"Sometimes It's About Depth Not Breadth": An Interview With Pete Astor (The Loft, The Weather Prophets) About Creation Records, His New Album, Streaming, And Being A Music Fan

Only a few days ago I reviewed Time on Earth, the new album from Pete Astor (The Loft, The Weather Prophets). I think I rightly raved about the record because it's one of the best things Pete's done in recent years. And that's saying something given his 2020 covers collecion, his 2018 release, One for the Ghost on Tapete Records, and his 2016 Spilt Milk on Slumberland Records. Those are all wonderful releases, but there's a warmth and directness on Time on Earth that make this one something very, very special.

Three decades or so ago, my friend and site contributor Stan Cierlitsky worked at one record store in suburban Maryland while I worked at another nearby on the campus of the University of Maryland. Back then, Stan was one of the only people I knew who knew The Loft and Creation Records. So it made me very happy to have Stan join me today in this interview with Pete Astor. We discuss the new album, plus lots of other stuff, including the late Pat Fish of The Jazz Butcher, streaming music, Alan McGee, and, of course, Creation Records in those early years.

[Photo: Elena Ferreras Carreras]