Peter Foldy appeared on Gosh!Radio Meet the Music on Oct 29th, 2011
By Gabrielle Pantera
Singer-Songwriter Peter Foldy live on Gosh!Radio’s Meet the Music Oct. 29, 2011
HOLLYWOOD, CA (Gosh!Radio) 2011/10/28 – “I was of course completely blown away by the Beatles when I first heard them as I am to this day, says singer-songwriter Peter Foldy. “I especially loved John Lennon. But I also had the good fortune to know the Bee Gees in Australia when I was a kid, and watching their rise to the top was both amazing and inspiring. They’ve written some amazing songs.”
Peter Foldy was a featured guest on the Gosh!Radio show Meet the Music broadcasted live from Hollywood. Meet the Music is hosted by yours truly, Gabrielle Pantera. Callers from around the world have phoned in using local numbers in their country to ask questions about music and the music business. The show can be heard online worldwide via Ustream. It’s also available as a podcast.
Foldy’s first single Bondi Junction reached the top of the Canadian charts. Foldy got his start after an indie Toronto label heard his demos and signed him to a record deal. and Foldy enjoyed a lengthy run as a recording artist on labels such as EMI, Polydor and RCA Records. After a move to Los Angeles Foldy began writing and eventually directing films. He has recently returned to the studio to work on a new EP. We caught up with him at David William’s Melrose Recording studio in Hollywood.
“My parents tell me I’ve been singing since I was a little kid,” says Foldy. “I actually don’t have a clear recollection of that. I guess my first real performance was in Sydney, Australia when I was twelve and entered this contest to be on a TV show called Opportunity Knocks hosted by a weird guy called Desmond Tester. This was not American Idol.”
“It was more like Tiny Talent Time,” says Peter. “Dorky little kids performing dorky material. After auditioning I got on the show and still remember very vividly the smell of the TV studio as we entered. I have a déjà vu anytime I’m around that studio smell of wood and paint.”
“On the show I sang a song called Fabulous,” says Foldy. “I remember being very nervous. It was live TV. No room for error. Although opportunity didn’t exactly knock on my door that time, that appearance hooked me into wanting to become a singer and a musician.”
Peter Foldy
Foldy plays the guitar. “I’m self taught. I wanted to learn piano but our apartment in Australia was too small to accommodate one. I remember my first guitar. I think I got it with stolen money. A kid in my high school one day came to class with a bunch of cash. Rumor was he stole it somewhere and was handing it out to his mates. I didn’t know him too well, but I went up to him and told him I really, really wanted a guitar, so he gave me fifteen pounds. I bought the guitar that very afternoon and cherished it. I kept it beside my bed while I slept every night. I stupidly gave it away to a friend when I got to Canada. I eventually taught myself some piano chords as well. Just enough to write songs with. I mostly write on guitar though.”
Foldy writes his own songs. “I get inspired by other musicians and life in general I guess. I usually play around on the guitar or piano for a bit and if inspiration hits me, I start busting out a melody. I have to record it right away otherwise I lose it. It’s amazing how quickly the melodies disappear from my brain if I don’t record them. Sometimes a tune comes to me in the middle of the night. I have been known to roll out of bed at 4 am to quietly strum the guitar if I feel that I have something worth working on. I generally work on the music first and add the lyrics later, though often I have a title or a line that inspired the song in the first place.”
Foldy’s voice is unique. “For better or worse I sound pretty young when I sing, even now,” says Foldy. “Not when I talk. Only when I sing. “
“When I was signed to Capitol/EMI I opened for the Hollies on a number of dates across Canada,” says Foldy. That was a huge thrill and quite nerve wrecking at the same time. It sure doesn’t make you want to go back to clubs and bars after you’ve been on a classy tour like that.”
“I’m a filmmaker and a photographer,” says Foldy. “I’ve written and directed a number of feature films and some TV shows. One of my films, Widow’s Kiss starred my former background singer, Beverly D’Angelo. It was an HBO world premier here in the US. I also love to travel.”
“Since I am just getting back to making new music after a lengthy stint in the film business, I don’t have representation on the music side other than a great music attorney, Ron Sobel,” says Foldy. “Since the internet I’ve gotten messages from as far away as South Africa and Australia from people who have enjoyed my music.”
Foldy was born in Budapest, Hungary when it was still a communist country. “I was a completely different person there,” says Foldy. “Living a very this bland, low key lifestyle. Not a horrible one, just so very different. I often wonder who and what I would be if we hadn’t escaped from there and moved to Australia. It was a drastic change for us, but I soon adapted. Learned to speak English very quickly and for the most part had a great childhood in Australia. I was very sad to leave and try and go back to visit when ever possible.”
Foldy’s website is www.peterfoldy.com “My website has some cool photos of me back in the day in the music biz, as well as photos that I’ve taken of old movie stars like Bob Hope and Betty Davis,” says Foldy. His photo site is www.foldyphotos.com
Peter Foldy, Robin Gibb, Maurice Gibb, and friend, Trevor Gordon
“My Facebook page has some never seen photos of Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees that I had taken in Toronto and at his house in London,” says Foldy.” I found them in a box recently and scanned them. Have some others I still have to post. Poor Maurice. I miss him a lot.”
“I’m working to finish my EP and when it’s done I will think about performing,” says Foldy. “I do miss being on stage, but the film business is all consuming and most of my energies have gone there in the last few years. Must say that I am loving being in the studio and recording new music. It’s therapy of the best kind.”
About Meet the Music
The show premiered in June of 2011. The 1-hour weekly music talk show Meet the Music is hosted by Gabrielle Pantera who interviews bands, singers, musicians, composers, songwriters, and music executives. Show co-hosts vary. This week we’ve got Katie Lee Harper and Elsie Eng is doing the news. Sound engineer David Williams. Producer Robin Rowe. Executive Producer Gabrielle Pantera. The show broadcasts live from Melrose Music Studios at Raleigh Studios Hollywood. Raleigh Studios is a historic studio lot where TV shows such as Castle, Closer and Private Practice are currently in production.
Meet the Music host Gabrielle Pantera
About Meet the Music
The show premiered in June of 2011. The 1-hour weekly music talk show Meet the Music is hosted by Gabrielle Pantera who interviews bands, singers, musicians, composers, songwriters, and music executives. Show co-hosts vary. Sound engineer David Williams. Producer Robin Rowe. Executive Producer Gabrielle Pantera. The show broadcasts live from Melrose Music Studios at Raleigh Studios Hollywood. Raleigh Studios is a historic studio lot where TV shows such as Castle, Closer and Private Practice are currently in production.
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