Pete Krebs

Having already completed well-received tours with the punk/pop outfits Thrillhammer and Hazel, and later with the rambunctious bluegrass outfit Golden Delicious, Pete Krebs has established himself among the most reliably compelling contemporary singer-songwriters. In a manner reminiscent of his friend and collaborator Elliott Smith, Krebs channels his rock-leaning background into deeply introspective material, and both artists moved from early phases of extremely bare solo work toward more ambitious, sonically layered projects with other musicians. His first release, the starkly acoustic Brigadier, appeared in 1995 on Cavity Search and quickly positioned him as one of the stronger voices within a crowded singer-songwriter landscape. Western Electric, issued in 1997, intensified that standing by bringing substantial critical praise atop an already expanding profile. Sweet Ona Rose arrived in 1999 and sustained the upward trajectory, as Krebs enriched his arrangements with an impressive cast of friends drawn from the indie rock elite and produced what many regarded as one of the year’s most robust and diverse alternative-country statements. Hot Ginger and Dynamite came next in spring 2001, followed closely by the folky I Know It By Heart.