You may know Pete Evick as the musical director and lead guitarist for the Bret Michaels Band, but there’s so much more to his story. He’s a multi-talented musician, producer, songwriter, author and entrepreneur, but if you ask him, he’ll tell you that the biggest role in his life is that of being the best father he can be to his two sons.
Still a Virginia boy at heart, Pete shares his very personal insights and stories about his triumphs and tragedies in the music business, as well as his struggles with depression and anxiety in his new book, MTV Famous.
Pete recently sat down with me to talk about his dream of becoming “MTV Famous,” and how he eventually got there…just not exactly how he had it mapped out.
The stories he shares are not those of a stereotypical rock and roll tell-all. In MTV Famous, Pete is vulnerable and honest with his readers. Definitely a great read, written by a man who the one and only Sammy Hagar says can share a stage with him any day!
It feels like this book was written as much for the reader as it was for yourself – to reflect on and remember “the good ole days,” but also to acknowledge and address some serious issues that many of us face like loneliness, anxiety and depression.
Pete Evick: “It makes my day that you even said that! Nine times out of ten you can tell some strange story that you think only happened to you in your life, and somehow or another, people can relate to it. So, when it came to writing this book, I wanted to write about the music industry and the music, but I also wanted it to inspire the reader to reflect on their own lives. Every story in my book is 100% true. I tell some stories of woe and heartbreak, but every story I share has a positive connotation to it. I wanted to give the people who made me who I am today the credit they deserve. It’s important to be positive and grateful. I tell Bret all the time that I get to be in a band with you. You never got to be in a band with Steven Tyler. (Steven is his hero; Bret is mine). I know what it’s like and it’s an incredible story, I think.”
You could have written an entire book about your candle company, Shining Sol. In some ways, did starting that business actually save your life?
“I would say that’s right. I write about it in the book. I didn’t feel like I existed anymore. I felt dead one night after a number of life-altering experiences. You can read about why it was candles, but the following morning, I went to the hobby store and looked for candle making kits. In fact, I was just pouring candles an hour ago!”
Your first guitar was a Les Paul. You mention “the power of the guitar” throughout the book. Can you talk a little bit about that?
“It sounds like it’s a weapon, but it’s not a weapon. It’s the power of music. I just chose to say guitar. When you’re an entertainer, it affords you some things that may not have otherwise happened. As a musician, we give the song in our side of the relationship, and what we get back is the love and the kindness of the people who like the song or the music that we write. After your first guitar lesson, you probably came home and played something for your parents and they were thrilled. You were entertaining them. That’s karma. And that’s the power of the guitar. It’s not Thor’s hammer!”
You have a virtual encyclopedia of songs and music in your head. From your originals, all the cover songs you’ve ever played, Poison, Bret’s solo material, how do you learn and remember them all?
“I don’t know the entire Poison catalog from beginning to end, but I know more of it than anyone else – including the members of that band! Musicians often talk about…how can I remember 400 song lyrics from the 80s, but I can’t remember where I put my keys!? There’s a different thing that happens. I do have some retention issues. I can play almost any Van Halen song that was ever written and I rarely ever forget it or have to rehash it, but there might be a cover song that I learned six months ago and I have to constantly re-learn it. There’s a song called “Mr. Jones” by the Counting Crows. I love it. I’ve been performing it since it came out and I still have to read some of the lyrics to it. But then there’s every Kiss song from 1972 to 1993 and I know every lick and every lyric to each one!”
I’ll throw a few names at you and tell me what comes to mind –
Eddie Van Halen:
“Greatest guitar player of all time. I might also say that he’s the reason that I do what I do, but that’s not true. Ace Frehley holds that title. Edward was a musician, not just a guitar player. And he always had a boyish love for what he did. As far as I’m concerned, he wrote the greatest songs of all time. He’s the soundtrack to my life. To me, it was the songwriting, not the shredding. I was playing “Eruption” in middle school, but I couldn’t play “Unchained” all the way through. He turned real musicianship into pop music and pop culture. No one’s really done that like he did.”
Dana Strum (co-founder, bass player and one of the two primary songwriters of the band Slaughter):
“The best thing about Dana is it’s never any bullshit. He will look anyone in the eye and tell them exactly what he thinks. There’s never any question where he’s at or what he wants. He doesn’t waste time. He’s very positive. He’s been through everything. He knows the way out of any situation he might find himself in.”
Bret Michaels:
“I didn’t tell this story in the book, but the very first time I went to Bret’s house in Arizona, I had only known him for a few months and we were going to start writing music together. I never really thought he paid attention on the bus, but when I got there, he had the guest refrigerator stocked as if I’d gone grocery shopping for myself. It sounds silly, but he’s the epitome of a rock star, and he didn’t need to do that. That minute, it showed me how in tune he was with his surroundings and the people around him. He remembers names from 35 years ago. He’s always kind to everyone he meets – and he means it. He’s very emotional. Very well-rounded. Bret never takes a straight line out of a venue. He thanks the dishwashers in the kitchen for being part of the event. He thanks everyone he gets his eyes on. And that’s just who he is.”
Interview by I’m Music Magazine Writer Steve Pawlowsk
Connect with Pete Evick online:
Order an autographed copy of ‘MTV Famous’ HERE
Order a copy of ‘MTV Famous’ HERE
