eter Mulvey began as a self-described "city kid" from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He played, wrote, and sang in bands while studying theatre there, and then traveled to Dublin, Ireland, where he learned the trade of the street singer. Returning to the States, he spent a few years in Boston, building an audience through street and subway performing, while also immersing himself in the thriving musical community.

hough his home is now back in Milwaukee, Mulvey spends most of every year as a serious disciple of the road, touring relentlessly from Anchorage to Dublin and all points between. In addition to this rigorous calling, Mulvey has also written and performed music for theatre and modern dance (Sam Shepard's A Lie of the Mind, Amiri Baraka's Primitive World, and for The Wild Space Dance Company), penned articles for national magazines (Acoustic Guitar, Performing Songwriter, The Writer), and conducted numerous guitar and songwriting workshops. He has done voice-over work for various documentaries, has had songs placed in both film and television (the WB dramas Felicity and Dawson's Creek, independent films' Origin of the Species and The Fisherman, the PBS documentary Wisconsin: An American Portrait), and has just wrapped production on a full-length DVD of his own, which features both interview and concert footage, to be released later this year.

e has an insatiable appetite for collaboration, appearing on colleagues' recordings, or just stepping on stage with other artists to try something spontaneous, something unrehearsed. In 2003, he released the trio album Redbird with fellow singer/songwriters Kris Delmhorst and Jeffrey Foucault — an album of 17 songs ranging from jazz standards to old country tunes to contemporary covers, recorded in 3 days around one microphone. In every aspect of his career, Mulvey draws on an extremely broad swath of influence; he is always reading, always listening, always eager to hear new poetry, modern minimalist composers, old-time fiddle tunes, Argentinian trip-hop, or top-shelf bar bands. And somehow, deep down, it all seeps into his work.

till, it is the live performance that defines that work. Night after night, solo, duo with Goody, or sometimes even with a band, Mulvey attempts to be the sum of his parts, to draw on all the musical legacies he has studied, to make a fresh, vital moment out of everything he and the audience have brought to the table that night. "People need this. I need this. To come together in a room, to try to make music come alive, for real, for right now, and then to let it go... that is the whole deal for me."

nd so it was on this stormy night in Heckscher Park. The light rain failed to diminish the audiences excitement and respect for music well made. No one left early, and Peter played in duo with Goody — and warmed the heart of all.

Link to Mulvey's music clips:       Link to Mulvey's web site: