J Peter Boles

J Peter Boles’ “Bard Lane/Sweet Eagle Dreams”
Voted in the TOP 500 SONGS of 2010 –
BILLBOARD WORLD SONG CONTEST

- BILLBOARD WORLD SONG CONTEST

J Peter Boles’ “Empty Roads”
Voted in the TOP 4 FOLK SONGS of 2010 --
JOHN LENNON (INTERNATIONAL) SONGWRITING CONTEST
- JOHN LENNON (INTERNATIONAL) SONGWRITING CONTEST

[Peter] “has a strong clear voice, up there with Gordon Lightfoot, John Stewart and the other folk hot guys”.
- L.A. Times

Los Angeles Times
"FROM THE CAMPFIRE TO THE BREW PUB", … Bill Locey, Nov. 10, 2000
“J Peter Boles, a local country-flavored folkie of vast experience … After traveling thousands of miles over the years, J Peter Boles brings his old guitar and vast repertoire of 'folkabilly' to Ojai... Boles could probably play longer than the Grateful Dead in their heyday … While Boles’ concoction of folk and country influences sounds seamless, he’s fully aware of the nuances.”

[Boles] has a local history dating to the early ‘70s, when he played with Chris Byrd, now half of the Tijuana Hound Dogs. Boles either appears solo at his gigs, or he plays with Jim Monahan – the guitar player from the Desert Rose Band – or with Dan Wilson of Rincon Ramblers and Tatters fame.

“This free gig at the [Ojai Brew] Pub will feature Boles along with Monahan and flute player Steve Baker. One thing musicians are good at is helping each other, and Boles had even more musical friends appear on his album, including the likes of Chris Hillman and Alan Thornhill.

“Folk singers are like firemen and clowns – everybody likes them – but the jury is still out on rappers and tow truck drivers.” While Boles’ concoction of folk and country influences sounds seamless, he’s fully aware of the nuances. ‘A folk song is any song that contains the phrase ‘Oh, Lord,’ played on an out-of-tune guitar,’ he said. ‘The perfect folk song is usually about hookers or hoboes. On the other hand, the perfect country song is about dying, dogs, mama, trains and drinking.’

And for a Ventura guy, Boles has quite the twang – almost as if he sprang from the southern part of somewhere really southern, but that’s because he’s traveled extensively. He’s worked in the oil patch mostly, but he’s also mined for gold in Alaska and built boats in Washington and homes in Hawaii. ‘I took my twang out of the oil fields, but I got started at the campfire,’ Boles said.

‘I spent 15 years of my life during [gold] mining season, from May until October, living in a tent in Alaska,’ he added. ‘We had a real social camp that was like a gathering place for a hundred-mile radius. We used to trade songs, plus my big brother used to sing and teach me songs. I used to go to other camps and play for the miners, which led to me playing the clubs in Anchorage.’

All those road miles and campfires make for a serious repertoire of songs. In fact, Boles could probably play longer than the Grateful Dead in their heyday.

While venues come and go, and the current local music scene rages or stinks, Boles, for one, seems satisfied with the current local music scene. ‘It’s pretty hard the way music is these days to not live in the past, but I’m really happy with what’s going on,’ he said. ‘I really like Zoey’s in Ventura. Man, I’ve driven to Austin to find venues like that. I think the scene is getting better, but it’s always what you make it. Music is all about sharing emotions – the feeling. That’s what folk music is all about, spreading compassion for other people’s hardships.’
- L.A. Times

[J Peter Boles plays] “a warm, sensuous harmonica that always seemed to be in the right place at the right time” . . . - Anchorage Times

..."Boles, a small guy with a big set of lungs, has that classic folk voice with a rich range that fills the room and obliterates the idle chitchat"...
- Ventura County Reporter

Review by Solomon Bass
[CD rated "A-"] “Boles is a local country-flavored folkie --judging from a twang like that, he must be from South Ventura. IMAGINE A LOCAL VERSION OF JOHN PRINE. Boles has the songwriting thing figured out, as proven by his sound advice from the first cut, [Don’t Cherish Your Regrets]. He's ably assisted by a number of the best local players including Jim Monahan and Danny Wilson. This Hoyt Axton-inspired former oil patch worker sings about dusty roads, lonesome highways, bad women and all those recurring themes for country singers and folkies alike”.
- Ventura County Reporter

by Chris Jay --
Local singer songwriter J Peter Boles has just released a simple and beautiful self-titled acoustic disc. Featuring original folk tunes with some tasty playing by the likes of Dan and Mary Wilson to Chris Hillman, it's one of the best local releases of the year ... Perhaps Ventura is gearing up for an acoustic renaissance. It's about time.
- Ventura Star Free Press