Jan 28, 2006

ReTracing Shawn Bryan Peter ::: Walking Tour Designer/Rock Artist


WalkIcons(tm) is the Walktopia interview series that explores the walk universe...people, places and activities of a new walk culture.

ReTrace(tm) is a series of abbreviated excerpts that call special attention to past interviews that have renewed significance today.

Here's a ReTrace of our Q&A with walking tour designer/rock musician Shawn Bryan Peter. We're posting it because his indy band's second CD will drop on February 10. To see the full post, check the Walktopia archive (right column of this page), for December 30, 2005.

Backstory: It’s a fact that Shawn Bryan Peter originally took his current position as a downtown Community Service Guide to work hard, get good benefits and earn better pay. But years later, his ability to morph into Research Man and successfully add history tour design to his skill set, has placed him among a select few. In Renaisssance Man form, Peter is also a professional musician who sings lead, plays guitar and co-manages indy rock band, A Single Second. The band's second CD will drop 2/10/06. We caught up with him in the tiny space between the end of his daytime career duties and the start of a little night music.

Q: What's walk culture? What is the walking community?
A: Walk culture and the concept of a walking community are mixed. There are lots of definitions. It means people who live close to urban centers and don’t rely on automobiles unless absolutely necessary. It’s about bicycles—they go with the walking culture. University students, especially if they’re in school away from home, become part of the walking culture. And, when you’re on a city history tour, you’re walking to learn about historical timelines and urban legends.

Q: Exactly, what have you been up to?
A: I’ve been redesigning and expanding walking tours, creating themed tours like Cathedrals, Theaters and Government Buildings. Plus, I’m applying for a government grant to fund all these projects!

Q: What advice would you give to anyone who’d like to become a guide or create a walking tour in their city?
A: Pick a certain area and do some homework. Find the research and the things that you like about the subject. Assemble a small proposal and present it to your city planners. Ask them if they’d be interested in helping to fund your idea. We owe a a lot to historians and other professionals involved in creating walking tours. However, you don’t have to have a degree to get involved with local history, to uncover some amazing facts, or to be a walking tour guide. The resources are readily available.

Q: If someone walked up to you on the street and asked, “what do you do?” what would your answer be?
A: If it was during the day and I had on my street clothes, I’d tell them about my work with the city and for the state. My evening job, however is a completely different side of me.

Q: Tell me something about your music.
A: I’ve wanted to be a musician since I was a five. I’ve always played, studied and rehearsed. By the time I reached high school I was playing five different instruments in six different music classes each day. In college I majored in music and studied the production and business side of music.

Q: Do your two careers—guiding and rocking--ever intersect?
A: Yes. For both music and tour guiding, I have to use my knowledge of stage presence and my ability to communicate with people. I’m the most nervous person in the world when it comes to tours or stages but I love both of them and the nerves fade when I get that first piece of feedback from the audience.

Performing live, you look for a response and if it’s not there, you try harder to get your audience involved. It’s the same when you’re leading a tour. You have to do things to help people loosen up.

Q: What’s A Single Second’s bio?
A: A Single Second is a four-year old, four-member rock band that’s played more than 40 venues and 240 shows in California and western Nevada. Our album hits the street in early February of 2006.

Q: How can we tune in for news about the release party and future performances?
A: We’re at myspace.com/asinglesecondsacca with live video and some cuts posted.

Q: What inspires your music?
A: Life.

A Single Second is my release. It’s that one thing I do--like run, golf or walk the dog. It keeps me sane because I talk about life through the music—in a positive way. No matter how I feel about something I always try to give a positive message. Everything is okay, it’s going to be all right, you’ve got to keep trucking along, you’ll have bad days but there will always be those good days, too.

Q: What’s in the future for your tour/history work and your music?
A: As far as mainstream music success goes, I know that it’s all about being in the right place at the right time. Whether your 5 or 45 years old, you’ve got to keep pushing yourself to make it and that’s what I’m doing. My work with local and state history is important and it’s grown tremendously. Personally, I’ve got some international travel plans this year and those trips always broaden my knowledge of history as well as my perspectives on city life and tours.

Photo Credit: http://myspace.com/asinglesecondsacca

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