Peter Doran

“Scenic Route” is the debut single from 22 year old Mullingar based musician Peter Doran. It is the first song to be lifted from the debut album “Wood” that will be released independently in September.

Peter began playing guitar at the tender age of eleven, experimenting initially with the electric guitar before progressing onto the acoustic guitar that he favours for songwriting. Throughout the most recent years he has been blessed by the talents of the musicians that make up his live band and feature heavily on all the recordings. The band and these musicians are an integral part of the music.

The band and resulting variations of instruments allow the songs to be brought to vastly different places than possible using just an acoustic guitar and voice. This is duly exploited to the last in Peter’s music. Some tracks are laid back, quiet affairs, whilst others lean towards the heavier end of the musical spectrum, employing dirty electric guitars, soaring string sections and blistering electric guitar solos. The main focus with the writing has always been on creating strong songs, both lyrically and structurally, that will work when played solo on an acoustic guitar. The next stage is to bring these songs to the band where they all work together to take them to a better place dynamically and melodically. This can be heard to great effect on the debut single “Scenic Route”, where the stand-out electric guitar riff is cleverly juxtaposed with the colourful counter-melodies of the bass guitar.

Peter and the band have been playing live sets all over Ireland for the last few years, steadily building up a network of fans throughout the country. Furthermore, Peter has successfully garnered many high profile support slots in this time, opening shows for artists including John Spillane, Luka Bloom, Gary Dunne, AM O’Grady, Albert Niland and even rock bands like Berkley. This fact is testament to the variety of material existing in Peter’s repertoire.