Date
Saturday, September 19, 2026
Joe Peter’s Slow Train Band is one of eleven bands chosen to play at the annual Porchfest hosted by the private Rancho San Miguel (Neighborhood) Association in Walnut Creek.
🎵 About Slow Train
Slow Train with Joe Peters. Singer-songwriter Joe Peters hails from Indiana and has released more than 20 albums of original music since 1998. While often performing solo, Joe is joined these days by a talented group of East Bay musicians supporting his folk-rock songwriting. The band features Mike Miller on drums, Michael Kotsos on bass, Wayne Ditzel on electric guitar, bringing a rich ensemble sound to Joe’s heartfelt originals and the band’s cover songs. ********** Wayne Ditzel's musical adventure began in his teenage years when he first strummed a guitar. He played bass in the Readymades, an early New Wave… band, and electric guitar on Bill Magill’s 1995 album, Eskimo in the Sun. Now retired, Wayne includes Mark Knopfler, David Gilmour and Albert King among his musical influences. He enjoys playing Joe Peters' songs and adding finger picked melodic lines to the unique Slow Train sound. ****** Michael Kotsos is a left-handed guitar player based in Walnut Creek, California. He plays bass, acoustic 12 string and sings backup and lead vocals. Michael started playing a converted “garage sale six string” in his home town of Montreal. In his late teens, he moved to LA and played rhythm guitar and keyboards in local rock bands. After marriage and family building, he revisited his musical roots. After moving to the Bay Area he discovered the bass. And the rest as you say is history. Michael loves to play all genres of music including rock, blues, folk and a little country and jazz thrown. His influences include Rush, SRV, Clapton, Allman Bros, Santana, Gordon Lightfoot, Tom Petty, Van Morrison, Jeff Healey. In addition to Slow Train, Michael plays in a few other projects including Delta Deuce and MFA. ************ Born in the Bronx in the 60's, Mike Miller was immediately immersed in the REAL musical classics (classical music AND The Beatles). Was introduced to and enjoyed many other forms of music in the 70's, learned how to play guitar in the 80's because I wanted to learn how to play, "From The Beginning" by Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Played guitar and sang both solo and as half of the duo, "Acoustic S&M" at restaurants and farmers markets from the 90's until Covid. Played bass and sang briefly in a couple of bar bands in the 90's, started playing drums in 2013. I am currently trying to teach myself piano. I have been writing songs sporadically for over twenty years. ********************* Prior to a career in music, Joe Peters was an academic in natural resources management, teaching and conducting research in South America, Africa and Asia. Upon retirement, he began playing his songs at open mics, restaurants, coffee shops, theaters, fundraisers and other venues in his native Indiana. After hundreds of shows, Peters moved to California in 2016 where he continues to perform in the Bay Area, now with his band Slow Train. Peters has released 20 albums of original songs, mostly folk, rock and Americana genres reminiscent of recording artists like Cat Stevens, Gordon Lightfoot, John Prine and others.
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