by Matt FinkHaving already served successful tours in the punk/pop bands Thrillhammer and Hazel, and more recently, the rambunctious bluegrass band Golden Delicious, Pete Krebs has emerged as one of the most consistently engaging contemporary singer-songwriters. Much like his friend and collaboratorElliott Smith, Krebs uses his more rock-oriented roots to drive his intensely introspective songs, and like Smith, both have passed through early periods of extremely stripped down solo recordings to taking on grander ambitions with more sonically dense collaborative works. Debuting in 1995 on Cavity Search with the starkly acoustic Brigadier, Krebs was immediately established as one of the more impressive voices in the crowded singer-songwriter idiom. The 1997 release Western Electric only upped the ante, as Krebs became the recipient of substantial critical acclaim to go with his already growing reputation. Sweet Ona Rose, following in 1999, did nothing to hurt the momentum already building, as Krebs filled out his sound with an impressive cast of friends from the indie rock elite and crafted what was arguably one of the strongest and most varied alternative-country statements of the year. Hot Ginger and Dynamite followed in spring 2001, with the folky I Know It By Heart close behind.