We recently connected with Peter Manheim and have shared our conversation below.

Peter , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

The most meaningful project I have worked on is my newest album, “Early Waves,” which was released on June 6th. Though I have been a professional drummer for close to twenty years, I did not start releasing my own music until 2023. Having my own band to perform and record with has given me a much more dependable creative outlet and a stronger resolve to keep working hard. Before 2023, I worked almost exclusively as a sideman and a freelancer. Though I performed with a lot of great musicians (and still do), I was dependent on other people’s projects for opportunities to be creative and further my career. Sometimes a band that I was in would start gaining momentum and I would feel this could be it! My big opportunity to show the world who I am.. but they would always fizzle out in one way or another. Also, if I wanted to try out some new styles, sounds, or vocabulary on the drums, I would need to wait for the right opportunity to present itself — and it often does not. I am a strong believer in playing what the gig calls for and not trying to insert anything unnecessary. Now, with my own music, if there is a style I want to play, I will often compose music where I can do exactly what I want to do (and it fits!).
The core of my band is made up of musicians that I have been working individually, all for over 15 years. There are deep bonds, both musically and personally. The music I released in 2023 (“In Time” EP) was self produced in my bedroom. Though it featured many other musicians, they were recorded one at a time in a very controlled way. In contrast, my new album “Early Waves” was recorded primarily in a studio with the full band performing together (without a click track). This approach is now considered by many to be old school and it is really more of what I was trained to do as a jazz drummer. I am extremely excited to have this album out and looking forward to seeing where it takes me. In the near future, I hope to be composing more, releasing more music, performing around the world with my band, and collaborating with other artists I admire. Though I cannot say I am anywhere close to making my living from my own music, it sure does feel good to be captain of my own ship. It also takes a lot of pressure off of my freelance and sideman gigs to provide that creative outlet for me.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I started playing drums at the age of 13. I had already been playing piano for years and had short-lived stints at playing viola and saxophone in school band, but none of those excited me very much. As a kid, I really just wanted to play with my friends and play computer games. That all changed after I started learning drums. I was lucky that my high school (Evanston Township High School in Illinois) had a great music program and band Director named Dr. David Fodor.
Dr. Fodor is a drummer himself, and put me on to many jazz records that became highly influential to my development. After high school, I went to Oberlin Conservatory of Music where I studied with master drummers Billy Hart and Jamey Haddad. I then lived in Brazil for 6 months where I taught jazz and studied Brazilian music, lived in Chicago for 4 years, and then moved to NYC where I live currently.
I am proud of my growth as a drummer, following through with releasing my own music, and my perseverance in this industry. In my 20s I had a lot of difficulties with chronic pain and other health struggles that made it hard for me to practice as much as I wanted and really strained my mental health as well. It felt that breakthroughs were impossible because whenever I got close, I would have another flareup or would be constantly afraid of damaging my body. I eventually got to the point where I thought I would need to stop playing music professionally in the next few years. After trying many different approaches (both conventional and non-conventional), I stumbled across a mind-body approach introduced widely by Dr. John Sarno (the late doctor who worked at NYU Rehab for many years). It took a couple years, but I was able to overcome those chronic issues. The process was largely based around facing and working through a lot of mental/emotional difficulties (and understanding their role in my physical issues). I generally don’t talk too much about this because most people don’t seem to like hearing about it — but I do hope that me mentioning it can help others, especially musicians, overcome similar issues in the future.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect is collaboration. Creating with other artists whose visions are aligned. I spend many hours practicing drums alone, as well as writing and producing. That can be rewarding and it is absolutely necessary, but for me, the joy is felt most when in relationship with others: The excitement of exploration and discovery. The humor and amazement of the unexpected. I hope to collaborate more with like-minded artists of different mediums.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.petermanheim.com
• Instagram: @thepetermanheim
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@petermanheim
• Other: https://bio.to/petermanheim

Image Credits

1) Jess Licata
2) Florencia Villa
3-5) Jess Licata
6-8) Chris Weiss