Interview with Peter Himmelman

What was the inspiration behind Unstoppable Forces?
Sheldon Gomberg -- the bass player and co-producer -- kept bugging me to make a record, and it was the only way I could keep him from nudging me.

Do you have a favorite track on this CD? If so, what is it?
Like children -- they all have their merits -- I never pick favorites.

The new album has a great array of music from sensitive ballads to serious rockers like, Still Don't Know. How did you choose the title Unstoppable Forces, and how do the songs you chose support that?
The lyric "Unstoppable Forces" is in the verse of the song, In the Ceaseless Din. I think it relates to the record as a whole and to where I feel I’m at in this stage of my life. It’s almost an ideal for me to aspire to. Of course I’m always feeling a variety of different emotions as we all are in the course of a single day. The ups and downs in the music are reflective of my state of mind.

One Shot At Love made its first recorded appearance on Stage Diving, the live album that you did at The Bottom Line. I'm personally loving the new version of it on this album, but I'm wondering what made you choose to include it on Unstoppable Forces. Does the song hold a special significance for you?
Nothing too special -- I have always thought of it as having a certain haunting quality; and I wanted to make a recording of it that captured what I felt is kind of a desperate and foreboding sound.

You received a 2002 Emmy nomination for your song, The Best Kind of Answer, which debuted on the Judging Amy episode, Beating The Bounds. Most of the time I hear short clips of your music on that TV show. How did you end up getting a full song onto an episode? And how does a song get nominated for an Emmy?
Whether or not they choose to use a full song is dependent on whether the scene calls for a montage without dialogue. For some reason, the producers of Judging Amy felt it was an appropriate moment -

In terms of the Emmy nomination -- My agent submitted the song; and the panel must have liked it.

A few seasons ago you had a cameo appearance on the Judging Amy episode The Unforgiven, where you appeared as a bandleader performing a jazzy version of Steely Dan. I was surprised to see you playing upright bass. What are all the instruments you actually play?
Guitar, bass, piano, sax, harmonica, and drums --

Also, who accompanied you in the band for that cameo?
Jeff Lingle (the music editor of Judging Amy) on sax, Jimi Englund on drums, and Trevor Howard on keys --

What was it like to be on the Judging Amy set as actor?
It was long. Painfully long. I'd say about 15 hours for a 3 minute scene. It's not the pace I typically like to travel at. Having said that, it was kind of fun working with the crew -- Tyne was great -- funny and nice --

That scene also featured the recently departed Richard Crenna. I was very sad when Richard Crenna passed away. Did you get to talk with him? If so, what were your impressions of him?
I ate lunch with Richard and found him to be very down-to-earth and easy to talk to. He was one of the best things about being on that set.

Back to the album... The Deepest Part is the newest track. It's a very emotional song, and there's one particular line in it that hits me every time I hear it: "The days - they fly in circles just like doves, And a man is just the sum of what he loves." When did you write the song, and what made you feel that way?
I wrote the song for my daughter Raina's bat mitzvah this past fall -- It accompanied a video I put together. I liked these lines a lot as well -- Perhaps they are my favorite on the CD.

You're currently scheduled to do a talk next month in NY on how Judaism and spirituality influence your music. Can you shed some light on the influences behind the song: Discipline of Rain?
Sure, the Discipline of Rain comes from a Jewish teaching about the nature of water. First, water is looked at as representing the aspect of kindness (chesed) -- giving, if you prefer. But if water fell from the sky without restraint... like a waterfall for example... it would destroy crops rather than aid them in growing. Giving (chesed) must be tempered by restraint (gevurah). We commonly think of restraint or withholding as a negative quality but in the case of water... the element of restraint takes the torrent and changes it into useful raindrops. The raindrop is then looked at as the perfect measure of giving... not too much as to become overwhelming, but just enough so that it becomes useable.

In the song, I have taken this as a life metaphor and related it to human relationships.

You started releasing Himmelvaults CD's when you were with Six Degrees during the Love Thinketh No Evil era. The newest Vaults, Vol. 3, is chock full of outstanding tracks. How did you choose them for this rarities collection?
I have literally hundreds of tracks -- I just pick them based on my mood. This batch has Tuesday morning all over them --

Last spring, many of your fans tuned in to ER, where we were treated to a new version of "Always in Disguise" which appeared at the end of the episode, A Thousand Cranes. How did your music end up on ER? And with whom did you re-record the song?
A similar version of the song was recorded on a KCRW collection. The producer and writer from ER called me up and asked if I knew how to get a hold of the track. I said, "I'll record a new one for you," so Kristin, Greg, Al, Andy and I recreated the version of the song the producers liked from the KCRW vol. collection -

Speaking of the band ... Were any of your regular bandmates on any of the tracks recorded on Unstoppable Forces? If not, how did that happen? And can you tell us about the artists who worked on this record with you?
Sheld G, who helped me make this record was very adamant about working with me. Even though I have been very busy with a number of different projects, Sheldon just had the resolve to phone me three or four times a week for a few months. Finally I said all right. Uncle! "Show up at my studio with a drummer and a guitarist I’ve never met... surprise me, and let’s just make it happen." I did tell him by way of a caveat that I only had three days to get it done.

The core artists on Unstoppable Forces were:

Shane Fontayne: A fantastically articulate player...He really knows how to make a song have that unique quality of being not just a demo ... but a “record.”

Dave Ravin: He is a drummer who just seemed to play what I had always heard in my head for these songs ... only better than I could have imagined. He is tall and Texan. I think you can hear that in the tracks.

Sheldon. He really gave this record life in a literal and figurative manner. As I’ve mentioned, without him Unstoppable Forces would still be in my head. Also, his bass playing is to a song what a soul is to a body. It makes things move and breathe ... He’s very mysterious.

In addition to TV work, you've also been doing some film scoring. For instance, you scored the music for the independent feature, Ash Tuesday, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in NYC back in May. The film stars Janeane Garofalo, Tony Goldwyn, Giancarlo Esposito, and was directed by Jim Hershleder. Have you gotten any word yet regarding a theatrical release of this film?
No word yet. Perhaps a Showtime or HBO release is more likely.

Another film I scored five years ago, A Slipping Down Life (Guy Pearce, Lili Taylor), is scheduled for release on Lion's Gate, but I'm not sure when.

Haven't you worked with Jim Hershleder in the past? Can you tell us a little about your history with him?
I met Jim in MN when I was in 9th grade -- He was from NY and that made him instantly cool and somewhat intimidating. He still is cool and somewhat assertive (if not intimidating). He made my first video, Eleventh Confession, which got into regular rotation on MTV and resulted in my signing with Island Records. I hope to be working with him on another (undisclosable) project in the future.

Another person you've worked with in the past is Rob Genedak. Which albums of yours has he mixed, and what do you think he brings to your music?
Rob is a great guy -- very talented and very patient. I really trust him and like him very much. He does what any great engineer does and that is -- assist the artist in telling whatever story the music has to tell.

He mixed Skin, Unstoppable Forces, Synesthesia, and set up the mixes for Gematria -- along with countless demos and single tracks.

You're part of a very talented community of artists in the LA music scene which includes Pete Yorn, Rami Jaffee of the Wallflowers, and Marc Dauer of Jukebox Junkies who have joined forces to start their own Trampoline Records label. You were featured on the lead track on their premier release: Trampoline Records, Vol. 1, and more recently were featured again on their new DVD, Trampoline Records - Live From Los Angeles - The First Waltz, which was filmed at House of Blues in LA. There was an insane amount of talent represented at both Trampoline Revues at HOB. What was it like to be a part of those shows?
I agree -- There was an incredible amount of great music -- both on the CD and at the live shows. Naturally, I felt honored to be able to appear with those musicians.

Speaking of shows - your fans outside LA miss you terribly!! When and where do you think we might see you, and are you planning to do any shows again in Israel or elsewhere in the world?
Absolutely -- I love Israel -- Of course I've mentioned that to you before -- I plan to play there this summer -- August seems about right -- Also, I have some east coast dates in March, and I plan to tour rather extensively -- starting off at the end of May -- in support of Unstoppable Forces.

Thanks, Peter, for taking the time to do this interview!! Best of luck with the new release!!!
Thanks, Ellen, for being there for me -- and for being such a great conduit for my music.

For more information on the new album and on where to purchase it, check out our Unstoppable Forces feature page!

And keep checking himmelfans.org and peterhimmelman.com for all the latest news on Peter Himmelman and Unstoppable Forces!!