Pete Krebs is a downright cool guy. We’re standing out by his gray Volvo after his set at the PDX Pop Now! Festival, talking shop. We are interrupted when I lean too close to another car, where it promptly starts to beep at me. “It senses us,” Pete says.
For over 15years, Pete has been a figurehead in the Portland music scene. Some have argued there wouldn’t be a Portland music scene without him. After nearly a three year hiatus, the Gossamer Wings have reformed with a lineup including Jonathan Drews from his band Sunset Valley, and Sam Henry, legendary drummer from Portland band, The Wipers. Pete and I discussed his local legend status and what he’s been up to in the down-time.
You’ve been in the Portland scene for over 15 years.
At least, since ’87 here in Portland.
What projects have you been involved with through the years?
I just played in some small little bands when I first got here. One of those bands, called Thrill Hammer got a little bigger. We did a record with Steve Albini. When that band evaporated, I started Hazel. Hazel did pretty well. We were on Sub Pop. We played around for about six years. Then I had a band called Golden Delicious for awhile, which was this crazy music with banjos and violins. Then I started getting into Django Reinhard music and formed the first of several groups that plays gypsy swing music. Now, that music just balances out with playing with my studio band, the Gossamer Wings. There have been about twenty members.
Yeah, I heard you guys had been on hiatus for awhile. What have you been up to in the meantime?
Well, I left the country for a while. I was living in Europe for a while, so that kind of put the skids on the group for a while. You know, I don’t feel particularly strongly about putting out a lot of records. I just like putting them out when I feel like it. It could be ten years before the next one comes out (laughs).
So, what was in Europe? Was it a respite, or maybe a spiritual getaway?
Yeah, those two things were definitely aspects of why I went there. I went under the aegis of studying gypsy music. So I hung out with these gypsies and learned how to play their style a little bit as best I could under the circumstances. I squatted a house in Amsterdam and just hung out and tried to figure out what to do next.
I heard you’re putting out a couple new records.
Well, there were plans to put out a retrospective record and a new full length, but right now, both of those projects are shelved. I just felt kind of weird putting out a retrospective record, so I decided against it. Everyone I spoke to thought it was a good idea, and I had a lot of my friends that I’ve met over the years help me compile it, but it just made me feel weird. If I had any involvement in it, it just felt like I was tooting my own horn, and I felt very uncomfortable with that. With regards to the new solo record, I wanted to put it out myself, which means it’s going to take a lot longer. It’s already written and I already know how I want to do it, but it’s just a matter of sitting around a microphone and doing it. To be honest with you, my brain is focusing on different styles of music right now. I don’t really want to make a record just to make a new record. I want to make a record because I’m inspired to tootle on it, or what have you. I’ve managed to set enough things up so that when I put the new record out I should be able to generate a little forward motion with it.
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