THE ACOUSTIC SPOKEN GROOVE STORY Acoustic Spoken Groove. It’s the best way to describe the unfettered energy produced by the unlikely combination of slam poet Peter Nevland and virtuoso guitarist Paul Finley. “These two performers - they’re more than poets - have taken spoken word and the art of poetry slam to new heights,” raves the Santa Fe Reporter. “An explosion of words,” is the quotation of choice for the Dallas Morning News, “lifting his arms one minute and kicking his legs the next.” Since September, 2002, Peter and Paul have completed 6 tours across the U.S. And Canada and played for just about every audience imaginable. From rock hungry students to fine art lovers, inner city kids to white-collar businessman, no one can get enough of their Acoustic Spoken Groove. Of course the most interesting aspect to them isn’t so much where they’ve played, but how they ended up working together. Music and writing was the last thing on Peter’s mind when he came to the University of Texas in 1993 to study Mechanical Engineering. When he did start writing, his performance was so inventive, bands started asking if they could play music for him while he unleashed his “Dr. Seuss took a walk through the ghetto and decided to become the white, jive king” style. It wasn’t long before he met one of the most amazing guitarists he’d ever seen in 2000 at an Austin Arts Festival. Wisconsin-reared Paul Finley had been hooked by the guitar the first time his fingers touched the strings. At the age of 16, he began teaching, getting a diploma in Guitar Performance from the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, and joining his talents with the indie band, Mas Optica. He’s played with symphonies, comedy troupes, rock stars and buskers in his journey from Wisconsin to Austin. It was the perfect preparation for the turn his life was about to take as he gave Peter his card and told him to call if he wanted to do anything with music. They finally played together a year later, realizing something instant and magical in what they were creating. After countless cities, open doors, wowed audiences, bad jokes and 7 CD’s later, they’re set to take off as the folk apostles of the most original, acoustic funk machine, spoken groove combo ever experienced. CD Releases “ “ 2005 Peter & Paul’s coming CD “14 Windows” 2004 Paul’s 2nd instrumental CD “Acoustic Spoken Groove” 2003 Peter & Paul’s 1st CD “Birth of the Spoken Groove” 2003 The Peter Nevland Band “Just My Mouth” 2003 Peter’s 2nd solo CD “Late Bloomer” 2002 The Peter Nevland Band “Peter Nevland” 2001 Peter’s 1st solo CD “A.D.” 2001 Paul’s 1st instrumental CD A FEW PLACES PETER & PAUL HAVE PLAYED Soul Survivor, 2005 '" Shepton Mallet, England New York, NY '" New York Stock Exchange, Times Square, MTV Studios, The Bitter End, Freedom Arts Festival, Port Arthur, TX '"2002, 2003 (FeaturedArtists) Hope Arts Festival, Austin, TX '" July, 2001 (Featured Artists) Ichthus Music Festival 2003 '" Wilmore, KY Austin, TX '" Flamingo Cantina, Momo’s, Steamboat, Spider House, Flipnotics, the Vibe, Cheapo Records, Ruta Maya’s, Ego’s, Café Mundi, 5X Austin Poetry Slam Champion Beaumont, TX '" Logon Café Dallas, TX '" Deep Ellum Live, Club Clearview, Galaxy Club, SMU, Insomnia, Youth Specialties Fayetteville, AR '" The University of Arkansas, Kennedy Coffee San Diego, CA '" The Emergent Convention Los Angeles, CA '" Verge, The Bridge San Francisco, CA '" Merge, Highway Community Atwater, CA '" Seraphim Café Durango, CO - Steamworks Brewing Co. Colorado Springs, CO '" 32 Bleu Hamden, CT '" The Space Washington, D.C. '" Teaism (D.C. slam feature) West Palm Beach, FL '" PBA University, Club Dada, Alligator Alley Milledgeville, GA '" Georgia College & State University Hinesville, GA '" Over Coffee Savannah, GA '" Savannah College of Art & Design, 180 Evansville, IN '" Club Rev Georgetown, KY '" Georgetown College Morehead, KY '" Rowan County High School Owensboro, KY '" Beyond the Brim, Common Ground Baltimore, MD '" XandO (Baltimore slam feature) Albion, MI '" Albion College Ann Arbor, MI '" The University of Michigan Petoskey, MI '" The Bridge Grand Rapids, MI '" Calvin College, Schuller’s Books, 4 Friends Coffee, Billy’s Bar Minneapolis, MN '" The Quest, Solomon’s Porch Springfield, MO '" Drury University Joplin, MO '" Dioko Coffee Co. Chapel Hill, NC '" The Cave Albuquerque, NM '" Atomic Cantina Santa Fe, NM '" Bar B Columbus, OH '" Oldfield’s on High, Vineyard Cafe Oklahoma City, OK '" The Backroom, Galileo’s Stratford, ON '" Club Tango, Falstaff’s, Bistro 32 Corvallis, OR '" Oregon State University Pittsburgh, PA '" Club Café, Quiet Storm, Shadow Lounge, The Copper Dog Nashville, TN '" Lipscomb University, The Emergent Convention Kingston, TN '" Common Ground Price, UT '" College of Eastern Utah WHERE YOU'VE HEARD THEM ON THE RADIO Tuscaloosa, AL '" WVUA 90.7FM Durango, CO '" KDUR 91.9FM Rolla, MO '" KUMR (an NPR affiliate) morning show, KMNR college radio Springfield, MO '" KDRU 98.1FM Oklahoma City, OK '" KTOK with Sonya Vaughan and Scott Lewis Cleveland, OH '" WCSB 89.3 FM, The True Unda-Ground Show Columbus, OH '" CD101 New Band Showcase Stratford, ON '" CJCS 1240 Austin, TX '" KLBJ Local Licks Live with Loris Lowe, Power FM 106.7 Price, UT '" KCEU 91.1FM WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING "It's a wild trippin' psycho funkedelic roller coaster ride that taps into the unexplored depths of the unknown." - HM Magazine “...an explosion of words.” - The Dallas Morning News “...hearing Peter perform is like ... taking a running leap off the rim of the Grand Canyon with your hands tied behind your back so that the only way to pull the parachute's ripcord is with your toes.” - Roy Williams, Best selling author, President, Williams Marketing, Buda, TX “These two performers - they’re more than poets - have taken spoken word and the art of poetry slam to new heights.” - Santa Fe Reporter “I’m always amazed by your work, Peter. You’re doing things that no one else on the slam scene is doing.” - Matthew John Conley, 2002 Austin Poetry Slam Champion “Paul, hiding behind Everyman, black-rimmed glasses, is a virtuoso on the guitar. “He combines the naivete of a child with the graininess of Black Sabbath” The man does not hide behind his guitar, he rides it.” - David Taylor - Coordinator, Hope Arts Festival, Austin, TX “Wow, it’s really cool! I hope you’re not offended by this, but it’s like Scooby Doo, funk, jazz”stuff.” - The doorman - Next Door, Dallas, TX “”You guys are the king of funny and the king of weird!” - Bailey McNally - 5 yrs. old, Fredericksburg, VA