When Peter Wise accidentally scheduled the release of his latest single “Only Gotta Start” for July 27th instead of July 28th, he said “it was serendipitous,” because he was going to play at the new Rockwood venue on the 27th with a full band for the first time in a while.
Though Mass is Peter’s home state, his music journey started in New York. When I told him there was a Rockwood in Boston, he was stoked. “I grew up at the Rockwood, musically,” he told me. He started playing at the Rockwood in NYC in his college days at the 1 am slot. Later, he played his first gig there after the pandemic. So his single release show being at the Rockwood in Boston was a no-brainer as an ode to his roots and growth as an artist.
Peter wanted to highlight local artists who complemented his sound and whose songs could be on a playlist together. His supporting artists for the night were Audrey Creevey and Steve Rondo, two of my personal favorite artists. Audrey kicked the show off with a MUNA cover and then dove into her hard-hitting singer-songwriter lyrics. (TW: her lyrics will make you cry – speaking from personal experience.)
Audrey was joined by Gia and Mena on guitar, who added even more depth to her songs. In fact, Gia and Mena are part of an awesome band, Trash Rabbit — and, when asked who he’d like to collaborate with here in Boston, Peter said he’d love to work with Trash Rabbit AND Audrey. So maybe we’ll get a collab soon! Since I’ve seen Audrey multiple times and have way too many videos of her songs on my phone, she played an unreleased song for me — “Holy.” Audrey also put her own spin on the iconic “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” and we tried to keep up with her unique melody for the song. Audrey ended her set with her only song on Spotify, “No Good At Being Alone,” whose lyrics stick with me everytime I hear: ‘But maybe if I was taller, I could stand on my own and maybe if I was smarter, I would just let you go.’ I’m lucky I didn’t cry at this show.
Steve Rondo was the perfect transition between Audrey’s music and Peter’s music, bringing up the energy at Rockwood. He started off with his acoustic version of “Afternoon Rebellion,” which incorporates the tapping technique from Ben Howard. Steve and his band also transitioned to some rock (which came with a switch to a green electric guitar), with an original “Yuppie Boys” about playing gigs in Southie (side eye). I also have a new favorite Steve Rondo song, “Runaway,” which is luckily out on all streaming platforms — I thought I’d have to keep going back to the little video I have on my phone.
After Audrey Creevey and Steve Rondo had amazing supporting sets, it was time for Peter Wise. Peter played with two of his friends from NYC — Adam and Josh — and Marley, who he met at a previous gig in Boston. I’ve only seen Peter solo, so I wasn’t sure what to expect from his full band set. I was blown away.
Though it was a single release show, Peter started with one of his older songs, “Loeffler Lane,” about a lane in Mass that Peter wishes he lived on. Peter then played some of his newer and unreleased songs from his upcoming 13-track, fully self-produced album, coming out next year. However, if you don’t want to wait that long, he’s going to try to release a single from the album every month. “Only Gotta Start” is the first single of the album, and on August 25th (he triple-checked the date this time), he will be releasing his next single, “Someone Looking Out.” Out of the songs I hadn’t heard before, I’m very excited about “Miss the Mark,” purely because of the falsetto that Peter sang at the show. When asked about it later, he told me that the song doesn’t go that high and he was just feeling the falsetto in that moment. Despite his low spice tolerance (he’s a mild/medium spice type of guy), he ate some very spicy Vietnamese food before the show, and luckily, he was still able to hit the notes. But his other songs, like “Want Too Much” do highlight his falsetto, which he taught himself in college. Inspired by the range of artists like Prince and Bruno Mars, he wanted to reach those higher notes, and now he does. He said the highest he can sing is the high A in “Kiss” by Prince (he couldn’t demonstrate it since he’d played two gigs back to back, but I believe it).
As part of this upcoming album, he’s going to re-record two of his songs to fit his vision for the album: “Let Me Be Clear” and “Trustfall.” He originally wrote the breakup song “Let Me Be Clear” on piano, and he released “Trustfall” a few years ago, but wants to make sure the songs’ production match the rest of the feel of the album. Before he played “Trustfall,” Peter made sure to clarify that he would not be doing aerial stunts like P!nk does when she performs her song with the same name. “My version of ‘Trustfall’ is just an emotional fall.” Look out for “Trustfall” (Peter’s Version) next year! Peter also sang a rock version of Anti-Hero by Taylor Swift, which he played just for me because I’m a Swiftie. (I did freak out when I realized, and that was the highlight of the show for me!) Apparently, it’s now a permanent part of the setlist (no complaints here), so if/when you go for one of Peter’s shows, listen out for Anti-Hero (Peter’s Version)!
Peter ended his set with the new single “Only Gotta Start.” To me, it’s one of his best songs. It starts out with a line that highlights the challenges of being an artist sometimes — ‘I shouldn’t be still playing this stupid bar, banging out Mr. Brightside again on this guitar.’ For fans of The Killers, it’s good to note that Peter does NOT hate The Killers — in fact, he even played and sang his lyrics over the classic melody of “Mr. Brightside.” Peter was inspired to write the song when he was on the subway (because NY), feeling burned out about his music while getting over a past relationship. The original idea for the song came when he couldn’t go back home for the holidays in December to see his family. Peter inserted a lot of feelings into this song, which he described as, “When you start over, what are you going to do next? This chapter of my life is closed, and I can’t do anything about it. I’m learning about myself.”
At the show, he also mashed up Tina Turner’s “Simply the Best” with “Only Gotta Start,” and it was the mashup I didn’t know I needed in my life. Peter ended the show with an iconic moment where he jumped on his amp and played, like a true rockstar.
Now that “Only Gotta Start” is out in the world, there are many ways you can support this single in addition to streaming it many times (I believe I’ve contributed 30 streams already, and I’m not slowing down). When Peter was on his European tour, he bought a Super 8 camera and his sister, Sophie Wise, shot a 3:13” visualizer for the song. Peter also released new merch for the single — Mugs, t-shirts, and totes — as a way for you to start your day on a positive note! (I may or may not already own all 3.) He’s also releasing a solo/acoustic version of “Only Gotta Start,” so follow him for more info on that! He will be going on tour later this year and will be coming back to Boston soon (I hope), so get ready to sing and dance (and maybe cry) to his songs!