Peter Roller’s Debut Record, Decades in the Making

For decades guitarist Peter Roller has been a prolific side-player in theMilwaukee music scene, assisting the earliest incarnation of Paul Cebar and theMilwaukeeans, performing with blues artist Steve Cohen, mandolinist YankRachell and the bluegrass band Salt Creek, and accompanying singer Robin Pluerin all manner of duos. Until this month, however, Roller had never released arecord of his own.

“My grown-up life just sort of got in the way,” says Roller, a music teacher atAlverno College. “We have two kids, so I did what adults do, and I held down aday job.”

During those years of teaching classes, raising a family and gigging withfriends, Roller released just one song under his own name“Rancho Mirage,” froma notable ’90s compilation called Masters of Acoustic Guitarbut he steadilykept composing, stockpiling songs that now make up his debut album, Blue Fog. He’s been sitting on thealbum’s oldest number since 1979.


“Since I’ve been playing a different types of guitar in a lot of differentsettings, the album ended up touching on a number of guitar styles,” Rollersays. “There’s a sprinkling of Hawaiian slack-key and slide guitar, and there’salso some bossa nova, a style I’ve been hearing since I was young because mydad had the ‘Girl from Ipanema’ album and not many others. I’m a big Steely Danfan, so there’s a song that has a little bit of the Fagen/Becker flavor, too.”

Roller’s time teaching at Alverno also informed the record.

“I teach a multi-cultural music appreciation class everyyear, and a Latin American music class,” Roller says, “so I’ve versed myself ina lot of Puerto Rican music, and that’s seeped into my playing.”

Though Blue Fog isentirely instrumental, its songs follow a traditional pop song structure.

“They’re all song-based with melodies andverse-chorus-bridge setups,” Roller says. “A lot of people think ofinstrumental as a type of noodly, New Age music, or smooth jazz, but this iscatchy, song-based instrumental music.”

Roller’s CD release performance atLinneman’s Riverwest Inn on Saturday, June 12 will open with a set fromRoller’s trio, then pair the guitarist with one of his most frequentcollaborators: Robin Pluer. Pluer’s set will also feature vocals from hernephew, soul singer Zach Pluer. Blue Fogis available through CDBaby.com and iTunes.