Posted on: September 27, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Peter Dixon, musician, composer and original keyboard player for the band COMBUSTIBLE EDISON , a band that coined the term “cocktail nation” and sparked the lounge music scene in the mid-1990s, has released a brand new CD called Shady Planet.

Shady Planet is a menacing yet whimsical, quirky soundtrack for our times. There are frenzied solos and instrumentation from acoustic guitar to the organ, koto, saxophone and ukulele. The album is deliberately dark and graceful, as Dixon was experimenting with a sound that was far removed from the ’60s lounge sound and his Combustible past. The result is a seductive work of quarreling melodic and dissonant interplay that is mysterious and intriguing. It’s not quite lounge, World, jazz or electronica, but adopts elements of each.

Dixon composed most of the signature tunes for Combustible including “The Millionaire’s Holiday,” “Theme from the Tiki Wonder Hour,” “Breakfast at Denny’s,” and “Carnival of Souls,” “Short Double Latte” and “Solid State” “20th Century Limited” on SUB POP records. The band performed on Late Night with Conan O’Brien on December 23, 1994 and toured with Bryan Ferry. The band also wrote and recorded the soundtrack to the film Four Rooms, directed by Quentin Tarantino, Alison Anders, Robert Rodriguez and Alexander Rockwell. The music was produced by Mark Mothersbaugh, former founder of DEVO. Music from the band has appeared as backdrop music on the NPR program This American Life, a number of commercials, the film “Search and Destroy” as well as transition music to commercials on Regis and Kathy Lee (somebody had to). ‘Breakfast at Denny’s’ was used in an early episode of Sex and the City.

Peter Dixon was born in London, England and grew up in Manhattan. He lives in the greater Boston area.

Leave a Comment