Peter Searcy

All Music Guide:

Best known as the frontman of cult favorite teen punk combo Squirrel Bait, singer/songwriter Peter Searcy was born and raised in Louisville, KY, where as a child he studied cello and violin. Profoundly influenced by the music of Hüsker Dü and Minor Threat, in 1984 he co-founded Squirrel Bait with guitarists David Grubbs and Brian McMahan, bassist Clark Johnson, and drummer Britt Walford; despite an average age of 15, the group soon landed a contract with indie label Homestead, issuing their self-titled 1985 debut EP to much critical acclaim. Distinguished by Searcy's raw, Paul Westerberg-like wail, Squirrel Bait issued only one proper LP (1987's Skag Heaven) before disintegrating, but their influence proved enormous: not only did the band's thrash-pop approach anticipate the rise of grunge by a half-decade, but its members all went on to play key roles in independent circles -- McMahan and Walford teamed in the groundbreaking Slint, while Grubbs and Johnson reunited in Bastro (with the former subsequently founding Gastr del Sol). Searcy, meanwhile, formed Big Wheel, which issued its debut, East End, in 1989; after two more albums, 1992's Holiday Manor and 1993's Slowtown, the group dissolved, and when his next project, Starbilly, fell apart after just one LP (1995's Master Vibrator), he relocated to Atlanta and took a job waiting tables while playing the occasional live date. Searcy's solo debut, Could You Please and Thank You, followed on Time Bomb in early 2000. 2004's Couch Songs was a more labored affair, recorded back in Louisville (with Butch Walker), and was his only album during his brief stint on Initial. Looking to snatch back some of his early rock gusto and sincerity, Searcy got a real band together and started work on his next batch of songs during 2006. His resulting 2007 effort Spark was recorded (largely) live in the studio, with the prior year's worth of full-band rehearsals providing the core of what would be his biggest return to the workman-like rock ethic of his first recordings.

Wikipedia:

Peter Searcy is a musician from Louisville, Kentucky.

Spin Magazine, Scott Irwin, and Amanda Green have compared Searcy's straightforward songwriting style and voice to the Paul Westerberg's Like Paul Westerberg of The Replacements, Searcy is a veteran of the post-punk scene. Searcy was the frontman of the Louisville punk group Squirrel Bait in the 1980s. After Squirrel Bait disbanded, Searcy (along with Squirrel Bait drummer Ben Daughtrey) formed a funk-rock group called Fanci Pantz. Fanci Pantz garnered a lot of praise and major label attention, but they broke up before they could record an album. After the demise of Fanci Pantz, Searcy joined Big Wheel in 1989, which released three albums (two on Mammoth Records) before breaking up in 1993. His next band, Starbilly, released only one album, after which Searcy began performing solo. He released one album, produced by Tim Patalan entitled, "Could You Please and Thank You," on Time Bomb Recordings in 2000. It's style has been compared to that of the Counting Crows and The Wallflowers. The album was followed by a self-released EP and a second full-length album on Initial Records in 2004. His newest release, now on Label X & Toucan Cove Entertainment, is titled Spark and features the single "I Believe".