NEW YORK — After a long battle with apathy, local musician Peter Costello was forced to put his pet project VeRu to rest earlier today. The sad news was confirmed by friends and well-wishers attending a candlelight vigil, held on the stoop outside Costello’s apartment.
The tough choice to lay the project to rest was made after a group of Costello’s closest musician friends confronted him about VeRu’s deteriorating state.
“Basically, we just said, ‘Pete, we know you love VeRu, but it’s time to end its suffering and just let it go,’” said friend Alicia Greenberg, who was with Costello as he unplugged the equipment. “It took some convincing, but, in the end, he knew it was for the best.”
Costello, best known as the guitarist of indie-rock outfit Robbing Jasper, started VeRu in October 2005 after purchasing a Moog synthesizer from a local pawn shop.
“I saw it just sitting there in the window, and I knew we were meant to be together,” said a tearful Costello during the eulogy. “When I was down, it was always there for me, and that’s when we did our best work.”
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VeRu, a progressive/new wave/post-punk electronica-based neo-soul concept album mix, never really found its footing, according to Costello. “When I got home from a long day, I always liked to unwind and just hang on the couch working on VeRu. I never planned just where we were going, and that was part of the joy,” Costello said solemnly. “I could spend hours just playing with the oscillators or messing with contours. People never ‘got’ our relationship, but true love knows no judgment.”
Costello’s friends, comforting him in his time of need, feel the decision was for the best.
“He was so over-protective of VeRu,” said singer Ivan Richmond. “I think, in the end, that’s what ruined it. When Pete tried to bring in a mariachi band and the Moog couldn’t control its own output volume, we knew it was time to have the talk.”
The synthesizer and 4-track masters will be buried during a simple, private ceremony at Juniper Valley Park. In lieu of flowers, Costello is asking for donations to his new guitar fund.