As an art student in Boston in the
mid-late 1970's, Peter was one of the
founding members of the legendary
punk band La Peste. The band had a
huge following, with good reason. Great
songs, incredible energy, and amazing
"like-ability" for a punk band...
Peter left La Peste to pursue a solo
project, which owed more to artists
like The Cars, or Jonathan Richman
and the Modern Lovers than to bands
like the Sex Pistols or the Clash. Ric
Ocasek of The Cars was a big fan of
Peter's songwriting, and produced some
demos for him in the late '70's. The
Rings' Mike Baker also produced some
tracks.
All the while, Peter was pursuing his
art career as well. Leaving the Peter
Dayton Band behind, he travelled to
Europe, and his solo music became very
popular for a time.
But ultimately none of it was released
with the exception of a couple songs
that made it onto vinyl compilation LPs.
(That's how long ago this was!)
Now, 25 years later Peter is a successful
visual artist, with a studio in the
Hamptons, and frequent art shows in
NYC and beyond.
The music from The Peter Dayton Band
years is now available for the first time,
and it's as fresh as the day it was
recorded.
The sound of his music mirrors the pop
art collages he creates. His songwriting
is simple yet deep, and the lyrics will
stick in your mind. You'll find yourself
humming his songs years later.
Peter Dayton's website
features some of his recent artwork, and info
The cover art for his cd is
an example of his work.
