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| Somewhere in rural Brasil, and almost "off grid" ... |
Chris Peters: At the moment I've just finished the graphic work on the LP releases for “Demos & Rarities” by Samsara Blues Experiment and Fuzz Sagrado's “Early Recordings” - both coming between March and April 2025. Things like layout etc. always take a lot of time ... Apart from that I finished a rather unusual new fun project under the name Pedro Petro. It's a kind of 70s film score - psychedelic jazz funk stuff like in “The Streets Of San Francisco” - meets Desert Sessions. And I still have stacks of ideas for other new songs, about four folders, i.e. four albums, full.
eclipsed: You released a new EP online in December 2024 with Fuzz Sagrado, including song ideas from your time with Samsara Blues Experiment. Then came the Surya LP in January, and now there are two more LPs with the early recordings from Samsara Blues Experiment and Fuzz Sagrado. Why only a digital release of Fuzz Sagrado?
Peters: Since I'm not much performing live at the moment, it might not make much sense to put out too many records, even if I could, but the demand just isn't as high as it was back in the SBE days, when you could promote and sell a lot better through concerts. If you just sit at home and release music non-stop, you have to see what makes sense. I don't have anything against digital either, on the contrary, I always think about whether this or that absolutely has to be pressed onto physical media. Some people might not understand that at all, and it might contradict itself, because I've got three LPs out in early 2025, but there doesn't have to be a fourth, does it?
eclipsed: What's the deal with the songs from your time with Samsara, why didn't they appear earlier? You describe “Cold Remains” on bandcamp, for example, as a remnant from the “End Of Forever” phase ...
Peters: Yes exactly, we even played the song live a few times in Australia, but somehow it wasn't “rendered out” at the time, which is why we left it behind at some point. I also struggled a bit with the lyrics, for example, and it just needed time to mature. With Fuzz Sagrado, which is still more of a studio project, it's much easier to swap the individual parts around and see what works better where - in contrast to a band rehearsal, where every step has to be communicated somehow. Which, at least in the last few years with Samsara, wasn't always easy. Personally, for example, I tend to prefer songs that are played “to the point” rather than overflowing jams - which, curiously enough, SBE have also become known for. I actually liked and like crisp 70s hard rock bands best and not so much lengthy Krautrock.
eclipsed: What is the weighting of the individual projects, which is the main project? How does the songwriting process work? How do you decide what belongs where? Please describe the creative process!
Peters: Not long ago I would have said that Fuzz Sagrado is the main project, but in fact everything alternates - but Fuzz Sagrado is also supposed to be a kind of “umbrella term” for my music. When I perform, I don't really exclude anything, so the band would go under the name Fuzz Sagrado, for example, but there could also be Surya tracks, among others. Otherwise I'm making music every day, I record ideas almost every day, and sometimes I just have to force myself a bit to finally finish a project. It's usually the music that I'm most excited about at the time, where I think: “Hey, I should keep at it.” It definitely has a lot to do with self-discipline as well.
eclipsed: You've still been doing everything yourself since 2020, right? Or have there been collaborations in the meantime? You seem to be playing in a permanent band again in Brazil.
Peters: In principle, I do most of it myself, yes. I had a lot to do with a long-time friend and professional producer in Italy in 2024. In principle, he was even supposed to remix the current Fuzz Sagrado EP after my first mix didn't sound good enough, but at some point - after weeks of sending files back and forth and a few Skype sessions - I realized that ultimately only I know how my music should sound. You can mix endlessly, but at some point it should be finished and you have to put up with the temporary inadequacies. And with my live band, well, that's a current issue, unfortunately things aren't going so well there ... I blame it a little on the different mentalities, Brazilians are somehow a bit too relaxed. If there are no concerts coming up, there are no rehearsals, for example. However, finding reasonably profitable concerts here in Brazil also feels impossible. We had a tour in prospect, but it didn't work out because of all the difficulties.
eclipsed: You still played a concert in 2024 after a long time. How was that? How are concerts in Brazil? How are the (concert) scene and the music market in general? Are there any differences to Europe?
Peters: On the one hand, it was very exciting and really nice to be on stage again after five years away. Not only for me, by the way, but also for the two Brazilians in the band, both of whom had never played a concert of this size before, supporting Clutch in São Paulo, with around 500 people in the audience. And I heard that there were also some fans there just for us. A small group even came from Germany! That really blew me away. However, as we were only the support act, I experienced for the first time what it's like to no longer be the main attraction - as with SBE - but just the local support. There was no food for us after the eight-hour drive, no hotel, and in the end I almost had to beg for the negotiated 200 euro. It was all unfortunate, and that with one of the better-known concert organizers here in the country. I don't have a problem with openly pointing out the facts, because honestly, I have had better experiences in the past.
eclipsed: Brazil and Europe really are two completely different worlds.
Peters: Exactly. Here in our state, which is roughly the same size as France - but with far fewer people, only about 12 million - there are hardly any opportunities to perform individual music. Sure, you can make a bit of noise in some sketchy bar for the equivalent of 50 euros, but that doesn't make much sense to me. As I said, there are huge distances between two places, and 300 km in Brazil cannot be compared with 300 km on German highways. You're embarking on a huge adventure, certainly exciting, but in the end everyone has to make a living.
eclipsed: What about concert plans in Europe? Some projects with German musicians seemed to appear. Can we hope to see you on German stages again?
Peters: I would honestly be happy if something could work out again. I often doubt whether my live career should already be over. At the concert in São Paulo, for example, I joked that I already feel like a pensioner here. But it's really complicated to organize different things from the middle of South America. I had a pretty cool session last year with the guys from Blackbox Massacre in Germany, including Steffen Schneider from Spaceship Landing and Charlie Paschen from Coogans Bluff - we should actually follow up on that somehow, but I don't know if that will work.
eclipsed: Referring again to the Surya project: What are the main influences there? The early albums were much quieter than the current rock stuff. How should it go on there?
Peters: I think it will remain similar to the current album “Thereʼs Light In The Distance” for the time being, in other words a kind of “experimental” space rock and not as quiet as before. This was also the first time that a few more people became aware of the music. At times 3000 listeners on Spotify, and that without any promotion. As a musician, you want people to listen to it. At least that's what I want. In the end, the main influences might not be as different as they generally are for me. It starts with the very early UFO or Monster Magnet, for example, and then of course became more and more specialized, because I could never just stick to the stoner genre. I don't impose many limits on myself, it's generally about atmosphere and melody and maybe also about a joy of experimentation, as it was with SBE in the beginning.
eclipsed: The new Fuzz Sagrado LP was co-produced by John McBain (Monster Magnet, Queens Of The Stone Age). Tell us how it came about.
Peters: That was a huge surprise! The American label Echodelick had already released my earliest Fuzz Sagrado stuff on tape and will now be involved in the upcoming LPs. That's where the suggestion with McBain came from. Of course, I was completely over the moon and couldn't stop myself from writing John a fan e-mail straight away! Well, he replied quite nicely, and in the end it was more of a “random” business decision by the label, but I'm still super proud that this name will be on one of my releases. I mean, you have to imagine how I used to worship Monster Magnet, Nebula, Kyuss etc. as a teenager in the middle of the woods in the middle of nowhere in central Germany in the 90s. I would never have guessed that I would meet some of these people in real life ...
eclipsed: All three of your current LPs are being released by two labels each. What are the reasons for this?
Peters: Well, I think it's a nice illusion that vinyl sales are going so well. The way I see it, everything is on the decline again, and there are actually far too many releases. Who's going to buy all that? As I mentioned at the beginning, I often ask myself: Do I need to have this or that pressed on LP? Fortunately, there's still a lot of interest in SBE, and my other projects are going okay in principle, but it's simply safer if several people join forces, and with the American label Echodelick we'll hopefully have a bit more going on over there. The USA was and still is the biggest market for Samsara and my music in general. Yet we've never had proper distribution there.
eclipsed: In addition to Surya and the early Fuzz Sagrado, Samsara's “Demos & Rarities” is a third LP release with your music within the first half of 2025. How did this come about? What do you still associate with your old band? There are still quite a few fans, is there perhaps even hope of a reunion?
Peters: First of all, no, I don't think there's much hope of a reunion. There was a brief moment where I wanted to believe in it, but it's just not meant to be, from here it's pretty much impossible. There are still a few songs that I would still play live with different people and a different band name, but there are a lot of other songs that I wouldn't play. I can no longer identify with some of them at all, and I wouldn't want to fool anyone about that. The demos were actually only intended as a small bonus CD for the “Long Distance Trip” reissue in 2023, but then World In Sound suggested that we could make a LP for the fans, and I think that makes sense. I often think about the (Samsara) fans, who will certainly be happy about things like this. I put a lot of energy into the artwork, layout etc. to make it really cool. SBE was an important chapter in life for everyone in the band, which also plays into the fact that I'm not just going off on my own with new people under the old name. I'd like most fans to realize that I'm still making music, just under a different name, but ultimately there's still a lot of what has always defined me as a musician. I even imagine I play the guitar a bit better nowadays. I've definitely practiced a lot in the last few years! (laughs)
eclipsed: Do you remember the process of making those early Samsara recordings? How do you see it today?
Peters: Oh man, how naive we were! (laughs) That was right after the first rehearsals in Berlin, so about a year after I had founded Samsara, but only a few weeks with Thomas and Richard in the band. Richard, the bass player, was fresh out of SAE studies at the time and had a bit of equipment: I think it was just a 2-channel audio interface and stereo mics on a small MacBook, but I can hardly remember the details. It was actually the first time I came into contact with (plug-in) synthesizers, a sound that had fascinated me for a very long time. At the time, I had little more experience in general; for example, I had mixed Terraplane's “Into The Unknown”, the record on Nasoni, with the simplest of tools. I remember being completely blown away when Richard and I recorded the sitar for the Samsara demos. At the time I said something like: “Hey, that sounds better than Siena Root!” (laughs) We were already pretty convinced of ourselves. That also helped, the massive self-confidence in me alone. Today I would describe us all as “dilettantes”. Although the mix of people was somehow just right. Thomas, for example, was always super reliable, whether healthy or ill or sometimes overtired, he's a complete clockwork - mega important as a drummer. He's also the “time wizard” (laughs). I would like to dedicate this LP to all the former SBE musicians, because I know that I couldn't have done it without them. You can write the greatest songs, but without a band you're just a lone wolf. So, to put it succinctly: I'm still proud of everything ... Mistakes happen, and everyone has developed quite differently. Richard, for example, has been doing dozens of productions since then, and I'm somehow really proud of what he's done with Delving or Weite, for example. I also left him a few of my instruments that can still be heard on such albums, especially my old Fender Rhodes. Samsara was extremely important for everyone, Richard, Thomas, Hans and me - I understand that, and, as I said, that probably makes some things difficult in terms of a reunion. People just have to understand that we're not going to stop actively making music despite everything, and apart from that I'd like to keep some of the songs and stories alive. For the fans, but also because we were already a good - or let's say - special band.
eclipsed: Would you do things differently today?
Peters: In a new band, I would like to address certain things right from the start. For example, it has to be clear who has to fulfill which tasks and where the competencies and limits lie. It's a bit of a job at a certain point. A lot of things have somehow come together at Samsara, but there have also been dissatisfactions that still seem unsolvable today because I wasn't able to communicate some things better.
eclipsed: Do you have any tips for younger bands? You also ran a label in Germany yourself for many years with Electric Magic. Are there still efforts to release and possibly support younger artists?
Peters: Here in Brazil, it's unfortunately very difficult to manage your own label endeavors or even LP or CD production - and everything that goes with it. Almost nobody here actually buys music in the same way as in Europe or North America, very few people have the money for it or it is generally difficult because the Brazilian market is relatively cut off from the rest of the world. There are extremely high import taxes on all products from outside the country. I still work “on the side” with labels in Germany, doing PR and social media and things like that, but Electric Magic is more on hold. When Samsara was going well, it made a lot of sense in some respects to invest in projects like the label. I also really liked all the releases. My best tip to every musician: don't look too much at what others are doing, do YOUR thing! In Europe, things are so much easier than here in South or North America, where we also toured with Samsara. For example, you don't necessarily need an external label, especially not if the conditions are rather modest. So I would never give up something like digital revenues! You always have to be diligent and shouldn't expect too much from others. But in the end, everyone makes their own experiences anyway ...
eclipsed: You've been living in Brazil for more than four years now. What's life like, so far away from your old home? Are there still things you miss?
Peters: At the moment I really miss a lot of things, and some things haven't necessarily gotten easier after four years... even though I now speak Portuguese quite well and otherwise lead a relatively "simple" life, i.e. without great demands, because that's no use here! It's just a completely different world here. There are lots of beautiful things, especially the nature is absolutely impressive, but there are also a few oddities in terms of culture. And, as mentioned in the topic of concerts: As a musician, life here is not easy in principle. People might think it's all just partying and sunshine. Personally, I work seven days a week and 365 days a year, but compared to the effort I put in, I earn next to nothing, but I don't really think about it because I love this work, I love the music!
eclipsed: What kind of music are you listening to privately at the moment? What bands are there in Brazil?
Peters: I always listen to a lot out of interest, in the sense of "I'm checking it out". But I often listen more from a music producer's perspective, i.e. relatively analytically. By that I mean really everything, mainly current, but also older releases. I'm just interested in music and sounds in general. At the moment I thought God Is An Astronaut was pretty good, for example. Delving is also an interesting project, there are always a few strong ideas. Otherwise it's often individual songs that catch my interest over the course of a year, including many old singer-songwriters, like Jerry Jeff Walker, Tom Rush, Tom Paxton. Unfortunately, I don't discover that many exciting current bands in Brazil, while there was some really cool stuff in the 70s and 80s. The original Sepultura with Max Cavalera were one of the first bands I ever listened to as a teenager in the 90s. But it is somewhat paradoxical, because on the one hand there are a lot of guitarists and rock fans here - unfortunately most of them seem to spend their time just playing covers of rock classics, and very few create their own songs. There is no real concert scene in our region for anything other than cover bands. I often get the feeling that individualism has little meaning in Brazil. But I also live here really far away from the big cities. Here in Minas Gerais there seem to be only two styles of music: Sertanejo - Brazilian country music - and modern Brazilian funk: not funk like it was in the 70s or 80s, more like super annoying minimal music with stupid lyrics - unfortunately you have to say that.
eclipsed: You look back on about 20 active years in the psychedelic rock scene, what were the highlights, anecdotes or things worth mentioning?
Peters: Well, we could spend at least a week on that (laughs). I've been thinking back on a lot of things since the end of SBE, and during the "peak phase of the Corona period" I even started my own blog where I described a few old stories in detail. A kind of open diary... So there are of course a lot of highlights, especially all the intercontinental tours, where I remember exactly how they started and how they came about. For example, I owe my current life to a tour like that. I'm still "proudest" of all that we achieved so much with SBE as a largely independent band. And even better that I can remain a largely independent musician today. That's awesome! The last time I sat in someone else's office was in 2012, and since then I've been somehow fighting my way through the music business.
eclipsed: Do you have any wishes for the future? What are your current plans for your music?
Peters: Maybe that people can be a bit more relaxed with each other again? Luckily I don't have to constantly share my opinion on everything anymore, I had to learn that too. Otherwise I'll just keep making music, with Fuzz Sagrado and Surya, and maybe I'll make some kind of Trance album sometime in the future. Who knows?
