YOU CALLED ME KID 06 - Live at Home

Plus, words about Jan & Arnie! And the response to the single!

UPCOMING GIGS:
09/09 - Vienna, VA • Jammin’ Java • TICKETS
09/13 - Cambridge, MA • Passim • TICKETS
09/14 - North Hampton, MA • The Parlor Room • TICKETS
09/18 - New York City, NY • Joe’s Pub • TICKETS
09/21 - Philadelphia, PA • The Loft at City Winery • TICKETS

MARK YOUR CALENDAR:
10/10/25 - Seattle, WA • The Triple Door

Songs that speak to my experiences as an adoptee are the cornerstones of my forthcoming album, Fade Away Blue. (Out 8/22/25. LP/CD available for pre-order now.)

It was important to me for the album to open with the lens clearly focused on the positive aspect of my adoption story. And so, the record begins with “You Called Me Kid,” a song of love and gratitude dedicated to my late parents.

Here is a mellow, fingerpicked version.

Paid subscribers can download this video—in 4K—by visiting my rarities page.

I was blessed to be adopted by Jan & Arnie Droge. They were wonderful parents. Mom was outgoing, a great conversationalist with a delightful sense of humor. Dad was laid back and cool. At 6’6”, a gentle giant. Together, they modelled what a loving and respectful marriage looked like.

They encouraged and supported my creative endeavors at all times. In the early days, Mom directed our church choir and played piano in the house band to back me up in my starring role in Bainbridge Performing Arts’ production of Tom Sawyer. Dad filled my young, impressionable ears with his tasty record collection. Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, James Taylor, Elton John and Fleetwood Mac were all in rotation around the house.

With Mom’s part-time public school teacher earnings and Dad’s income working for Washington State’s Department of Social Health Services, we did not have the resources of some of our fellow Bainbridge Islanders, but I never wanted for anything. An acoustic guitar from Sears & Roebuck’s catalog arrived under the Christmas tree when I was seven. Later, I got that BMX bike I wanted for my birthday. They sprung for piano lessons, and even sent me off to guitar camp in Connecticut the Summer before my senior year of high school.

At the same time, they instilled in me a strong work ethic. In junior high, when I lusted after an electric guitar, we worked out a deal where they’d match me dollar for dollar. I mowed lawns, pulled weeds and picked berries until I could throw down for half the cost of a cherry red Epiphone 335 copy. Then those piano lessons gave way to guitar lessons.

Later, when I dropped out of college to pursue a career in music, they didn’t bat an eye. They braved the grungy rock clubs of early-nineties Seattle to cheer me on as I cut my teeth playing live. Then, when I landed a major label record deal and my career blossomed, they beamed with pride. More importantly, their support never faltered as I encountered the ups and downs of a life in music.

I know this all paints quite an attractive picture. It wasn’t all rosy, though. I was a rebellious kid. And there was no shortage of angst in my angsty teenage years. But we got through the bumpy times without any permanent damage. By the time I was a young adult, it was water under the bridge.

I miss them both terribly. Dad’s been gone for ten years. Mom passed last month, just three days shy of “You Called Me Kid” being released as a single. I know they would be delighted to see the song out in the world doing its thing. While it’s not screaming up the charts or racking up blockbuster numbers, it is touching listeners in deep and profound ways.

Here is a small taste of the feedback I’ve received:

“Thank you for this beautiful song. It’s filling up the places in my heart that have needed just this kind of love. You are a treasure. Thank you for sharing your gifts and the gifts of love and music your parents have given with all of us.”

“Pete, this is an amazing song. I shared it with my mom and she cried the whole time she watched it. It reminded her of her life and her parents, who she lost about 14 years ago. Keep on putting out great songs. Much love to you, Pete”

“It stirs the memories and conjures up happy scenes of times long past.”

“What a wonderful song you composed that went straight to my heart and a video that beautifully visualises the unbreakable bond we have with our parents. Magic.”

“Thx for this, Pete! I fell in love with this song the first time I heard it, it made me cry thinking of my wife! She passed away in January and I always called her kid, so it made me think of her! We both love your music… I’m glad you’re making music again and I hope your health continues to improve! Hope to see you live again someday! Can’t wait for your new album to get here!”

I’ll be back in your inbox soon to announce the next single. Until then…

A few quick reminders.

• PRE-ORDER: LPs and CDs of Fade Away Blue are available for pre-order on Bandcamp. (New t-shirts and a poster too!)

• LISTEN TO THE SINGLE: “You Called Me Kid” is available wherever digital music is served. Or you can check out the video.

• WIN A TEST PRESSING: Pre-save the album on select streaming services, and you’ll be entered to win a signed test pressing. Enter to win.

Peace & Love Songs,

Pete