Roll ‘Em, Pete—Henderson Prepares for the Off Season
By Chris Manson December 28, 2006 Issue

Pete Henderson has been paying dues for 10 years, tending bar to make ends meet. “This was the first season I did nothing but play music,” the 35-year-old singer-songwriter says. “Of course, it dropped off real fast at the end of the summer.” Henderson, armed with his Alvarez six-string and Fender 12-string guitars, has appeared at Destin’s Funky Blues Shack, KJ’s, the Sandestin Hilton, and Paper Moon.

His songbook includes covers that are “a little heavier than the Jimmy Buffett clones”—lots of Sublime and Blind Melon. “All my heroes are dead junkies, I guess. I think Sublime was just blossoming when (Brad Nowell) died. It’s amazing how many people have latched onto their stuff.” He’s also a fan of Bob Marley and Simon & Garfunkel and throws in some Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash for variety. “Everything from Jane’s Addiction to Jim Croce,” he says.

During Henderson’s formative years, his parents exposed him to Dan Fogelberg and Willie Nelson. “My mom played music. She was in a ‘white Supremes’ when she was 15. They cut a 45 in New York, and she got scared by the lifestyle. Her backup band was Gregg and Duane Allman. She was my biggest influence. I can remember coming home from school and she’d be playing piano and singing Summertime with a shuffle beat. I’d just sit on the porch and listen, because I knew if I went in, she’d stop.

“Then I picked up on Kiss. That was the first album I ever bought. I was never into just heavy metal or punk rock. I still like the Dead Kennedys — every now and then I’ll do a Circle Jerks or Black Flag song. Only the old punk stuff, not the new power pop.”

Henderson likes to push the boundaries. “My strength lies in my vocals, not my guitar playing—I’m more of a strummer.” He sounds a little like Don Henley without the jive, and he’d like to put a band together. “Jim Couch and I played at the Hilton in the summer as a duo. He’d kind of let me do what I wanted to do and he’d fill in the blanks. We try at all costs to avoid Jimmy Buffett because everyone is doing it. The problem is everyone always wants to hear Margaritaville or Cheeseburger in Paradise. I’d rather stab myself in the ear with an ice pick.” He prefers playing something by Jack Johnson, whom he calls “a modern-day Jimmy Buffett. I do a lot of his songs. Thanks to Curious George (Johnson composed and performed the best-selling movie soundtrack CD) people are catching on to him.”

Henderson’s current listening includes Ben Harper’s Both Sides of the Gun. “It covers a lot of political stuff, the way Katrina was handled and the war. His diversity, his ability to go from jazz to country to reggae to blues to rock — he covers all the bases. He’s a musician’s musician.” He recommends Harper’s DVD Live at the Hollywood Bowl to non-believers.

He tries to work on home recordings during the day when the kids are at school. Henderson lives in Destin right down the street from Dave Pretlow (a/k/a DeMonki) whom he calls a “really talented guy — hard working.” He also admires Chris Hayes and Larry Goodwin (“He used to play at the Stowaway Lounge on the Island years ago.”). “And Pat Boone definitely. He’s amazing, can sing anything. He’s got a song on his CD called East Pass Blues. If you live in Destin, it just resonates.”

Henderson just took a job waiting tables until the busy season rolls around again. For now, the raspy-voiced singer will appear Sunday and Wednesday nights at KJ’s around 10:30. He’ll be back at the Destin Funky Blues Shack in January, too. His current schedule is posted at myspace.com/petehenderson.

I like how Pete Henderson progresses so effortlessly from Alice in Chains to Bill Withers to one of his original tunes. He says his self-penned songs are concerned with “overcoming whatever life throws at you.” Is that your personal philosophy? I ask. “It never was until I met my wife. Before I met her she faced whatever adversity life threw at her as a single mother. It took her awhile to get that into my head, but she finally did.”

Chris’ Disc Recommendations:
Kenny Garrett: Beyond the Wall (Nonesuch)
Dusty Springfield: Gold (Hip-O)
New York Dolls: One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This (Roadrunner)
The Joe Lovano Ensemble: Streams of Expression (Blue Note)
DVD: Joe Lovano Nonet: New Morning—The Paris Concert (Inakustik)
Josh Ritter: The Animal Years (V2)
MOJO Presents The Who Jukebox (Free CD included with current issue of MOJO magazine, and that cover story by Dave Marsh is real good, too.)

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