Never same ol’ song for musical SWC professor

Peter Bolland walks a thin line between two worlds. In one, the quiet life of a reputable college philosophy professor, on the other the wild and untamed world of a gigging musician.

Bolland said he is proud of his 17-year tenure as a Professor of Philosophy at Southwestern College, but his true passion has always been music.

“Making art isn’t a hobby for me, like making macaroni sculpture or collecting stamps,” he said. “I had to make music, it is just part of who I am. I have played in bands my whole life from junior high on. But I didn’t start making records until I was in my thirties. That’s when I got really serious.”

Aside from his work with his award-winning band The Coyote Problem, Bolland has produced two solo albums and frequently uploads philosophical videos and songs onto his YouTube channel, Peter Bolland TV.

Bolland said he considers The Beatles, Neil Young, Jackson Browne and Emmylou Harris, among others, as his influences. Much like his singer-songwriter forbearers, Bolland has a knack for weaving tales through his lyrics.

“I consider myself a storyteller,” he said. “I try to tell stories that I hope have universal resonance. I just am who I am, and I see what I see, and I feel what I feel, and I write about that. Philosophy and music cover a lot of the same ground – what is real, what is true, what matters?”

One such narrative song is “Bullets on the Boulevard” from his first solo album “Frame,” which he said was inspired by a horrifying real event.

“I was on my way to a gig when I got caught in the crossfire of a gang shootout and my truck got shot at,” he said. “The bullet could have easily killed my wife or me. It left me shaken. This was many years ago, but I still think about it. Getting caught in a spray of gunfire is something you don’t forget.”

More recent influences on his lyrics are his thoughts concerning the current polarizing political climate in the United States. Too much has happened since the 2016 election for him to stay quiet, Bolland said.

“I have nothing but contempt for this administration,” he said. “I see it as little more than a criminal enterprise wrapped up in obscene nationalism.”

One of his most recent songs that perfectly encapsulate his sentiment is “(I Still Have) Some Fucks To Give,” where he raises his fist in frustrated protest over a gently rhythmic guitar strum.

“Well I been angry, I been sad,” he sings, “Pinin’ for what we coulda had/Instead of this clown/On Pennsylvania Avenue/And I ain’t sorry for singin’ this song/For seein’ what I see and sayin’ it’s wrong/I still have some fucks to give.”

Despite Bolland’s harsh words for President Trump, he contends it is an optimistic song.

“It’s about staying upbeat in very trying times,” he said. “It’s about not succumbing to apathy in the face of great destruction.”

When it comes to creating songs Bolland said he relies more on improvisation than writing down words on a sheet of paper.

“I just pick up my guitar and start playing,” he said. “I look for a mood, or a chord change, or a picking pattern, or a strum, anything that feels good, sounds right, and moves me. Then the words and the music come out together, in concert with each other.”

Given the state of the world, Bolland said that powerful music is needed now more than ever and the most important thing for aspiring musicians to learn is to never give up on their principles.

“Don’t chase trends or styles, write music that matters to you,” he said. “If you’re trying to imitate someone else, you’ll never rise above imitation. That being said, don’t run from your influences either. Be true to who you really are and to what you really love. Don’t listen to the haters.”