Rare Earth helped to define the late 1960s and early '70s.  Their soulful, rockin', funky, extended jams were frequently edited down to a pop-radio friendly length and found their home on the AM dial.  Many have been featured in countless movies and commercials over the decades.  The big hits include "I Just Wanna Celebrate", "(I Know I'm) Losing You", and "Get Ready".  On the skins and lead vocals for these and many more great tunes was Peter Rivera.  His voice is rich and powerful; somehow he could lay down the syncopated drum rhythms and simultaneously belt it out.  This Detroit native, along with his band, fell into the Motown scene and moved to Los Angeles when when their label did the same.
 
As the music partially gave way to family life, Peter and his young family sought refuge in idyllic Coeur d'Alene.  When the kids grew up he moved back to LA for a while.  Now he's living in Spokane and keeping the music alive.  Peter's solo project proves that "acoustic" doesn't necessarily mean "mellow".  His singing and conga playing are supported by a couple top-notch local musicians: jazz man Danny McCollim on the piano and perennial session guitarist Joe Brasch.  Together, they have completely re-arranged and re-interpreted many Rare Earth songs and some covers, while adding some new originals to the mix.  They still let loose on the heavy parts, but those sections are enhanced by the contrasting light passages that can only be articulated by bare hands on skins, keys, and strings.
 
With their new CD "Been There...Doin' This" and accompanying DVD "The Making Of", Peter, Joe, and Danny have given a new context to the classics.  You can catch them live at Arbor Crest Wine Cellars' Hot Summer Nights on Friday, July 27th.  They will get the word out on the 103.1 KCDA Local Lounge this Sunday, spinning most of the tracks from their new disc.

 
 
Left to right: Peter, Joe, and Danny.  Click here for more photos.
 
 
Hear Peter Rivera unplugged on Spokane's 103.1 KCDA Local Lounge this Sunday, July 8th (and catch the replay on July 22nd), 2012 at 10 pm PDT.  Tune your radio to 103.1 FM in the Spokane/Post Falls/Coeur d'Alene area or listen live to the on-line audio stream at this website.  Just click on the "Listen Live" link in the upper-left corner of this page.  You can also listen to the live broadcast on your iPhone, iPad, Android, or Blackberry with the iHeartRadio app.
  
 
 

UPDATE:

Below is Peter's entire Local Lounge show as high-quality streaming audio.  All songs are from his CD "Been There...Doin' This".


LISTEN to Part 1 (15:06)
including "Born to Wander" and "Get Ready"

LISTEN to Part 2 (9:52)
including "Hey Big Brother"

LISTEN to Part 3 (9:28)
including "Ma"

LISTEN to Part 4 (15:12)
including "(I Know I'm) Losin' You" and "I Just Wanna Celebrate"


original airdate: Sunday, July 8th, 2012 at 10 pm PDT

To listen to the streaming audio, all you need is Adobe Flash Player.  You may need to allow pop-ups on this page, as the media player will open in a new window.  If you don't see the media player in the new window, just refresh the page in your browser.
 
 
 
Check back on this page later in July to see a video or two from their "Making Of" DVD!
 
 
In the meantime, check out a video of Peter's new song "Look What We've Done", showing his industrially-ravaged hometown of Detroit.  Video by Jesse from J. Alan Paul Productions.
 
 
See Peter, Danny, and Joe perform live at Hot Summer Nights "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at Arbor Crest Wine Cellars (4705 North Fruit Hill Road) on Friday, July 27th.  The event starts at 5:30pm, with the concerts beginning at 7pm.  You can purchase tickets in advance right here.
 
 
Find Peter Rivera at his official website, Facebook, Twitter, CDBaby, and iTunes.
  
 
 
The 103.1 KCDA Local Lounge is powered by Northern Quest Resort & Casino
and produced by Matt Loi.
 


Listen live on your smartphone with the free iHeartRadio app!