Peter Blachley has shifted naturally across the music world. After spending the nineties as the Director of Marketing and Production at EMI, he founded the Morrison Hotel Gallery in 2001, a showcase space for top-notch music photography (and this was back before digital cameras convinced every yokel with a Flickr account that they were a concert photog…). And now Blachley has shifted again, to making his own kind of music on his upcoming debut Nevada Sky – and had a record release party at his own Morrison Hotel Gallery Loft in SoHo on Wednesday, September 19th.
Located right where Prince Street was packed with people during Fashion Week, the space overlooks the ultra-trendy avenue. The loft itself isn’t large, but has the tables & chairs (and leather sofas) feel of such upscale NYC venues as Joe’s Pub (QRO venue review) and Rockwood Music Hall (QRO venue review) – in fact, Blachley joked that he had wanted to have his record release party at either of those places, but he’s never been to either, and they don’t know who he is… (so his friend suggested Morrison Hotel Gallery Loft, as "I know the owner" – with which Blachley got a call…). The walls held amazing ‘Unseen Beatles’ photos – not the million-and-one photos you’ve seen before of the most famous band in the world, but great ones you’ve never gazed upon before (and which QRO’s photos of photos don’t nearly do justice to). And it can still really take your breath away, seeing images of the Fab Four when they were young that are the kind of high-tech quality one gets today (see also their live-action appearance at the end of the remastered Yellow Submarine – QRO DVD review).
Oh, and there were free drinks thanks to Bruvado – a Mexican beer making its way into the states with something more, quite literally. Each six-pack is actually five bottles of Bruvado beer and one bottle of either Bruvado whiskey or tequila. One can get the whole range of south-of-the-border alcohol, satisfying both your beer drinkers & your spirits quaffers (as long as local authorities let it be sold, as alcohol laws are not only über-complex, but also über-local – did you know there are still dry counties out there today?…)
With only a four-song promotional EP out (given to all that attended), Blachley naturally had to play a short set with many covers (though not, interestingly, his cover of Willy DeVille’s "I Call Your Name" on the Nevada Sky EP), including the Grateful Dead’s "Hand Me Down" and The Beatles’ "Everybody Needs Somebody To Lean On". The art on the walls inspired playing the latter, while 
the former is a cover done by New York country band Ollabelle, who provided the backing band both on Nevada Sky and at the loft – though at the loft Blachley also had "string man" David Mansfield, who’s played with such acclaimed artists as Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan ("He can play anything with strings," which included the mandolin). But the night also had Blachley originals like evening/EP opener "Like Music, Like Fire", "I Was Dreaming", and "Nevada Sky", all of which saw Blachley bust out his best country-twang – which he also held up between songs, with a familiar wry, but ‘common folks’ banter akin to Arlo Guthrie (QRO photos).
It’s always a bit of a gamble, going to album release parties, whether by established bands (like the prior night’s by Band of Horses at the also free beer, but way less classy House of Vans – QRO review) or by new (musical) artists. And holding at his own loft could have made the whole thing just vanity project. But it was a great night at a great place with a great new-old artist.
