charley Pride, Don Williams, Tammy Wynette, Nanci Griffith, and Paul McCartney.
But "Mission Door" isn't a country album. It's simply a musical collaboration between a great songwriter and a great steel player. From his pin-your-ears-back solo on "All The Way To Heaven" to the staggering beauty of his parts on "Wine" and "Thin Wild Mercury," Green is an elegant revolutionary, reinventing the instrument that he helped to dignify in the first place. He retired in the late 1980s and only recently returned to record with Alan Jackson, Nanci Griffith, Steve Wariner and plenty of chart-toppers. But Green calls "Mission Door" something far beyond the usual workings of Music Row: "This album is the most intellectually and emotionally satisfying music I've been a part of since returning to the arena," Green said. "This one was as special to me as any I've been a part of."
Cooper's other collaborators on "Mission Door" are stellar in their own right: Jason Ringenberg of Jason & the Scorchers played harmonica; Bill Lloyd, known for his work with Foster & Lloyd and as a hit country songwriter, played electric guitar and sang harmonies; Jen Gunderma - formerly of The Jayhawks and currently of Last Train Home - pitched in on piano, Wurlitzer and accordion; Dave Roe, who has toured in the bands of Johnny Cash and Dwight Yoakam, laid down acoustic and electric bass lines; and ace percussionists Pat McInerney and Paul Griffith completed the rhythm section. On a version of the Eric Taylor-penned "Mission Door," Snider, Nanci Griffith and Fayssoux McLean (who provided harmony vocals on some of Emmylou Harris's finest albums) all took verses.
"Most of these songs were mine, but the song 'Mission Door' allowed me to sing my favorite song with my favorite singers," Cooper said. "Who gets to do that? I had some stories to tell, and I told them with the help of some of the greatest musicians on the planet, including the most accomplished steel guitarist in the world. I'm hoping it brings a smile or two to whomever is listening. Most of all, I'm happy that Lloyd Green likes it enough to stand behind this thing. My most cherished moment in this process was when I played the album for Tom T. Hall, and he said, 'There's not one steel guitar lick on this thing.' I said, 'What do you mean? There's more steel guitar on here than anyone uses.' And he said, 'Yeah, I know. But there's not one steel guitar lick here. I guess that's why he's Lloyd Green. He plays the songs, not the licks.'"
Tour updates and other information are available at www.petercoopermusic.com and myspace.com/petercoopermusic.
"The enticing allure of Nashville is that there is always something new coming down the pike. Put this record on and you'll hear footsteps."
-Tom T. Hall
