Description
The Kahne Sessions 1980-81 is a six track EP by the American singer, songwriter, keyboardist, and producer Charlie Peacock, independently released on It’s Time To Art in October 2025. In the spring of 1980, Charlie Peacock was signed to a development deal with A&M Records. Financed by A&M, these six demo tracks were recorded at The Automatt in San Francisco, California; with David Kahne producing.
These six previously unreleased tracks from 45 years ago, were caught at the apex of San Francisco’s new wave pop moment. Featuring two former Sacramento recording artists and Grammy Award Winning, Billboard #1 producers.
The difference between the numerous demos created in ad hoc 8-track garage studios and The Kahne Sessions is right there in the name. Kahne, as in my producer for the recordings, David Kahne. The sessions took place at David Rubinson’s The Automatt studios, located at 827 Folsom Street in San Francisco (formerly Bill Putnam’s Coast Recorders and Columbia Records’ West Coast studio).
David Kahne was the A&R director and staff producer for 415 Records and kept an office at The Automatt. Kahne brought David Rubinson to hear me open for Peter Bilt & the Expressions at the SF venue The Stone (412 Broadway). Rubinson was impressed (I remember he especially enjoyed hearing bassist Erik Kleven play tuba on a song). With Rubinson’s blessing, Kahne and I were allowed to record at The Automatt whenever the studios weren’t booked with paying clients. Rubinson would function as my manager in case we landed a deal. That Rubinson produced and managed Herbie Hancock was not lost on me.
In summary: The songs were hardly demos. They were master recordings. Though my songwriting and piano playing were leveled up, my vocals were the least developed aspect of these six unreleased tracks from 45 years ago. Captured at the apex of San Francisco’s punk/new wave movement, you can hear me still searching for the singing equivalent of my speaking voice (which I didn’t like at the time – too high and whispy). Hence, you get some of the voice you know, plus the influence of stylistically affected voices of the time. I was 23-24 years-old when these songs were recorded.
The songwriting, though? You tell me. Subjectively, I think it sounds unique for the time, and yet, also sits right within the cultural moment (you’re free to guess the influences and references). I’m very grateful to my songwriting partner/mentor Steve Holsapple for collaboration and life support. This represents the best work we did together in the late 1970s and early ‘80s (along with the Charlie Peacock Group material of 1982 compiled on Last Vestiges of Honor – which is far more experimental).
An eternal shout-out to the late, great bassist Erik Kleven. He created extraordinary bass parts on his own, and he could read any bass part I wrote and apply his own artistry to it (especially «Sooner or Later»). Peter Dunne! (aka Peter Bilt) – big ups to you too for your guitar contributions.
I would like to extend a grateful thank you to David. It was his musical maturity and unique vision for pop music that lifted these recordings to a height I couldn’t reach – including some additional songwriting. There’s so much more to say about David’s skill and influence, and I’ve tried to honor his contribution to my career in Chapter 11 of my book “Roots & Rhythm: A Life in Music” (see, “The Path of the Producer Polymath”).
(Steve Holsapple introduced me to Bob Cheevers who introduced me to Sal Valentino of The Beau Brummels one night at Maurice’s American Bar in 1979. It was Steve who “discovered me” but Sal that got the record company ball rolling. He took me around to several labels in LA. As a result I was introduced to attorney Lyndsey Feldman who secured a demo deal at A&M Records. This led to David Kahne and David Rubinson.
There was already a bit of good faith history between me, David Kahne, and Rubinson’s studio. When David Kershenbaum and Juliea “Jools” Clarke signed me to a development deal with A&M Records in the spring of 1980, we recorded at The Automatt with Kahne as producer. A&M passed, but the Davids were kind enough to give me a second chance. In 1985 I released a reworked version of the album Lie Down In The Grass on A&M.)
[Published by Charlie Peacock, October 17, 2025, on Substack: https://charliepeacock.substack.com]
> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-kahne-sessions-1980-81-ep/1839371226)
EP tracklist:
01. Rhythm Girls (feat. Mark Isham, Vicki Randle & Steve Erquiaga) – 4:06
02. Sooner or Later (The Main Elevator) – 4:00
03. High Risk Casualty – 2:58
04. Christine – 3:08
05. American Music – 2:31
06. So Attractive – 3:06
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