THE FACE OF 68

Peter Holsapple has recorded an extraordinary new solo album he’s calling The Face of 68.

It reflects on age, humor and hurt, with his usual high-quality wordplay and legendary gifts for melody and harmony. For longtime fans and newcomers alike, Peter’s record is an enduring testament to his striking abilities as musician and songwriter.

“I’d like to think” says Peter, “that, were my parents still alive, they’d say I’d finally realized my potential.”

Don Dixon (R.E.M., Smithereens) produced it in Peter’s hometown of Durham NC, and the rhythm section was Rob Ladd (Connells, Don Henley) on drums and Robert Sledge (Ben Folds Five) on electric bass. Grammy®-nominated engineer Jason Richmond was at the console for the four-day session, with Dixon mixing at his home studio in Canton, Ohio. And there are guest turns from Marti Jones, who was the first artist to cover Peter’s songs on her debut album (1985’s Unsophisticated Time on A&M) and from Mark Simonsen, (The Old Ceremony) who co-produced Peter’s single “Don’t Mention the War” in 2017.

But mostly it’s about Peter Holsapple: his stunning songs, his strong vocals and his newly-rediscovered love of lead guitar that came about when he was drafted by crafty pop intellectuals The Paranoid Style to play on their most recent album, The Interrogator (Bar/None), in 2023 where his stylish guitar playing is in full bloom.

“I’ve been at this for a long time,” Peter admits. “I picked up my mom’s guitar after seeing the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, just like hundreds at that time. It stuck, and I began singing and playing in bands right after that. My first recording session was in 1972, with Chris Stamey and Mitch Easter (Let’s Active, R.E.M. producer) in the band. I moved to New York six years later and joined forces with Chris’ band, The dB’s, cutting several albums and touring the US and England. I moved to Los Angeles and joined Continental Drifters. That band also cut some records, toured incessantly and moved to New Orleans. After Hurricane Katrina, I found my way back to North Carolina and my roots there. My home studio has offered me the workspace to create endlessly, and The Face of 68 is the proof in the pudding, as it were.”

“Larger Than Life,” which was written after the death of Continental Drifters’ founder Carlo Nuccio, allowed Peter to grieve in his most comfortable manner. “Carlo was an inspiration who made me work harder and stay at the top of my game,” Peter reflects. “I miss him so much every day, his presence and ineffable energy. I have so many questions for him on the other side that I may never get answers for.”

“And from time to time
Please send us a sign:
Is it all by design, or just
Larger than life?”
©2024 Hit Shed Music/admin by Rough Trade Songs

Then there’s the observational “That Kind of Guy” which takes on the record collector whom we all know. “I met a guy once who bragged that he’d never open his copy of the I Fought the Law album by the Bobby Fuller Four. All I could think was ‘you’re sure gonna miss out on some great songs then.’”

“I got ‘In the Street,’
I got ‘Down on the Street,
I got the complete ‘Down on the Street’ reliquary…”
©2024 Hit Shed Music/admin by Rough Trade Songs

And the album features one of Peter’s sweetest love songs, “She and Me,” which was written for his wife, “my hero.”

“And she,
She probably thinks I’m pretty great
Even though I’m punching well above my weight,
So we’re just gonna wait and see.

“We keep it interesting, I must admit:
Never dreamed we’d find the perfect fit
That we found in she and me.”
©2024 Hit Shed Music/admin by Rough Trade Songs

Overall, it’s a fine way to see his way to a future of rock and roll, love and the inevitable loss over time. He’s ready for it all.

The Face of 68 is Peter Holsapple, facing forward with electric guitar in hand, and gazing enthusiastically at what’s to come.