Peter Pain

Peter Pain is the solo project of Bob Monahan: Duluth, Minnesota-born poet, musician, and founder of Chaperone Records. What began as an experiment now aptly showcases both of Monahan’s idiosyncratic talents: poetry and music. In the coffee shops of Amsterdam, using only an iPad, Monahan unearthed his uncanny knack for musical production during a European swing in early 2012. Simultaneously whimsical and heavy, with psychedelic undertones, Monahan’s music brims with dance, pop and hip-hop influence without feeling quite like any of those styles, for the duration of any given track. Monahan’s poetry, which he interposes seamlessly, is laced with humor and an acute sensitivity to the cruel absurdity of life.

What to expect at a Peter Pain show: If you don’t particularly care for the quirky, electronic musical offerings, the poetry politely gift-wraps something you can engage and take with you. If poetry’s not your slice of cheese, the music; which will either make you dance your ass off or enter a deep, hypnotic state; might just intrigue you enough to stay til the end.