Pete Egan

Pete Egan is a teacher, composer, producer, engineer and multi-instrumentalist, with varying degrees of success attached to each title. He originally came from a town in upstate New York called Binghamton. His parents signed him up to take piano lessons when he was 8 or 9, which quickly blossomed into an appreciation for many different styles of music, including classical and jazz. In 2004 he began college at the State University of New York at Fredonia (still upstate new york, but more to the west). He played in a handful of groups, did plenty of accompanying singers and instrumentalists, and toured with the Fredonia Jazz Ensemble. In 2008 he graduated with a degree in sound recording technology along with a concentration in jazz studies.

After graduation, he made the trek to the West Coast. It was an experiment in discovery and self-reliance and it led to some major musical developments. It helped that the Bay Area had a vibrant music scene, and it became a pretty consistent source of inspiration. Any music scene is always changing, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse, but being a part of it just feels good to him. Since coming to the Bay Area, Pete has played in numerous projects, including a rock/reggae hybrid group, a large post-rock ensemble, swamp-rock, r&b/soul, hip-hop and singer/songwriter stuff. He also has gained lots of experience through teaching, and likes helping students learn piano, arranging, theory, and improvisation especially. Pete also makes instrumental music under the name Grand Mal (https://grandmal1.bandcamp.com/releases)

Alive or Dead, What Musician would you do anything to see?

There’s so many! Here are some I missed out on: Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, James Brown, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus, Eric Dolphy, John Fahey, Robbie Basho, Fela Kuti, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Curtis Mayfield, Donny Hathaway, Astor Piazzola

Greatest Musical Influence?

Thelonious Monk, Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett, Madlib, DJ Paul, Alice Coltrane, Joanna Newsom, and Fiona Apple, all for different reasons

Any hidden talents besides music?

Yes! but if I told you it wouldn’t be ‘hidden’ anymore!

What did you want to be while you were growing up?

A ball python snake

If you could have any ‘Super Power’, which one would it be?

Invisibility = the power to render oneself unseen to the naked eye. See http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Invisibility for applications, techniques and variations.

If you could master any other instrument which would it be?

The Drums!

Have you had what people would consider your “15 Minutes of Fame”, and if so when/what was that?

No, being famous scares me

It’s your last meal: What would it be?

One lobster tail, medium-well T-bone steak, fried potatoes, quarter-pound of fried shrimp, garlic bread, fried chicken breasts, collard greens, onion rings, salad with ranch dressing, and cherry pie with whipped cream

You are sent to a deserted island, and you only have one album to listen to: Which is it?

The Cardiacs – Sing to God

If you could leave one lesson with your students what would it be?
I don’t really know if natural talent exists or if all humans are equal in potential. What I DO know is that without effort and dedication you’ll never know if you can become good at something.