The independent artist movement evolved out of a reaction to corporate-driven record companies. Gone were the days of artists being signed based on creativity, innovation and imagination; today, the market generally responds to low-risk investment: pretty faces, showy costumes, pointless lyrics and nominal talent.

Pete Vogel decided to pursue the path of indie artist to engage his primary passion in music: to deepen the mystery. Whether it's playing solo piano for private events, strumming guitar on his own songs, drumming with local bands or composing keyboard arrangements for his own projects, Vogel has strived to keep his original motivations intact.

"It's hard to believe that music has lost most of its power to influence, inspire, and move people," Vogel stated. "Today, it has become more or less the soundtrack to our menial pursuits."

Reared in the British Invasion movement of the sixties, Vogel was inspired by such bands as The Who, ELO, Yes, Moody Blues and Pink Floyd. "I was inspired by their musicianship, their lyrical content and their honesty." he said. "To me, music became the last refuge of the honest soul. While politicians, teachers and priests often lied, it was the musician who told you what was really going on."

Vogel drummed for many local bands throughout high school and college. In 1987, he picked up guitar and keyboards in an attempt to write material that fueled his original inspiration. "I played with a lot bands in those days, but something was missing. I decided to pursue my inner voice in quest of that missing link."

He composed his first CD, "Journeys" in 1999. It was a low budget, homespun project that featured Kevin Brotherton on guitar. The entire project was written on keyboards and reflected his New Age sensibilities at the time. "Journeys was my attempt to write uplifting, instrumental music that had an element of mystery to it."

He produced his second CD, "Rites of Passion" in 2001. For this album, he used the vocal talents of three singers: John Bolzenius, Mark Cantwil and Kevin Brotherton. "Rites was my attempt to marry classical and rock themes with voice. In all, I'm happy with the outcome."

After releasing "Rites of Passion" Pete joined up with guitarist Kevin Brotherton and bassist Huston Wolfe to work on Kevin's material. "Brotherton" was a power rock trio that played from 2001 to 2004; they released their debut album "Reflect" in 2003. They enjoyed some radio success with their single "Goodbye" and played numerous venues around Columbus. The band split in 2004 so Pete decided to begin work on his next CD.

While his first two projects were experimental in nature, his next CD would prove to be his most ambitious. "I wanted to write something catchy -- something that the average listener could really latch onto. So I wrote a bunch of three-minute songs that would be rich in hooks, and rich in content as well. The result was Tightrope."

"Tightrope" proved to be his best work yet. He recorded, produced and engineered the album from his home studio. He hired the talents of over twenty musicians and singers, pulling no punches on the project. "I took no shortcuts on this CD. Everything is real: drums, piano, strings, guitars, flute and bass. I spent the time, money and resources to make this a truly memorable work."

While some may say that Vogel may be "living in the past" regarding his musical ambitions, he doesn't care. "I play and write music because I love it. If I sell ten copies or fifty thousand copies, it doesn't matter. People always do strange things for love."