Rock + Ambient Music

I've been writing songs for fun since I was 16, but I've never played live or even been in a band.   My first stab at recording was for the 2007 RPM Challenge, which is the "Record-an-album-in-a-month" contest.   I've done RPM every year since then.   Participants record 10 songs or 35 minutes of original music in 28 days.   I couldn't get anyone to sing for me, so I had to do it myself.   My voice is just good enough for you to tell that I'm really trying but, just bad enough to be embarrassing.  

In 2007 I set out to make "techno-folk," combining synth-pop beats with indie-folk guitar strumming.   Many of the songs were too complicated for the simple equipment I was using, so in 2008 I stripped things down and made more of a Goth rock album.   I went in the opposite direction in 2009 by recording everything "live" using a video camera and only acoustic instruments.   In 2010 I got tired of listening to myself struggling to sing, so I went in the opposite-opposite direction and made an entirely electronic, instrumental album.

I don't think I'll ever do much with rock music, but it's been fun learning about songwriting, mixing, and recording techniques, and maybe someday I'll be in a real band, if I can find the time and people who can put up with me.   Below are many of the songs I've recorded over the years for RPM, plus some music I made as soundtracks for my own films, and some live recordings.

-Peter Kovic, July 2010