Peter Wolf Crier: More Drums, Please

Peter Wolf Crier is not the band it was just nine months ago. When the duo played Salt Lake City last January, frontman Peter Pisano had just completed his debut album, a record filled with heartfelt lyrics and haunting falsetto vocals. He had written the songs in isolation in his Minnesota home before turning to producer/percussionist Brian Moen to put his ideas to tape. The resulting album, "Inter-Be," was a low-key indie gem.

After seven months of heavy touring together, Pisano and Moen were ready to get back in the studio. The effects of the road, however, linger on the band's sophomore release, "Garden of Arms." While Pisano's whispy tenor is still front and center, the songs are backed by an edginess that was largely absent from the band's debut.

"Once we were performing in clubs, we got louder," Moen explains. "That was my fault, probably," he adds with a laugh. It is difficult to underestimate the percussive strength Moen brings to the new album.

Moen says that though he played drums on "Inter-Be," he anticipated Pisano performing the songs as a solo act. As a result, he tried to keep the drums as unobtrusive as possible. Now a full-time member of Peter Wolf Crier, Moen was says he was able to "insert more of myself into the record."

"Garden" was not only impacted by Moen's playing, but by Pisano's approach to writing the songs. While "Inter-Be" was written sporadically over the course of a year, the new album was written in just a month.
"It's more of an immediate snapshot," Moen says of the record. The duo brought in an outside engineer to relieve Moen of his double duty of producer and performer, which meant the pair were able to "pour ourselves into the ideas entirely," he says. "It was much more fulfilling as an artist to just focus on making the best record."

And now it's time to get back on the road. Because "Garden" is even more intricate than its predecessor, Moen and Pisano will be joined by onstage by a keyboardists and Pisano will split time between keys and guitar. While many drummers are happy to be pushed to the back of the stage, Moen has had no problem being 50 percent of the focal point.

"Anyone who has seen me play knows I'm a pretty heavy stage presence," Moen says with a laugh. "[Playing as a two piece] has allowed me the space I'd be taking up anyway."