Criteria founder is living his dream

The band Love & Rockets was the launching point for Criteria singer/guitarist/founder Stephen Pedersen.

"Love & Rockets had a song called 'No New Tale to Tell,' and the first 30 seconds of that song made me want to play guitar," Pedersen said by phone from his 1965 candy-apple red Ford Mustang, somewhere in Houston. "So my parents bought me a guitar for my 15th birthday, and that's what happened to me."

Pedersen said the guitar grabbed him by the throat and gave him only one goal in life — "to rock." "I spent a lot of time trying to find the right notes to make what I call 'strength rock,' " he said with a laugh. "I think I've found a way to do that."

Criteria also includes guitarist Aaron Druery, bassist AJ Mogis and drummer Mike Sweeney, and the band released a new album during the summer, "When We Break." "This album was different from the first album ("En Garde"), because there was a collaboration with me and the band," said Pedersen. "The first album didn't have a band. It was just me.

"It could have been disastrous, but it was an enjoyable experience. We use the studio as a tool to record. We jam live and see what comes up."

When the band members record, they don't think about how to play the songs in a live show, said Pedersen. "We separate ourselves from the road when we're making an album. We want to make a song sound as cool as possible, no matter if we can play it live.

"But we always end up playing a majority of the songs live. It just happens. Even if we can re-create it totally the same, we'll still play it live."

Live shows are the main reason Pedersen got into the business. "In the last 15 years, people have asked me what I wanted to do. I have always answered, 'Make music.' And I'm living my dream.

"A lot of people don't get to live their dream or, in the worst-case scenario, don't have a dream. I do and I'm doing it."

If you go

What: Criteria, Ris Paul Ric, the Middle Distance, Paris Green

Where: Kilby Court, 741 S. Kilby Court

When: tonight, 7:30 p.m.

How much: $8

Phone: 320-9887

Web: www.24tix.com

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E-mail: scott@desnews.com