Waaayyy back around 2008, my friend and musical collaborator Auggie Ruggiero moved from NY back to his home state of Ohio. Shortly thereafter, via the interwebs I sent him handful of tracks and beats I had recorded. It was an odd collection of rough ideas for which I had exhausted all inspiration. I knew that my exceedingly talented and wonderfully weird friend would give the tracks a whole new life.
He did exactly that, and then some. When he was finished with them, Auggie sent them back to me. I mixed and mastered the songs and we called the project ‘The Mustache Petes.’ Then, for the next 13 years the wacky little collection gathered dust. Until now.
“ugly things” is the debut EP from The Mustache Petes. Recorded in 2008 and released on April 30, 2021, the four song collection is the sound of two Rock nerds entertaining one another from hundreds of miles away. Listening to it now, it is clear to me that this is a record all about transitions. With the exception of one song, Auggie wrote the lyrics. I won’t pretend to know what he was thinking when he did so. But I know what I hear when I listen. And I know what was happening in my life when we made the record.
Thirteen years ago I was in my 30’s. I was married, drank like a fish, smoked like a chimney and spent most of my time alone. None of those things are true now. I don’t miss them. However, I do miss my friend. And hearing these songs makes me smile. So, give a listen. As Auggie sings on the track ‘The Rock on the Hill,’ “Grab a little, and let it go. For good things never last.”
Connect:
The Mustache Petes on the Deep Indie playlists
