I received stems from two PLG sessions recorded in Seattle a few years ago. The 24 tracks were transferred from tape to digital, likely for remixing. Once I had the stems, I loaded them into GarageBand iOS and began experimenting. I quickly felt overwhelmed. Starting with the six drum tracks, I paused; hearing Ron’s isolated tracks was a lot to process. The late Ron Grandle, a drummer who inspired me, influenced my drumming during my time as his roadie. Beyond our gigs together, we shared great moments in the UK, including an unforgettable evening with Jason Starkey. I remember annoying Ron in the van, tapping my knees to the radio. “Dude, stop already,” he would say. But I continued until he suggested, “Dude, get some bongos and come on stage to play with me.” I took his advice and performed as the percussionist in the final gigs with PLG, including their last show at the Seattle Bumbershoot Festival. As I worked with the stems, I saw I could interpret the sessions. I needed to make the drums more prominent, building the sound as a tribute to Ron. After mixing a few songs, it was clear the project needed to be bigger. Mixing and producing were part of it. This might be the first time anyone has heard this band. What if they were performing and releasing videos today? “The Naked Flame,” a short film, is my final homage to a band I supported—one that truly was the next Beatles. The song “Dream” marked a new chapter for the band. After Dave’s departure, PLG became a five-piece. Although I felt mixed emotions about this change, the Puget Sound’s vibe aligned with “Dream.” Most people have not heard this studio track, but it brings life to this final chapter.
Despite the somewhat granola-ized name, Peace, Love & Guitars – five Americans who met in Munich – can definitely rage. And they aren’t a ’60s cover band. The music, though definitely influenced by those halcyon days, is strictly original. It’s richly melodic, deeply harmonized and throbbingly assertive. Yet the band can easily switch from high-wired electric to a quieter acoustic mode. They often bounce from one style to the other – The Seattle Times
I believe this track, Not Too Late, closely resembles Gig McKell’s songwriting style. There may be up to three studio recordings of this specific song. Why is that? As I’m sure Gig recognized, it is a compellingly well-arranged piece that consistently featured in their performances. What more can I contribute with these stems? I think incorporating remix ideas is vital, as it allows us to add production elements without diluting the song’s essence. Rooted in a solid, prominent drum sound for all of these versions, I also wanted to adjust Gig’s guitar tone—perhaps making it more raw or experimental. I hope this song captivates you and leaves you wanting more as featured in the upcoming short film “The Naked Flame”. And you know, it’s not too late.
“Mother” has a memorable sound and a fresh feel. Hearing the isolated tracks as part of the remix revealed Tracey’s brilliant performance. In this version, I decided to remove Gig’s contributions from the initial verses and other parts, so that Tracey’s beautiful voice could shine through and carry the song. I really think it works great! It would have been wonderful to see her featured more in this five-piece setup, similar to how Dave took on a secondary vocalist role. Eventually, the band made some changes and brought in Chris Brown as the second vocalist and guitar player for their future songs.
This is undoubtedly the essence of Peace, Love & Guitars. “Peace Freaks” is the song that made people listen, the one that landed a headline show at the London Hippodrome on the 4th of July for an unknown band. This song is what I sold to promoters to book the band across the UK and led to management deals, eventually resulting in a publishing deal with Warner Chappell. The Seattle version of the song was notably slowed down, transforming it into a “jam” version. I have to admit that I was initially skeptical about this approach. However, it genuinely captured where PLG was at that time, especially as many other bands were leaning toward the “jam band” style of music. To be honest, they performed it well, and over time, I grew to appreciate this rendition of the song. While listening to the 24 tracks, I discovered the “star guitar” lead that was somewhat buried in the original mix. I wondered if this laid-back version could preserve the key electric sound that drove the original track. My goal became clear: I wanted to capture the energy of the original up-tempo track in this new slower-paced mix. This was the first tune I attempted to remix, and when I shared it with Gig and Marcus, their reassurance boosted my confidence and set me on the journey of this project.