Peter Schwimmer, a bluegrass picker since 1964, has explored many musical styles (including jazz, blues, and country music) and performed and/or recorded with bluegrass artists such as Vassar Clements, Tony Trischka, Peter Rowan, and Del McCoury, and with jazz fusion group Steps Ahead.

A founding member of Front Range, and a resume that includes Oregon bands Train 145, Sam Hill, Dr. Corn's Bluegrass Remedy, Lee Highway, and the Muddy Bottom Boys, Peter combines stylistic elements of traditional players like Earl Scruggs, Porter Church, Bill Emerson, and J.D. Crowe, with the melodic approach of players like Bill Keith and Bobby Thompson, and mixes them with bluesy licks using a solid and rhythmic right hand technique.

He was featured in Tony Trischka's book "Masters of the 5-String Banjo" and won the 1990 banjo, guitar, and mandolin contests in Telluride.

He taught at the Puget Sound Guitar Workshop, at Sound Acoustic Music Camp, and he teaches banjo (and mandolin and guitar) in his hometown of Portland, Oregon.

Because of his background in various genres, Peter plays a variety of instruments (including guitar, mandolin, banjo, bass and violin) with a variety of bands.

He's played with Small Towne Bluegrass Band, New Old Friends (bluegrass), Rose City Bluegrass, Sam Hill, the Steve Hall Quintet (jazz) and as a trio with Zak Borden and another musician tbd/gig. His current band is The Grass Station.

With Sam Hill at Trexle Farms Cafe's in Mill City, Oregon, on October 22, 2019. (photos by Clyde Clevenger)

With the James King "Last Minute Pickup Band" August 10, 2014
"I knew about James needing a banjo player about 2 weeks before the gig, and Ellie Hakanson (who also plays with Jeff Scroggins) learned that she might be tapped for being the band fiddler a couple of days later, but Chuck Davidshofer and Jeff Westerinen (the bass player and mandolin player) learned about the gig 2 days before and on the day of the gig (respectively), so it was kind of last minute. It sounded pretty good, and I think James was happy with the result."

in Tony Trischka's book "Masters of the 5-String Banjo"