70's and 80's New Wave Dance Band
Pete Salazar
Pete Salazar is about to return to the stage with his former 80s New Wave cover Radio Active, much to the excitement of his already sizeable army of fans. With the band expected to hit the New Wave club circuit early this coming year (2015), success and fame is imminent, the exciting, retro-yet fresh, powerful sound and performances of Radio Active with successor and co-lead singer Roni C and a thrill to witness. This band is certain to gain interest from across the world during the current Retro-80s New Wave phenomenon as New Wave dance clubs spring up in many cities that are hip to the 80s dance resurgence.
The development of SalaZar’s unique and sexual performance style is the result of a lifetime of musical influences. Growing up in a talented musical family meant that Pete was always surrounded by different forms of music. His mother was a classically trained pianist who studied in Havana, Cuba and escaped to the United States before the revolution took hold on the island. Pete sang with various bands in the 1980s and 1990s, and his parents exposed him to a wealth of classical music, Cuban and Colombian music as a child, all of which influenced his development. However, the catalyst that launched Pete as a singer, at the ripe age of 10, was a chance meeting with Elvis Presley in Palm Springs, CA on a main street store where Mr. Presley was trying on sunglasses surrounded by bodyguards. After Pete’s hysterical and tongue-tied mother received EP’s autograph, Elvis reached down and rubbed the top of Pete’s head and said, “God bless you little boy” in his southern drawl. Pete was hooked, listened to his mother 8 track tape of Viva Las Vegas over and over as they crossed the country in their family green and white camper. He later discovered his aunt’s record collection that contained classic vinyl albums by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Doors, and many more classic acts that became the foundation of his rock identity. Lifting and placing the record players sound needle on and off of the record as he studied every note of his favorite bands became an obsessive habit for the young singer.
Pete’s life journey did not begin in Hollywood, however. Conceived in Miami, Florida, born in Mansfield, Ohio, only to be whisked off to California within two months of being born a Buckeye, he was in Los Angeles, California where he began to develop his musical tastes and interests. It wasn’t long after picking up a guitar that he was joining local garage bands who were interested in both classic rock and writing original music, all of which had a profound influence on the direction his musical journey has taken. From covering the 60s classic music, writing original songs, and then finding himself in the middle of the 1980s New Wave Techo-Revolution, his obsession for new wave music inspired him to overcome his introverted personality and to join every garage band he could join, play every backyard keg party he could and eventually into the night clubs. Anywhere Pete could talk himself into or by submitting a poor sounding cassette tape of one of their garage rehearsals.
From there Pete performed in well-known New Waves clubs, Madame Wong’s West and Wong’s East after being discovered by a highly regarded booking agent Cindy Jo Hinkleman who heard something unique in Pete’s band The Specters. Even through all the hissing and reverb soaked cassette tape recordings, she heard something in their original music that inspired here to book the band.
After a sad ending to the Wong’s club scene, an end to an era (the 80s) the clubs forever closed their doors, Pete moved on to the Sunset strip where he continued his front man training, baptism under fire, with some of the toughest and rudest and indifferent crowds known to the club world. He and his bandmates lived the rock and roll life within Tier Garden and then Lunatic Fringe.
Their song writing became darker and heavier as the environment in which they lived became a reflection in their music, their struggles, their pain and many disappointments. The more accessible and “fun” music of the 80s slipped away as the times began to change. At this point in Pete’s music career, the famous Hollywood Whiskey A Go - Go and The Roxy theater became his schools of hard knocks, as he and the band performed night after night; they learned and they grew as musicians.
Pete’s performances today are stronger than ever. His voice has matured, is stronger he remains healthy and he still has that intense presence that won him many admirers of over the decades. After re-building his life, started a family, established his career, found his center, and ultimately re-discovering his passion, new 80s music, he is back - better than ever. He combines all the Rock and New-Wave experiences that he mastered in the 80s and the 90s in one intense performance In-The-Now (2014-2015).
In 2014 Pete re-joined Radio Active after taking a leave of absence in 2012 to travel to Kabul, Afghanistan where he sang for the troops in an area the USO refused to travel to due to the inherent dangers. It was one of the most difficult experiences Pete had to endure in his life, and he learned a lot from his travels and performances, what he saw, what he heard and what he won’t talk about. He logged many miles and hours in convoys through cities, villages and open deserts.
Radio Active along with co-singer Roni gives Pete SalaZar the space and platform to take his stage presence to a higher level as they perform all the songs that they loved from the 1980s. Pete re-connected with the only way he can express his most inner passions, fears, pains and desires.