Milwaukee lost a musical treasure this week when Peder Hedman suffered a fatal heart attack. He was the rare combination of family man, talented musician who never stopped creating and fan who always had encouragement for other bands. And it was not unusual to see Hedman’s grey-haired father in attendance at gigs.
The chapters of Hedman’s musical career read like a guidebook for Milwaukee music from the early ‘80s through this week. Taking an early sabbatical from music, Hedman worked the fishing boats in Alaska in order to purchase two guitars, a Mosrite Combo and Fender Telecaster. Early on he knew the sound he was chasing.
The scant recordings of his early band the Null Heirs reveal a blueprint that took flight with Liquid Pink, the band that recorded an acclaimed album on Atomic Records.
That band (Hedman on guitar and vocals; Dale Kaminsky on bass; Rob McCuen on drums and later adding Julie Niedziejko on keyboards) took the pop hooks of Big Star, added the spirit of the Velvet Underground and was not afraid to visit the outer limits of the 13th Floor Elevators and echoplexed vistas of Syd Barrett’s Pink Floyd – all fairly obscure reference points back into those days.
The unique perspective of Hedman’s original songs gave the listener satisfaction, often dealing with everyday subject matter.
While Liquid Pink’s sound became the bedrock for Hedman’s later bands he was fearless and genre-proof. For Tweaker he set aside his Mosrite guitar for a Stratocaster plugged into a Marshall amplifier. But instead of Jimi Hendrix he found inspiration in the fingerpicking by Doc Watson. In hindsight it makes perfect sense that he once surprised me by saying he listened to modern country radio because he like Brad Paisley’s guitar playing.
Tweaker’s migration to North Carolina paved the way for several other Milwaukee bands to move southeast. At a memorable South by Southwest showcase gig during this time the supercharged Tweaker found Hedman leaping from table to table and leaning out a second story window, never missing a lick.
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Similar to his disregard for musical genres, Hedman worked on other art mediums. He created the cover art for Realm’s 1990 album Suiciety. On another occasion the inveterate dumpster diver found some drawings that were confirmed as done by Frank Lloyd Wright. If memory serves, Hedman sold them to the owner of Dominos Pizza.
A restless collaborator, Detroit Jewel was Milwaukee’s answer to Spinal Tap. Hedman’s membership in Bicentennial Rub was a side trip into the hard charging punk and he delighted in played low-key basement shows. Several years back Hedman played a short stint with longtime friend Voot Warnings in a band that should have made a record. Along with his brother Gunnar, he contributed to Hollywood Autopsy’s eponymous album as well as a release by The Rrreverberationsss.
Hedman’s current project. The Winning People (Kurt Bauer on bass and Rusty Olson on drums), had developed into a another interesting combo that found Hedman unafraid to reach deep into his vast back catalog of songs. He will be missed.
A memorial will be held 3 p.m., Dec. 16 at Best Place at Pabst Brewery, 907 W. Juneau Ave.
