Wednesday, August 27, 2014 - Fender^® Jimmy Dale Kingman™ SCE    

Friday, April 11, 2014 - Peter Haskell plays guitar and sings with Ed Blodgett, at Giuseppe's Restaurant, in Horseheads, NY    
  Photo courtesy of Janet. - Thanks!

Friday, October 25, 2013 - Peter Haskell plays guitar and sings with Bill Pipher, at Giuseppe's Restaurant, in Horseheads, NY    
  Photo courtesy of Janet. - Thanks!

Tuesday, November 20, 2012 - Peter Haskell sings and plays guitar in Elmira, NY with Jimmy Kipler, of the Buffalo Rockin' Rebels         (Click here to download the video)    
  Photo courtesy of Janet. - Thanks!

Wednesday, August 8, 2012 - Peter Haskell plays bass and sings with Boots country band at Pirozola Park in W. Elmira, NY    
  Photo courtesy of Janet. - Thanks!

Friday, November 26, 2010 - Peter Haskell plays guitar and sings at the Silverbird Café, Horseheads, NY    
  Photo courtesy of Neil. - Thanks!

Friday, October 29, 2010 - Peter Haskell plays guitar and sings at the Silverbird Café, Horseheads, NY    
  Photo courtesy of Neil. - Thanks!

Sunday, October 17, 2010 - Peter Haskell plays guitar with Hugh Douglass on guitar at Green Pastures in Elmira, NY    
  Photos courtesy of Janet. - Thanks!

Saturday, April 10, 2010 - Peter Haskell plays bass with Jacki Kane on drums, Bill Pipher on guitar and the the late great Dick Nevone on lead and vocals at Soundworks in Horseheads, NY    
  Photos courtesy of Hazel. - Thanks!

Monday, July 13, 2009 - Peter Haskell plays bass with The Classics at Oakridge Park in Elmira Heights, NY    
  Photo courtesy of Neil. - Thanks!

Saturday, May 2, 2009 - Peter Haskell plays bass with The Classics at The American Legion in Elmira Heights, NY     Photo courtesy of Hazel. - Thanks!

Saturday, February 7, 2009 - Peter Haskell plays bass with The Classics at The American Legion in Elmira Heights, NY     Photo courtesy of Hazel. - Thanks!

Saturday, October 11, 2008 - Peter Haskell plays bass with The Classics at The American Legion in Elmira Heights, NY     Photo courtesy of Neil. - Thanks!

Saturday, June 28, 2008 - Peter Haskell plays bass with The Classics (formerly The Receeders) at Tioga Downs in Nichols, NY     Photo courtesy of Neil. - Thanks!

Monday, May 12, 2008 - Peter Haskell plays bass with The Classics (formerly The Receeders) at Soundworks in Horseheads, NY     Photo courtesy of Neil. - Thanks!

Monday, December 31, 2007 - Peter Haskell plays bass with The Receeders New Years Eve at Soundworks in Horseheads, NY     Photo courtesy of Neil. - Thanks!

Saturday, October 13, 2007 - Peter Haskell plays bass with The Receeders at a fall festival in Baldwin, NY.     Photo courtesy of John & Shirley. - Thanks, Guys!

Monday, August 20, 2007 - Peter Haskell plays bass with The Receeders at 'Soundworks' in Horseheads, NY.     Photo courtesy of Neil and Pat. - Thanks, Guys!
 

Saturday, June 9, 2007 - Jupiter Bridge and Peter Haskell at The Classic Café.
 

Saturday, August 12, 2006 - Peter Haskell and Amanda Knapp at The Classic Café.
 

Saturday, August 13, 2005 - Peter Haskell, Joe Ferrara, Ed Blodgett and Jennifer May performed at Ashley Lynn Winery on Seneca lake near Dundee, NY.
 

Saturday, August 3rd - Sunday, August 4th, 2002 was the 10th Annual Garlic Festival at the Fox Run Vineyards, with lots of garlic vendors, specialty food producers, cooking demonstrations, garlic comparison tasting, wine tasting, an eclectic mix of jazz and pop music by Peter Haskell and Jupiter Bridge Duo, food concessions and wine by the glass and much more! Admission was free. Check out all the photos of Jupe and me at phaskell.tripod.com.

Stromberg Newport jazz guitar . . .

Monday, August 5th, 2002 was the day my new Stromberg Newport arrived and it has lived up to every bit of the high praise given by all of the other Stromberg Newport jazz guitar owners.

I have played archtop guitars for over fifty years, all brands, and this is one of the best sounding archtops I've ever owned.

Stromberg VP, Larry Davis, has set out to offer the finest quality acoustic archtop jazz guitar at an affordable price for the working musician and has met his goal in the new Stromberg Newport archtop model. This guitar not only makes a fine acoustic archtop but fitted with the Kent Armstrong floating pickup mounted on an American made pickguard it offers not only great volume but some of the sweetest tones I have ever heard.

Sunday, July 29, 2001 the former "Coincidentals" reunited at the 16th annual Buffalo Musicians' Picnic in Buffalo, NY.   -   [ Click here for photo and caption ]

June 2000 guitar recital
March 2001 guitar recital
June 2001 guitar recital
December 2001 guitar recital
March 2002 guitar recital
June 2002 guitar recital
December 2002 guitar recital
June 2003 guitar recital
December 2003 guitar recital
March 2004 guitar recital
June 2004 guitar recital

   A message to my students ...

I can only tell you what I have done. It may not work for everyone.

I have played in bands since 1955, traveled and got tired of the problems and hard life. The way I have managed to stay in it is as a solo performer. I started performing primarily as a solo act in 1987.

In the beginning I managed to hook up with a small restaurant where I played on weekends for tips. This kept my chops in shape even if I didn't play during the rest of the week.

My best paying gigs are almost exclusively private parties. The private parties have proliferated by references. I get them from other functions I play.

I started many years ago using home recorded, five minute, cassette tapes I made playing Fender bass and a Roland 505 drum machine. Soon, I graduated to a MIDI system where I employ a host of instruments all done on a sequencer.

Today, with my current setup, I use a laptop with Band-In-A-Box music software. I sing on most songs and play chord melody guitar over the background tracks for each song. This way it sounds like a full band.

I think the most important thing is to develop a memorized repertoire to perform. To perform a two hour gig you will need about 40 songs memorized and polished. I have over several hundred at present and I can perform, 40 minutes on and 20 minutes off, for a seven hour clambake and easily not repeat a tune.

I believe it is imperative that you sing unless you are a vertuoso on the guitar. Solo rock guitar with no vocals will certainly mitigate your chances of making a living this way.

This is an ambitious project and not for everyone. But it is a sure-fire way to get yourself into it and be able to be in charge. I would advise to start 'small', look for a venue that allows you to play for tips, keep your repertoire familiar, and keep it growing!

_______________________________________Peter Haskell

Date: Monday, September 25, 2000 6:21 PM
Subject: Wedding gig requests
To: The One Man Band

Dear Mr. Haskell:

We look forward to your performance at our daughter's wedding. If you don't mind, we would like to request a few of our favorite songs. If you could play these at some point during the reception, we'd be grateful:

Any Keith Jarrett composition from his solo series. Please arrange it for full ensemble and nothing in 4/4, please.

Mahavishnu Orchestra, "Dance of the Maya" and please have the guitarist play John Mclaughlin's solo from the live performance Nov. 16, 1972, at Chrysler Arena. My wife and I were at that show and we particularly liked his use of polyrhythms. If you find it too difficult, you can leave out the feedback.

Any of John Coltrane's duets with Pharaoh Sanders. I understand that their use of atonality is not everyone's cup of tea, but all our guests love high register tenor saxes.

We thought a little Stravinsky right after the toast would be nice. We particularly like "The Rite of Spring." If you want to use the sheet music it's OK. We like a tempo of about 1/4 note = 93.

Then for the candle lighting ceremony, please play Frank Zappa's "The Grand Wazoo." If you want to play it in the original key of B flat, that would be fine. And my cousin Jeannie would like to sing the baritone sax solo, though you may have to play that part in another key -- she has kind of a high voice.

When my new son-in-law takes off the garter, could you play just a little of Varese's "Ionization". Such a funny piece, we think it would go over real well. Much better than "The Stripper."

And for the bride & groom's first dance, please slow things down a bit by doing Barber's "Adagio For Strings." It's so much better than "We've Only Just Begun" or the "Anniversary Waltz."

When my wife and I join in the first dance, could you please segue to Thelonius Monk's "Ruby, My Dear" - it's in honor of my wife's grandmother whose name was Ruby. It would mean so much to the family.

Thanks very much for all your help. We'll certainly be happy to recommend your band to all our friends.

By the way, the gig pays $250 for the group, and before you leave, please feel free to ask the caterer for a sandwich and a soda.

*   *   *  

I decided to sub-contract this one out and got this reply from my friend in Buffalo, Mickey Kipler, former saxophonist with The Buffalo Rockin' Rebels. Message as follows:

Cutts,

    Call me and I'll play the gig. The only tune I'm unsure of is "Ruby my Dear". For the $250.00 I can get ten men.

Thanks, Mickey

A recent October 2015 article on the BBC website regarding the slow death of small independent music venues prompted this comment:

Instead of lamenting the inevitable change, which by the way has been slowly evolving since 1970 or so, with the slow death of small nite clubs around the world it would be of greater benefit to problem solve and evolve with the times. I abandoned the notion of regularly playing with a band in 1984 and realized way back then there was still a way to keep working as a musician on a regular basis.

That solution, for me, was to downsize and become a solo act with canned back up and, more importantly, to change the type of performance venue. Not ideal in a comradery aspect but it does allow for survival as a working musician.

The dying venues are replaced by restaurants and dinner dates. The hours are better, the air is cleaner, customers are more sober, the atmosphere is calmer and the restaurant owners, focused more on food, are not harassing the musicians to bring in a following.

The pay is not any better but at least life as musician stays alive and well. My life as a musician is now much less stressful.

So whenever I hear fellow musicians griping, "there's no work" I can't help but feel sorry for this person. I feel he/she is still longing for the dinosaur age of sweat shop, four hour gigs in smoky, quarrelsome venues of the distant past, handed to them by others. I can't help but feel they should get off their butts, put together a solo (or duo) act (not necessarily easy but can be fun) and pound the pavement around to the local eatery's and sell themselves.

We had it way too good in the 50's and 60's when all the above mentioned "work" was delegated among others, namely other group members and agents. Today, we are faced with taking personal responsibility and really working on our own for gigs.

The Peter Principle: Employees of an organization rise through its hierarchy until they reach a level of respective incompetence.