Fair Ground (band)
Pete Lesperance | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 13, 1968 Scarborough, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, producer |
| Known for | Lead guitarist of Harem Scarem |
Pete Lesperance (born October 13, 1968, in Scarborough, Ontario) is a Canadian musician renowned as a guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, and producer. He is chiefly recognized as the lead guitarist for the Canadian hard rock group Harem Scarem. Prior to establishing Harem Scarem alongside Blind Vengeance's singer Harry Hess in 1987, Lesperance was a guitarist for the Oshawa-based metal band Minotaur.
His solo work includes the album Down In It, which was released exclusively in Japan, reflecting Harem Scarem's strongest fan following there. Partnering with guitarist Mike Turner (formerly of Our Lady Peace), Lesperance co-founded the band Fair Ground, which issued a revamped edition of Down In It.
Lesperance operates Hope Songs studio in Toronto, Ontario, where he produces music for various bands, including the rock outfit One Short. He has also contributed to albums by Canadian Idol participants such as Aaron Walpole and Suzi Rawn.
His guitar style is inspired by notable players like Eddie Van Halen, Brian May, Nuno Bettencourt, and Steve Vai.
With Minotaur
- 83-87 (EP) (2004) – recordings from the early 1980s
With Harem Scarem
- Harem Scarem (1991)
- Mood Swings (1993)
- Voice of Reason (1995)
- Karma Cleansing (1997)
- Big Bang Theory (1998)
- Weight of the World (2002)
- Higher (2003)
- Overload (2005)
- Human Nature (2006)
- Hope (2008)
- Mood Swings II (2013)
- Thirteen (2014)
- United (2017)
- Change The World (2020)
- Chasing Euphoria (2025)
With Rubber
- Rubber (1999)
- Ultra Feel (2001)
Solo
- Down In It (2004)
- Fade Into Stars (2012)
Fair Ground
Fair Ground was an alternative rock project formed by Pete Lesperance and Mike Turner, formerly of Our Lady Peace. Originally planned as a guest feature on Lesperance’s solo record, it developed into Fair Ground’s only release, Down In It, which debuted on November 6, 2006. After an online vote, the band issued "Down In It" as a single, followed by "Boy Without A Clue".
- Down In It (2006). Track list:
- "Down In It" - 3:40
- "Automatic" - 3:25
- "Say You Will" - 3:33
- "Nameless" - 3:33
- "What are you Waiting For?" - 3:20
- "Boy Without a Clue" - 4:03
- "Skeleton Tree" - 3:47
- "No Sign of Life" - 3:45
- "Upside Down" - 3:37
- "Life Goes On" - 3:17
- "Life Goes On" (Acoustic Bonus Track) - 3:31
Guest appearances and collaborations
- Doctor Rock & The Wild Bunch – Eye of the Hurricane (1991) – Guitar contributions
- Doctor Rock & The Wild Bunch – Stark Raving Mad (1994) – Guitar
- Honeymoon Suite – 13 Live (1994) – Engineering and mixing
- Mystery – Backwards (1995) – Production work alongside Harry Hess
- Lame – Ol' Doctor Bomb (1996) – Production with Harry Hess
- Fall From Grace – Within The Savage Garden (1997) – Guitar technician
- Steve Holliday – Stark Raving Mad (1997) – Guitar
- Xntrik – Focus (1997) – Guitar technician
- Fiore – Body Electric (1998) – Producer
- Fiore – Today Till' Tomorrow (1998) – Co-produced with Harry Hess
- Rafa Martin – Corazon De Hierro (2000) – Guitarist
- Stupid Angel – Stupid Angel (2000) – Production with Harry Hess
- John Boswell – Stranger In The Mirror (2002) – Guitar
- Ken Tamplin – Wake The Nations (2003) – Guitar parts
- Maureen Leeson – aka MOE (2003) – Guitar
- Billy Klippert – Billy Klippert (2004) – Composer and guitarist
- Brian Tulk – The Pop Machine (2004) – Guitarist
- Brian Tulk – Paperweight (2007) – Guitar contributions
- John Grolman – Existence (2009) – Guitars and backing vocals
- LORD – Set in Stone (2009) – Guest guitar solo on track 11: "New Horizons"
- Liberty N' Justice – Light It Up (2010) – Guitars and backing vocals on track 11: "Beautiful Decision"