High School & Early College

First Recordings

Using a Tascam 4-track recorder, Peter began capturing original music in bedrooms and basements — an early introduction to the idea that composition and recording were inseparable crafts. The rawness of those sessions taught him that capturing feeling mattered more than technical perfection.

Mid-1990s · Portland, OR

Michael Peters Quartet

Co-founded the genre-bending Michael Peters Quartet in Portland, navigating the intersection of jazz, folk, and alternative sounds that defined that city's fertile mid-90s music scene. The ensemble pushed Peter's compositional thinking well beyond any single genre.

Ashland, OR — West Coast Tours

Oregon Country Fair & Strawberry Festival

Embedded in Ashland's thriving local scene, Peter toured the West Coast supporting folk artist Alice DiMicele and performed at landmark venues including the Strawberry Music Festival and the Oregon Country Fair — outdoor stages that shaped his understanding of how music connects with an audience.

Santa Cruz, CA

Synchrosystem

Co-founded Synchrosystem alongside mandolinist Christian Runge in Santa Cruz, blending acoustic stringed instruments with broader sonic palettes. The project deepened Peter's relationship with layered, textural music-making.

Bay Area, CA

Otis Goodnight

Joined Otis Goodnight, a 10-piece Hip-hop and R&B ensemble, performing in Oakland, Berkeley, and San Francisco. Playing in a large ensemble with tight arrangements and groove-driven music broadened Peter's rhythmic vocabulary and his sense of how a guitar can serve a collective sound.

Return to Ashland, OR

Ensemble Years

Back in Ashland, Peter founded and joined a string of eclectic projects: Funkamungus (10-piece funk collective), uPhonic Soundsystem (downtempo electronica), Deep Sea (original Psych-Funk), and Living Loving Led (Led Zeppelin tribute). Each project was a complete world unto itself.

2024 — Present

Return to the Acoustic Guitar

In early 2024, Peter returned to solo acoustic guitar — this time with open tunings and a stream-of-consciousness compositional approach. Setting aside theory and judgment, he let the music lead. The result: "Dreamy, Multi-layered Acoustic Guitar" with forward-moving rhythms, rich textures, and a quality of deep listening baked into every note.