Crushing Krisis

My name is Peter. I am a twenty-something resident of Philadelphia, and I have been the sole author of Crushing Krisis for the entirety of it’s run.

Over nearly a decade of writing CK I’ve gone from overachieving college sophomore and frequent actor to newlywed adult and performing songwriter, with many other iterations in between. As a result, my blog traces many of the major milestones of my life – moving into my first apartment, going through my first breakup, recording a studio album, meeting my future wife, and becoming a band – amongst many other experiences.

You can read about all of that and more throughout the blog, but before you delve into that 3000+ posts of unadulterated me, here are a few introductory tidbits to help you get a sense of who I am (or, perhaps help you figure out where you know me from):

Growing up. I was born and raised in Philadelphia – originally in Southwest Philly. I grew up in the 80s bathed in the glow of the television screen, where I watched everything from cartoons to Johnny Carson. I also listened to a lot of music – Madonna and other 80s pop on my own, classic rock like David Bowie and the Beatles with my mother, and doo-wop and Motown with my dad.

Logging on. After much needling of my mother I first logged on to the internet in the winter of 1996 – a relatively late start! I almost immediately began to design my first website on the then-ubiquitous Geocities – it hosted a Final Fantasy 2 fanfic writing group. I’ve actively maintained a web presence ever since, though starting in 1998 it turned to focus on my music.

Writing songs.I received my first guitar in spring of 1997, and started to write songs just a few months later. By the summer of 1999 i began to consider myself a “singer-songwriter,” but it would be several years before I acquired the performance chops to match my title. You can hear my original music on CK via my Trio podcast, or via MySpace.

Surviving high school. I attended Julia Reynolds Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School (JR Masterman, for short) from seventh grade through high school graduation. Masterman was and continues to be the best public high school in the state of Pennsylvania. I haven’t stayed in touch with too many high school friends beyond social networks, but I currently play in a band with my best friend from Masterman, Gina. We’re called Arcati Crisis.

Attending college. I attended Drexel University from September of 1999 through June of 2004, when I graduated from their 5-year coop program with my BA in Journalism. I was extremely active in the theatre and music programs at Drexel, and I hold a minor in both disciplines. I strongly recommend Drexel to any ambitious career-oriented student!

Meeting my match. I met my match at Drexel. Her name is Elise. After dating for over half-a-decade and living in sin for half of that I asked her to marry me in October of 2007. She said yes, and so far has not changed her mind. We married in early 2009.

Acting on-stage. I performed in and teched for various theatrical productions from 1997 through 2005, which encompasses high school, college, and amateur professional theatre. I’ve been a character actor, a romantic lead, a prop master, and a stage manager. I don’t forsee any more theatrical exploits in my near future, as my music keeps my schedule packed with performances. My current theatre exposure comes mostly through the amazing performances of my brother-in-law, who is a decade younger than me but already vastly more talented.

Arranging music. In addition to arranging and performing my own music, I have been an arranger for and member of contemporary a cappella groups starting in 2001. Even before I knew what a cappella was I was fascinated by the concept of arranging rock music for singers rather than guitars. In 2002 I arranged my first a cappella song – Lisa Loeb’s “Stay,” and since then I have had over a dozen of of my arrangements performed by a number of groups on the East Coast. A number of my arrangements were recorded by The Drexel Treblemakers for their 2004 disc Sunglasses at Night. I currently work as a freelance arranger, although I remain a regular contributor to the TMs.

Working life. By day I work in communications at a major Philadelphia company. I am surrounded by intelligent, artistic, committed co-workers that adore. In an attempt to stay that way, I don’t write much about work anymore, and when I do I keep it in the abstract.

Getting better. My blog tracks an ever-shifting attitude towards religion, but I have always been a firm believer in karma – i think if you give good you will always get better.